Chapter 4: With Thunderous Applause

When Anakin Skywalker saw his wife walking towards him, a massive smile on her face, all of his troubles from the past few days seemed to melt away.

Padme couldn't contain her excitement any longer and ran forward, jumping into her husband's arms as he picked her up and gave her a small twirl before kissing her gently.

"The twins?" she asked once Anakin set her down.

"They're here." Anakin confirmed. "But they're not happy about it."

Both Luke and Leia had been despondent since their failure during their final trial. Luke had completely retreated into his own head, barely answering questions and looking lost in thought at all hours of the day. Leia was extremely surly, and treated anyone trying to approach her besides Ahsoka with hostility. Despite their immature actions, Anakin had almost literally dragged them to the Senate building for today's event. This was not something they would miss, and their mother needed the support of her family if she was to be successful.

Padme just gave him yet another smile at the mention of their unruly children. Even after all these years, Anakin still found himself amazed that he had married such a beautiful and confident woman. Sometimes, he would stop in the middle of whatever he was doing and marvel at how lucky he had been.

He was the Master of the Order, the most powerful Jedi in the entire Order, loved by his friends and most of the Republic, and he was given all of the respect and glory he could ever ask for. But if Padme had asked him to run away with her and spend the rest of their lives as hermits, he would do so gladly. He owed all of his success to her, and he constantly reminded himself not to take it for granted.

"I've been going over my speech one last time." she admitted. "I'm not nervous exactly, but there is just so much that needs to go right. Bail and Mon Mothma have been surveying the Senate again and it will be close. Too close to even remotely predict. I need to do well today to have a chance."

Anakin could still remember the day vividly. He and Padme were having a relaxing dinner in their apartment when Bail Organa knocked on their door with a request. Garm Bel Iblis was nearing the end of his term as Supreme Chancellor, and there was going to be an opportunity for the faction that formerly called themselves the Loyalists to have a controlling stake in the Republic. After careful consideration, the members of the party decided that Padme would be the best candidate to run. Not only had she been vital in destroying the corrupt legacy of Sheev Palpatine, but she also had ties to the Jedi Order that nobody could rival. There simply was no better person for the role.

After that, it had been a hectic two years of campaigning and solidifying the power base. Anakin rarely got to see his wife for those two years, and it was rarer still for them to have a quiet moment of peace when they actually did get to see each other. He didn't begrudge her that fact though. She was born for this. Padme was a rare breed of politician. She was effective while still keeping her soul. To deny her an opportunity to serve the Republic would be like someone telling Anakin to stop using the Force. It was her purpose, and this was her destiny.

"Padme, I have seen you time and time again going over all of your talking points. You came up with most of them yourself." Anakin said, embracing his wife once again as he spoke. "You don't need to memorize them anymore. It's the truth, and the truth isn't something that you really have to memorize all that hard."

"No, you're right Ani." Padme said, kissing him on the cheek as a thank you for his kind words. "I just needed to vent a little. Thank you so much for being here, and tell the twins thank you as well. I know they are a little discouraged, but tell them that when this is all over today I'll spend some time with them. You know that will do them some good."

Anakin nodded. He wasn't just Luke and Leia's father anymore. He was also the head of their Order, and he doubted either of them was going to be feeling close to him at the moment. Padme was in a different position, and that meant that even if she was Supreme Chancellor she was their mother first and foremost. Perhaps she could get Luke out of his malaise and cool Leia's temper enough that she could actually learn from her mistakes.

"Padme, it's time to go." Mon Mothma said, tapping Padme on the arm and giving Anakin an apologetic nod. "I'm sorry, Master Skywalker. Politics is a bloody business, but I promise to return her to you unharmed."

"No apologies necessary." Anakin chuckled. "Take good care of her. Good luck, Padme. Not that you need it."

"Ani?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Luke was still staring dejectedly at the Senate proceedings while Leia refused to acknowledge his presence altogether. Anakin didn't care too much, this wasn't the first time his children acted up and it wouldn't be the last.

"You might as well talk to me." he said casually as he settled into his chair in their repulsorpod. "Neither of you have a head for politics, so this is going to bore you to tears. Might as well talk to me to make it tolerable."

"Hmmph." was all he got out of Leia while Luke merely shrugged, not even looking in Anakin's direction. Anakin simply shrugged in return. He'd fallen for that trick when they were younger, but not this time. He was here whether they liked it or not, and their misery wasn't going to be his own.

"At least clap for your mother." he said as the Supreme Chancellor took his seat in his podium at the center of the Senate area. "This may very well be the most important day of her life."

Before Leia could offer up a snappy retort, Garm Bel Iblis began speaking and the volume of his voice blaring throughout speakers in the chamber silenced whatever quip it was.

"Esteemed Senators, honorable Representatives, citizens of the Republic." the Supreme Chancellor began, "It has been nineteen years and eight standards months since the very foundation of our Republic was threatened. And yet after all that time, we still stand strong and united against our enemies, both foreign and domestic. Today is a day above all others where we prove that strength. Today, we elect a new Supreme Chancellor!"

The traditional polite smattering of applause caused him to pause slightly, waving his hand as he did so. Though Iblis might have had a Corellian streak of brusque defiance, he was a politician first and foremost, and their best ability was to charm a crowd.

"Senators and Representatives, you will soon cast your votes, but before you do so we will hear from each candidate one last time. Though many of you have claimed to be decided in your decision, I urge you to listen to their words carefully."

"Our first speaker is the esteemed Senator from Naboo and the candidate of the Federalist faction: Padme Amidala."

Polite applause mixed with enthusiastic cheering as Padme's repulsorpod took off from its platform and slowly circled around the Chancellor's podium. Anakin had to hold back a look of discomfort on his face when he stole a glance at a holonet screen and saw that they were zooming in on his own repulsorpod and his own enthusiastic clapping. It seemed the media were still playing up this angle, even after all this time.

"Fellow Senators, Representatives, Citizens of the Republic." Padme began. "I thank you all for being here today to listen to the final speech of my candidacy for the office of the Supreme Chancellor. I am deeply honored that my fellow Federalists chose me as their candidate and I can assure you that as your Supreme Chancellor, I shall work tirelessly to make this Republic shine as a beacon of liberty across the galaxy."

"While we have accomplished much, there is still more work to be done. Over nearly twenty years our Republic has slowly become more and more decentralized. Divided into several sectors, each with their own defense fleet and governmental structure, they are taking more and more power away from Coruscant and our Republic has become more federalized each and every year. Though some decry such actions, I must ask you, fellow citizens: is this truly a bad thing?"

"Twenty years ago, supreme power was wielded by a Sith Lord, masquerading as a friend of the people and democracy. Politicians bickered and fought with one another, becoming incredibly corrupt, all to get a better scrap that Sheev Palpatine handed out to his cronies and enablers. Now that power is gone, given to the people of the galaxy and their respective regions. Corruption is a fraction of what it was. Better decisions are being made by the Republic, because the people making the decisions aren't based on Coruscant, but among the people. It allows us to focus on what truly matters: protecting the people. The Jedi Order, stalwart friends of the Republic, have continued to keep the peace and act as mediators between the regions of the galaxy should the need arise."

Once again, the cameras focused on Anakin while Anakin was focusing on Padme. Whispers and snickers broke out among some of Padme's greatest detractors. They claimed that her… ties to the Jedi Order had clouded her mind, but Anakin didn't care. She was right, and he was confident that she would have come to this exact same decision whether or not she was madly in love with him.

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Padme continued. "So let us surrender that power back to those who once gave it to us: the people of the galaxy. My opponent wishes for you to think that this invites weakness, that our lack of strength will result in a collapse of order. Nothing could be further from the truth. True strength comes from doing what is right, no matter the cost. Our work is not yet done, and there is still a long road ahead of us to reach true peace, but it is a road I say we take together, as equals. With no master telling us how we may travel. So today I ask you all to cast your vote for federalism, for honesty, for justice, and for a lasting peace. Vote Federalist, and vote for me, Padme Amidala for Supreme Chancellor."

Cheering from Padme's supporters broke out, and it was much louder than the jeers. She had done well. It was succinct, and summarized her points effectively. Her opponent was going to have to do very well indeed to beat a speech like that. As Anakin watched his wife return back to her platform, Anakin could have sworn she sent him a very subtle wink.

"Thank you, Senator Amidala." Garm Bel Iblis smiled. As the former Senator from Corellia, itself the leader of a very powerful region in the galaxy, it was clear that if he could vote, he would have voted for Padme. Her policies were going to do very well for Corellia and every other region of the galaxy that chafed under the tight grip that Coruscant was trying to exert.

"Next, we have the candidate from the Centrist Party. I present to you, the Leader of the High Command of the Republic Navy, Grand Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin."

The area around Anakin erupted with boos and hisses, but that was no surprise. His repulsor pod was surrounded by Federalists after all. What did surprise him was the amount of cheering he did hear. It boggled Anakin's mind that so many people would support a man that advocated for the things that Tarkin did, but then again, many of these people probably would have supported much worse had Sidious remained in power during the Clone Wars. There were many things Anakin had done that he wasn't proud of. Putting his lightsaber through Palpatine's chest would never be one of them.

"Thank you Supreme Chancellor, Senators, Representatives, and Citizens of the Republic." Tarkin began, curt and businesslike. His brisk Coruscanti accent was properly elegant for this occasion.

"Senator Amidala likes to paint a rosy picture of the state of the galaxy. She claims that this is an age of peace, of justice, of integrity. Why wouldn't she? As the old saying goes: ignorance is bliss."

Anakin felt himself start to turn red with anger, but he kept a lid on his emotions. The last thing Padme needed right now was for a picture of her furious husband to make its way around the holonet. She was counting on him, and if that meant he needed to get a grip on his emotions, then so be it.

"She says that these defense forces keep the peace in their regions of the galaxy, but I do not see peace. I see order enforced through brute strength. Some of these regions are no better than criminal enclaves, sanctioned by a Republic too weak to stop them. Slavery, spice trade, plague and constant strife are hallmarks of life in the Outer Rim for the past two decades. What has the Republic done to stop this? Nothing. No, instead we claim that this is merely the hiccups of a necessary and proper transfer of power from Coruscant to their respective regions. That works in theory, but not for places like Saleucami or Ryloth. Though I should amend my statement slightly, there are some planets in the Outer Rim that love such an arrangement: Nal Hutta, for instance."

"I cannot simply stand by and allow such injustice to happen. All that evil requires to succeed is for strong men to stand by and do nothing. I refuse. I shall not allow a Republic that has stood for over a thousand years to abandon its people to tyranny and claim that it is for their own good. Over the past decade, under my leadership, the Grand Army of the Republic is rebuilding. My Stormtrooper initiative has been a massive success. Our new lines of Star Destroyers are much more effective and potent. Our tactics have never been so effective. And above all, our resolve has never been stronger!"

"If elected, I shall use our Grand Army to enforce the laws of the Republic in these lawless places. We shall have equality under the law, we shall have direction, and we shall have true peace, not this hollow victory that my opponent promises us. So today, I ask you to cast your vote for order, for security, for strength, and for a new dawn in the galaxy. Vote Centrist, and vote for me, Grand Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin of the Grand Army of the Republic, for Supreme Chancellor."

It was a good speech, and it played well with his base. Once again, the cheering vastly outnumbered the boos. This would be close. Both candidates had done very well, now it was time to see who had done enough to earn the most powerful title in the galaxy.

"And now, elected officials of the Republic." Chancellor Iblis said, raising his hands as the applause died down. "It is time to cast your vote. Good luck, and may the Force be with you."

The voting itself was over surprisingly quickly. Everyone who had been elected to cast a vote was already in the room, and all they had to do was input a quick command into their terminal. Within fifteen minutes, it was done. All that remained was for the results to be confirmed and for Garm Bel Iblis to announce the winner.

"Senators, Representatives, Citizens of the Republic, I address you for the final time." Chancellor Iblis said, raising his hands once again for calm. "I am pleased to announce that your newest Chancellor, chosen by the people of the Republic and their representatives is…"

"PADME AMIDALA!"

The room erupted into cheers, even Tarkin politely applauded, his face a mask of polite neutrality. Thunderous applause rang out from every single location that Federalist stood. Even the Centrists were being dignified in their defeat.

Padme's fellow Federalists were coming over to shake her hand and congratulate her on this massive victory. More than any election in recent years, this would shape the future of the galaxy for decades. Most importantly for the Jedi, this would cement what their role would be in the Republic. They would be Keepers of the Peace and diplomats. Their days as generals of a conquering army were behind them.

As for Anakin, he abandoned all pretense of neutrality and was cheering as loud as any of these, clapping with all his might and hoping his wife could tell how much he loved her from across the chamber.

Even Luke, sad dejected Luke, was grinning. If that wasn't even more of a miracle than Padme winning the election, Anakin didn't know what was.

The crowd waiting for the new Chancellor Amidala outside of the Senate Building was massive. They were excited to see their new Supreme Chancellor, especially one as popular as Padme. She was fresh off her swearing in ceremony and was ready to address the people for the first time as their new executive. Only a few hours into her job, and already it was a massive time commitment.

Padme walked up to the podium to deliver her first public address as Chancellor in one of her most elaborate and concealing outfits. It was designed to invoke elegance and mystery at the same time and it was accomplishing it in droves. Though Chancellor Iblis had never looked like a slob, it was clear that the new Chancellor Amidala was going to be a breath of fresh air. The space she chose to give her speech in was truly impressive. Beneath the massive, intricate pillars to the entrance of the Senate building, it allowed her to remind everyone that she was indeed at the center of power in the Republic while still being a woman of the people. It didn't hurt that the location was just as aesthetically pleasing as her dress.

As the figure waved at the assembled crowd, the real Padme Amidala smiled from her office balcony viewpoint in the loving embrace of her husband as they looked down upon the crowd. Body doubles had always been a favorite trick of hers, and this was no exception. Let the heavily clothed droid be her physical standin for this one speech, she could still give the speech via comlink. She needed a little alone time with her husband, even if Luke was in the adjacent room.

Anakin was slightly bothered by the fact that Leia, who knew what was happening, still chose to be near the podium for the speech. She had been the only one who hadn't looked overjoyed at her mother's victory, and her father was at the end of his rope trying to figure out a way to mend that bond.

First things first though, Padme had to deliver this speech. Then they could worry about their family.

"Thank you so much for your support, my fellow citizens!" Padme exclaimed as the droid waved its hand in a friendly greeting as it stepped up to the podium. "To begin with, I want to take this moment to-"

In one brief, horrible moment, time seemed to stop for Anakin. It was as if the Force was telling him that this would be the last moment of peace he would have for a very long time.

The next moment, his world erupted into fire, dust, and falling debris. A bomb underneath the droid's platform exploded, sending shrapnel out into the crowd. The droid itself was blown to pieces, but that wasn't the worst of it. Explosives had been placed either inside the pillars or in a specific spot to cause a massive amount of chaos. The two pillars that flanked the stage had been destroyed and large pieces of debris were scattered everywhere. As Anakin coughed and cleared the dust immediately in front of him away with the Force, he could tell that there were people either completely or partially trapped underneath massive pieces.

It was pure chaos. People were screaming and running in all different directions. Additional explosions came from the general area of the panic, but these didn't seem designed to cause further damage as much as fuel the panic that was ongoing.

"Leia!" Padme screamed, looking at her husband and giving him an unspoken signal that they needed to get down there immediately. Without another word, Anakin Force Leapt from the balcony and caught his wife using the same power as she made a jump of her own. Luke followed soon after and the three of them stood there for a brief moment, unsure of what to do next.

"Follow me, and stick together." Anakin ordered. "We don't know who or what caused this. Be alert, there may be more to follow."

The three of them moved quickly, with Anakin and Luke clearing out as much dust as they could with the Force and moving large chunks of the roof and pillars if it was safe. Already they could hear emergency sirens approaching in the distance.

"Help me." came a moan from underneath a pile of rubble. "Please."

Mon Mothma was speared through the abdomen by a piece of shrapnel, and Bail Organa was unconscious next to her. Both were alive, but barely. Anakin and Luke rushed over immediately and started to remove the debris to get access to them.

"Stay calm Senator, and keep pressure on the wound." Anakin said, his voice calm as if he was trying to soothe an angry reek. "We'll be there soon."

It took a few minutes, but the pair was able to reach them safely without causing instability to the surrounding rubble. Medical droids immediately rushed in and started apply topical bacta to both senators.

"We have this now, Master Jedi." a droid said, emotionless and apathetic. "Go and assist the others."

Anakin nodded, looking at his son and signaling that it was time to move on.

"Wait!" Luke cried in shock, looking around with a panicked expression on his face.

"What is it?"

"Where is Mom?"

Anakin was starting to panic too. Padme was nowhere to be seen. He and Luke had been so preoccupied rescuing the Senators that they hadn't bothered to check on Padme. How long ago had she vanished? She could be anywhere by now. This was hopeless and every second they delayed was another second that she could be in danger.

With an unspoken gesture, the two Skywalkers raised their hands up in perfect coordination, circling their arms over their heads to create a vortex of moment. Responding to their commands, the Force channeled all of the dust up and into the air, dispersing harmlessly over their heads and greatly aiding visibility.

"Padme!" Anakin called, hoping against hope that his wife was still unharmed.

"I'm here!"

Relief flooded into Anakin's body as he saw his wife walking towards him, and using her for support as she nursed a wound in her side was Leia. She was injured, but very much alive.

Anakin couldn't wait any longer for Padme and Leia to slowly make their way over to him. He rushed to meet them, every single second he was getting closer and the safety of his family was more secure. Padme looked up at him with undisguised relief and fatigue in her eyes. Anakin was here now, she knew that she was going to be alright.

And in one single moment, Anakin Skywalker's world was shattered forever.

With a sharp crack, a blaster bolt tore through Padme Amidala's chest, sending her crumpling to the ground, motionless.

"NO!" Leia screamed, full of grief and rage as she wheeled around, looking for the source of the sniper. Anakin saw out of the corner of his eyes a figure in a jetpack take off from a building overlooking the Senate Plaza, but he wasn't paying close attention.

His wife was dying in his arms, holding out her hand weakly to touch his face as the life faded from her eyes.

"It's alright." she gurgled, choking on the words as they came out of her mouth. "It doesn't hurt, I promise."

Anakin could barely see her anymore. The tears in his eyes were blinding his vision.

"Padme, no." he sobbed. "Don't leave me. Please don't leave me. I can't do this alone."

"Promise me."

"What?" he asked, unsure what Padme meant. Was she already beyond rational thought?"

"Promise me, Ani. Promise me they'll be alright."

This was it. The final thing Padme Amidala needed before she could pass to the other side.

"I promise you Padme, we will be alright." Anakin said through his sobs, rocking his wife back and forth as he did. "It's ok, you can go now. Go be at peace."

Padme was too weak to even touch his face anymore. She just lay in his arms gasping for breath.

"Oh Ani!" she said suddenly, her eyes flying open for one brief moment. "It's so beautiful there. Full of light! It's… It's…"

Her eyes close for the final time as her body completely and fully relaxed, going limp in her husband's arms. Anakin Skywalker just knelt cradling his wife's body, letting out a wounded cry that he didn't even know that he was capable of until this very moment. He just felt cold, and there was a new void in his heart that felt as if it had been carved out of stone.

Padme Amidala, Supreme Chancellor of the Republic and the love of Anakin Skywalker's life, was dead.

Delegates from all over the Republic came to Coruscant for the funeral ceremony. Padme Amidala and several others were dead, victims of a cruel and cowardly assassination. It was the greatest tragedy in living memory for the citizens of the Republic, and even though she had only been Supreme Chancellor for a matter of hours, people mourned the death of Padme and the talent that she would have brought to the office.

The chaos had been mercifully short. Even though Garm Bel Iblis had immediately left the planet for Corellia and the assassin had managed to escape, but the Vice Chair of the Senate had assumed authority within a day and authorized Grand Admiral Tarkin to heighten security measures and increase the Republic Fleet presence to ensure that nothing of this scale could happen again.

Within the Senate Building, a memorial service was being held for all those who had lost their lives. Almost everyone within the Republic government save for those injured in the explosions or unable to leave their post was there to express their sorrow. Almost everyone that is, save for the Jedi.

Unknown to the general public, Padme Amidala had wished to be cremated like the Jedi Order did with their own dead and to have her ashes scattered across the beach at the Lake Country on Naboo where she had first fallen in love with Anakin. While the bodies of the rest of the victims of her assassination lay in repose at the Senate building, Chancellor Amidala's casket contained nothing at all. Instead, her body was put in a cremation chamber within the Jedi Temple, a small snippet of Japor wood resting peacefully in her hands.

Each of her three surviving family members was dealing with her death differently. Luke was in complete shock, unable to truly comprehend what just happened. Leia alternated between unbridled rage and overwhelming guilt, blaming herself for being down by the podium in the first place which made her mother go down to rescue her. She should have been resting, but after a quick bacta treatment she insisted on being here for this. It was something she said she couldn't forgive herself for missing.

As for Anakin, he was trying as hard as he could to find peace in the Force.

He knew that Padme was one with it now, and he took some small solace from that, but there were times that his grief threatened to overwhelm him. It was only through Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's encouragement that he was able to keep himself together in front of his family and the Order at large. With Obi-Wan, he had meditated for hours and hours, trying to find that balance and feeding off the calming wellspring that his master was in the Force. As for Ahsoka, all that Anakin did with her is fall onto her shoulder and start crying uncontrollably.

"To rest, we put our friend Padme Amidala." Yoda said as the beam of light and heat entered into the cremation chamber. It's slight thrumming was oddly peaceful to Anakin, as if it was telling him that it was burning away the last of her old self as she entered into the next part of her grand journey."

"She is One With the Force, and the Force is with us!" Yoda called out.

"She is One With the Force and the Force is with us." the rest of the Jedi replied, although Anakin saw that only Luke responded with the Jedi. Leia was simply staring at the coffin and clutching her fists so tight that her knuckles were bone white.

The ceremony was essentially over after that. For the Jedi, there was no reason for them to linger. Padme was not dead to them, but merely moved on to a greater plane of existence, where they would all join her in time. It was precious little consolation to the Skywalker Family at that time, but it did mercifully cut the ceremony short. Anakin suspected that neither of his children would have fared well if it had continued for much longer.

Anakin knew that this wasn't the time to retreat into private meditation again, and motioned for his children to come with him to a balcony that overlooked much of the Federal District.

"I want you both to try something with me." he told them both as they joined him. "I want you all to share a memory you have of your mother. It doesn't even have to be an important one, just something that you've never told anyone else."

Both of his children, even Leia just looked at him with curiosity. She nodded, as if accepting that this was something all three of them needed right now.

"I'll go first." Anakin said. "It was back when I was guarding your mother right before the Clone Wars. I was madly in love with her, but I wasn't sure if she loved me back. We had a beautiful picnic in the Lake Country on Naboo, where your mother wanted her ashes to be spread. Like the idiot I was, I thought that I could surf on a shaak and impress her with my skill. That lasted for all of five seconds before I fell off and it ran over me. Your mother was so worried, she thought that I had been seriously injured. When she found me lying face down, she rolled me over all full of concern, but I couldn't keep it together any longer. I laughed and I laughed, and she just went right along laughing with me. We sat there in the grass for some time after that, looking deep into each other's eyes. And that was it. That was the moment I knew that I would love your mother until the end of my days."

Leia couldn't help but wipe a tear from her eyes. Anakin had never told that story before, and he could tell that was something that made her see her mother in a new light.

"I have one." she said. "I was a little youngling, but she said that my training could wait and it was time for a little mother-daughter bonding time. She took me with her on a trip to Glee Anselm to mediate a dispute between the Nautolans and the Anselmi. I was a terror the entire flight over there. I had just discovered that I was strong in the Force, and I was abusing my powers. Summoning this and that, making Threepio jump by rattling things just behind him, and here was our mother with no Jedi to help her out. I'm amazed she didn't toss me out the airlock."

"So when we touched down on the planet, she asked me if I thought I was the strongest thing on that planet. I puffed out my chest and told her I was. So she took me to the shore and told me that if I really was that strong, I should stand out there and hold back the tide. That would prove my strength for certain. So I did. I was certainly strong enough to stop the tide. But what I did realize is that it would keep coming, so I held this pose, just holding back the ocean for hour after hour. With the peace and quiet, mother finished up her part of the negotiations and came back to find me flat on my back as the tide was lapping lazily at my feet. Without so much as breaking her stride, she picked me up and carried me back to the ship, telling me that when I became strong enough to hold back the tide itself, then and only then would I be allowed to act that way. And if I did while she wasn't around, she would hear about it."

Anakin and Luke both chuckled at that. That sounded like Leia, and that most definitely sounded like Padme.

"Alright, it looks like it's my turn." Luke said with a smile. "So when I was little, I was so scared of monsters in the dark. Whenever I would go to sleep, I would think of them in my closet, waiting until I was asleep and then coming out of my closet and from underneath my bed to eat me. There were several nights in a row that I didn't sleep. I don't think anyone noticed until I fell fast asleep face first into a Jogan fruit cake that mom and I were baking."

"When I told her what was happening, she didn't laugh at me or tell me to get over it. She took me to the Senate Building for the next week every single day. I think she told you that it was so that I could get an education in politics. Well what she really did was take me to the scariest alien species she could find and have me meet them. They were all so nice and friendly. I even played Dejarik with one of them. When I was finally done with the game, I think I was allowed to win, I realized that mom wasn't even there anymore. She just left a note saying that she had work to do and I was welcome to stay with the nice Devaronian senator until she got back. I spent hours in that man's office playing with him before she came to get me. I haven't had nightmares like that since."

"See, those stories are why I had you both share." Anakin said, pulling his two children in close with a tight hug. "That is your mother. That's how I want you to remember her. Don't ponder on the bad memories, focus on the good ones and be glad that they happened, not that they're gone."

And that is how the Skywalker family sat, embracing one another and looking out at the city skyline in relative tranquility, thinking of fond memories each of them had of Padme Amidala and how she had made their lives better by being in it.

Their peace was shattered by a massive disturbance in the Force. A ripple of energy washed over them, causing Luke to turn green in the face while Anakin and Leia both clutched the balcony for support.

At the Senate Building, an explosion of purple lightning rushed out into the Coruscant sky before quickly dissipating, leaving behind an ominous and evil feeling in the air.

Anakin knew that something terrible had happened, he just didn't know what.

"Master Shaak Ti, what just happened?" Anakin asked, whipping out his comlink and trying to connect with the Jedi representative they had sent to the Senate Building for the official ceremony.

"Shaak Ti, what happened?"

A crackling static was all that he got in return.

He tried over and over again, but static was all he got.

"Um… hello?"

"Shaak Ti, is that you?" Anakin asked, but he was already kicking himself for asking such a stupid question. The voice on the phone was clearly a human male.

"Ah, no." the voice said, hints of both fear and nausea were evident in his voice. "This is Corporal Aric with Coruscant Security. I'm the first to enter this scene. I just found this comlink blinking on next to a body. Were you trying to talk with a Torgrutan?"

"Yes." Anakin said with a sick feeling in his stomach. What could have possibly killed such a skilled Jedi Master like that?

"I'm sorry sir, whoever you are, just she's dead. Don't know what happened but she- what the… Oh no, what is happening?"

"Corporal Aric?"

"She's ash. I touched her and she crumbled to ash. The ground is scorched all around her and- by the Force they're all like this. It's ash everywhere. It's all ash!"

Now Anakin was well and truly scared. Nothing he had ever heard of was capable of doing something like this.

"Corporal, what do you mean? What is going on?"

"Ash, sir. Your friend was turned to ash. Nothing left but that. Looks like as soon as something touches one of them they just crumple into a pile."

"One of them?" Anakin asked, that sick feeling was growing more and more prominent every second. "What happened there? What about survivors on the other side of the chamber? Did they see what happened?"

"Uh sir, I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying…"

"But that would mean…"

" Exactly, sir. Everyone who was in the Senate Building is dead. The entire government is gone."