Chapter 5: The Man Without a Face
Even though the six faces that were scrutinizing Padmé varied drastically, all had one common attribute- worry was visible in all their eyes. No one had said anything to her yet, but the Healer and Jedi Masters continued to silently brood.
"This is unsettling," the dark-skinned Master announced. Padmé vaguely remembered that his name was Mace Something-Or-Another. "We took all the proper precautions, yet…"
"Filled with the shadows of the Dark Side, he still is," Yoda said, his large eyes sleepily blinking at her as he leaned on his grimer stick.
Obi-Wan had been giving Padmé a reassuring smile, but upon hearing this, he held his head in his hands out of frustration. "What good are locks and bolts against such brilliance as that?" he asked very slowly, emphasizing each word. "Masters, we are not dealing with an errant youngling…"
"We are well aware of that," Mace said shortly, giving Obi-Wan a stern look.
All eyes turned to the door as it slid open to reveal a being with large black eyes and many feelers that were tied back behind his head.
The Letter was in his hands.
Without saying a word, he crossed the room to where Padmé sat and handed the sealed envelope to her.
For a moment, Padmé sat there clutching her blanket to her chest, her big brown eyes staring at the skull-shaped seal. "I don't want to open it."
"Please read it," Obi-Wan said very gently.
His reassuring presence calmed some of Padmé's fears, but with trembling fingers and an overwhelming sense of foreboding, Padmé slowly undid the seal and pulled out the letter from within the envelope. Once more, she hesitated but looked back down at it as the Masters became impatient.
"What does it say?"
The Letter was in a fine script showing vividly on the page due to the fact that it was written in read ink. Swallowing, Padmé realized with a start that it was addressed to her. "My Dear Miss Neberrie…
"Welcome to my Temple. During the course of your stay, I shall have the undeniable pleasure of watching you grow not only in your simple beauty, but also in talent and gentle personality. I consider it to be my duty to clarify two things for you, our new arrival: firstly, the sparring on the second floor is strictly off limits to anyone wishing to not suffer unimaginable pain; secondly, I am not responsible for what may happen to those who do not heed my well-meant warning and trespass upon my privacy. I pray you shall take my advice and heed the Master's warnings. Until then, I remain your humble servant, A.S.
"Who is A.S?" Padmé blurted out as she turned the letter over to find that the back was blank. The letter fell from her cold hands and onto her lap. Looking up, she found that the Jedi were shifting about uneasily.
It seemed that Obi-Wan was delegated to speak for it was he who broke the silence. "Anakin Skywalker, my dear friend and former apprentice, hero of the Clone Wars, and once a Master on the Jedi Council." Sorrow and pity for his friend clouded his eyes as he distractedly stroked his beard. "And he was also once a Sith Lord."
"Darth Vader," she whispered in recognition. "You have a Sith locked up in here?" Padmé cried out. In an instant, she had flung back the blankets and bolted to the door. She would have left had Obi-Wan not placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, causing Padmé to jump in surprise.
"Please, hear us through, and if you still want to leave then, we will not stop you," he pleaded quietly.
Somehow, Padmé found herself sitting back down on the bed with the reassuring warmth of a blanket wrapped about her.
"Yes, he did become a Sith under Darth Sidious. His fall was a blow to the Galaxy, the Jedi, and most of all as his master, me. During our final duel on the fiery planet of Mustafar, he… he…" the man trailed off, emotions causing him to choke on his words. Shoulders slumped, Obi-Wan shook his head. "The man I pulled from the lava was not Anakin.
Horrorstruck, she managed to stammer, "Does the Sith know he's hidden here?"
Obi-Wan gave out a shaky laugh. "Oh, he might suspect- he probably does- but without the Chosen One at his side, he'd never dream of entering her by force. Only Anakin knew the identity of the Sith Lord, but he has yet to reveal this to us. Seeing how thing are going right now, this might never happen.
"He is evil, then?"
It was Mace Windu who finally spoke. "Though he has come back to the Light, Anakin Skywalker is tormented by what was and what could have been. His disfigured body is a constant reminder to him of what he's become because of his hatred."
"Then those rumors are true- of how he wears a mask to hide himself," Padmé deduced, a shiver going down her spine as she spoke.
All of the Master's slowly nodded, causing her to look down at the floor.
"No one, not even I, have seen his face for well over three years," Obi-Wan said sadly, remorsefully shaking his head. "Hides being his mask- it is as doing so hides him from himself, the Galaxy… and his former Master."
"What does he wasn't with me, then?" she whispered, finally voicing the fear that had gripped her since she'd been left alone in that empty corridor.
"We do not know," the healer said grimly, patting her hand with his oversized one. "We are more concerned with the fact that he knows of you."
"I was in politics," Padmé said quietly. "It is possible that he heard of me that way."
"By the sounds of that letter, he is not interested in your political career- as a matter of fact, Skywalker notably loathed politics," Kit Fisto said slowly.
Dread settled into Padmé's stomach as she realized what this meant.
He wanted her.
"Has he ever done this before?" she asked with her eyes closed as she nervously licked her lips. Part of her hoped that they would not answer.
"Sought a woman's companionship or tried to lure one of the Temple's inhabitants to himself?"
"The first," she whispered.
"Before his fall, Anakin was married," Obi-Wan confessed although the other Council members gave him looks of warning. This caused Padmé's eyes to fly open in surprise but she said nothing. "He also had a small child- we named her Leia- but she has never seen him nor does he appear to have any desire to find her." An uneasy look from Mace Windu caused Obi-Wan to blanch. "Oh, Force! Those rumors of disturbances in the crèche were true then!"
No one replied.
"What happened to the mother?"
"We do not know," Mace Windu said stiffly, already moving to the door, "but we suspect she's dead."
"Did… he… kill her?"
"That we do not know and will probably never find out."
"Miss, if you choose to stay here, you could be a great asset for us," Kit Fisto said.
For some odd reason, Padmé found herself numbly nodding her head, but she regretted it as all the Jedi but Obi-Wan left.
"What are you wanting me to do?"
"If he ever speaks with you or tries to get you to go with him, do as he asks," Obi-Wan said in a hushed tone.
"But that's… suicide," she stammered, feeling unending loneliness wash over her thin form.
"Not if you're careful," he replied though he turned to cast a nervous glance over his broad shoulder. "If you could do so, there are several things we need for you to find out…" A small slip of paper was thrust into her shaking hand. "We need you to find out what happened to his wife, the identity of this Darth Sidious, and whether or not he's truly retuned to the Light."
"I'll do what I can."
"Good- that is all we ask of you." Obi-Wan gave her a grim smile. "This is not going to be easy, my friend," he sighed as he watched her slip the paper into her pocket. "It will be a miracle in itself if he even speaks to you."
"Then whey does he want me?"
"That, My Lady, is just a sampling of how Anakin Skywalker's mind works."
"I hate to interrupt all this foreboding and angst," Padmé interrupted as she climbed off the bed, "but I have a sparring class to attend."
"Perfect," he smiled, gallantly offering her his arm before leading the woman to the door. "It just happens to be on my way."
Oddly, Obi-Wan came to an abrupt stop before a large room in the Healer's Ward. As the entire wall before them was an observation window, they could see the five stretchers within. Lying on the beds with their eyes closed but with disturbed looks on their faces were the Phantom's most recent victims.
"I will not let this happen to you," Obi-Wan vowed.
Padmé had a feeling
that neither he nor anyone else could control that.
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Spoiler for the next chapter: "T.G? Who the Heck is He?":
Everyone in the room became silent.
Ignited lightsaber in one hand, Cin Drallig called out, "Who's there?"
There was no reply.
The Jedi ignited his blade, causing all the young ladies to jump. In a mere instant, all of the Nubian women had crowded around him.
"It's him," Padmé breathed. In a daze, she remained still in her spot a good distance away from where the other's huddled, leaving her vulnerable. Sudden drowsiness washed over being and her body began to say.
Cin saw what was going on and shoved the woman to the floor, immediately ending the trance that had been placed on her. "Leave her alone!" he cried out, waving his lightsaber in challenge at the unseen predator. "You do not belong here!"
