Amazing – Thanks again. I put in a little Obidala at the end, just for you.
PhantomMenace – Thank you. I appreciate any help I can get. Having my Star Wars experience being almost entirely the films, I am somewhat limited. I have fixed it.
Author's Note – Think about it. This is a crisis pregnancy if there ever was one. Girls in this situation would probably turn to whoever offered to help and in Anakira's case; she refuses to relinquish the babies. She should have told Obi-Wan but she was a bit miffed at him and Padme so she did not.
A Twist of Fate 5: The Sith Revealed
The resort planet was lovely, with blue-green oceans and beaches of pink sand. Anakira hated sand but, when it was bracketed by such lovely water on one side and lush forest on the other, she did not mind it too much. It was a change from Crouscant.
It was good she liked walking on the shore because her duties were predictably boring. Chancellor Palpatine, despite his insistence on having a Jedi bodyguard, often told her, "Go amuse yourself, young one. I will call you when I need you." She thought that old men really were the bane of her existence. At least she would not have to lie to the Council when she told them she had nothing to report.
Obi-Wan had taught her how to swim but she had begun to show, if not much, and she still had not decided to reveal her condition. Her secret would be discovered, at least by discerning eyes, if she dressed in anything but loose robes.
The dreams still plagued her here. In fact, they had gotten worse. As soon as she closed her eyes at night, they were there to torment her. She had visions of screaming babies and her own empty arms after they were taken from her forever night after night. Sleep was becoming very elusive indeed.
She woke with tears dampening her cheeks. The single, very large moon was shining on the water. She gave up on sleep and decided to take a walk on the beach. She put on her black robes and left the white confection of a building she, Palpatine, and the rest of Palpatine's entourage were staying in.
She walked quickly along the line of the water, silvery in the light of the moon, and was careless of her hem, letting it be dampened by the little waves lapping around her ankles. After she had walked for some time and the white building glowing in the moonlight had become small, she sat down on the damp sand and put her head in her shaking hands.
She thought she should have told Obi-Wan about this. He, of all people, would have understood. She wished she had Padme here to talk to. The older woman might have been able to give her some advice about what to do but, then, if it weren't for Padme, Obi-Wan might have been hers and these babies she was carrying might have been his.
Before she could continue her bitter thoughts a soft voice, speaking from just behind her right ear, said, "You are troubled, Young One. Maybe I could be of assistance."
She whirled around, light saber instantly drawn, and saw it was the Chancellor. "Chancellor Palpatine," she exclaimed, "I could have killed you!"
"Oh," with a little chuckle, he said, "I am harder to kill than that, young Skywalker. You have much on your mind or you would have sensed my approach."
Abashed, she nodded and replied, "I am sorry, Chancellor. I shouldn't let my troubles distract me and cloud my mind."
"Yes," he said, "you bear heavy burdens for one so young. The Jedi Council does not trust you and you do not trust them. If they trusted you, they would have made you Master."
His perception scared her. How could he know about her fears? She remained outwardly calm but put her hand on her light saber. "You are right; Chancellor," she said, "and I have to admit my faith in them has been shaken."
Palpatine then said, "The Jedi do not trust me either, or the Republic. They are planning to betray me. They sent you to spy on me, didn't they? That made you feel dishonest, didn't it?"
Anakira answered simply and it was her first betrayal. "Yes," she said.
"The Jedi are not the only ones who know the secrets of the Force," he purred, his voice soft and gentle, "and the Force has many secrets unknown to the Jedi."
Anakira's heart raced and she gripped the hilt of her light saber more tightly. She asked, "Such as?"
Palpatine answered, "The Sith, unlike the Jedi, are not afraid of the Dark Side. Sith lords have been able to use the Force to create life or to preserve it but the Jedi would not have told you the story of Darth Plagueis, a Sith Lord wise enough to know these secrets and teach his apprentice everything he knew."
Anakira stepped away from him and ignited her light saber but, as she did so, she thought of Obi-Wan and of the babies inside her. She thought of her mother, who might have been saved by such knowledge.
"You're a Sith Lord," she said.
Palpatine did not flinch at having a light saber pointed at him and his voice was calm when he said, "I know your situation, Anakira. You know the Jedi Council would never let you have both your power and your children. They fear your power as it is. I can help."
She did not put her weapon down but she did not attack, either. She asked, "How? What can you do?"
The Chancellor's gave her a frightening smile and responded, "The first thing I can do is stop those dreams. I can also help you with your pregnancy. Both you and the babies are very strong in the Force. I can influence the midi-chlorians to make the process painless and…quicker. You could have the children here and hide them before Senator Organa or the Jedi could take them from you. You would be able to fight again without weeks of recuperation."
She did not even bother to ask how he knew about Bail. Her voice was grim and she said, "Go on."
Palpatine's frightening smile turned into a grin and he said, "Why, young Skywalker, if you join with me, I can teach you these secrets and I will not curb your power as the Jedi do. Together, we can bring peace to the Galaxy once more. You do want your children to grow up in peace, don't you?"
She put her light saber down, knelt before him, and said, "I will join you." She felt she had no choice. Here was a way to keep her babies and her power and to grow in power. No one else was offering her a way to do this. Added to this was the hope of bringing about peace. No, she had no choice but tears glistened in the corners of her eyes for what she was doing.
"Rise Lady Darth Moeder, my new apprentice," exalted Palpatine.
Far away, in a bedroom on Crouscant, Obi-Wan Kenobi woke up with a start. Padme asked sleepily, "Obi, what is wrong?"
He muttered "Oh, I am just worried about Ani. I had the feeling she was in danger…"