Chapter 1
Summary: In a galaxy forged for a thousand years by the Sith and Empire, the last Emperor remains. In this galaxy two souls who are destined for greatness meet and their lives are changed forever. Follow the lives and heartbreaks of Anakin Skywalker and Padme' Naberrie.
Location: Mountainous Village, Naboo
Year: 46 BBY
The desperate cries of a woman echo throughout the room. She screeches from the pain of labor and struggles to maintain her confidence. This is after all not her first go around at child birth. To her right sits her husband Ruwee Naberrie, clutching her pale clammy hands.
His blue eyes meet his wife's hazel ones. Her eyes shine with pain and grief. This pregnancy has been difficult for her. They had almost lost their precious child during her fourth month and she had been placed on bed rest since that time. Jobal has spent many hours away from their other two children: Sola who was five, and Sabe who had just turned 2.
The midwife stands at the edge of the bed, hoping that the poor child doesn't get stuck. Her patient had lost a lot of blood and she was fading quickly. It was likely that the mother and child would not survive the birthing process.
Ruwee holds his wife's hand tightly and whispers, " Darling everything is going to be all right. Our little boy is being stubborn."
Jobal laughs through her labor and stammers out, " That... you can be sure- my love-"
Jobal feels another contraction painfully entering her abodemen, knowing too well the pressure on her body was making her weak and fade quickly. She knows she won't survive her third and final child's birth. She will never know his personality nor watch him grow up. All that matters is that the child survives for her family's legacy.
Jobal clenches her husband's fingers tightly and screams as she attempts to bring their son into the world. The midwife eyes her patient and the blood seeping onto her hands. There was still time to save the previous child, but the mother wouldn't survive this...
Three more pushes and cries echo throughout the room. The midwife holds in her arms a newborn with dark patches of hair which would be the same color as its mother's in a matter of years. The bright blue newborn eyes stare into the midwife's own green eyes. The midwife hesitates to rejoice in the child's birth. She knows the child will not bring as much joy as they wished.
Jobal laughs and says, " Can I see my son?"
Her lips are trembling and she is freezing. It won't be long now. She knows her life will join with the netherworld or what the old use to call the force. She eyes the child in the midwife's arms and gestures for her to be able to say her first hello and goodbye to her child.
The midwife frowns and suggests, " It is not a boy, You have another daughter."
Ruwee's eyes fall onto his wife, who shines with the ache of no son for her husband. An heir; that was her one duty as his wife, to bring forth many male heirs into this world and she had failed three times...
Ruwee rubs a soothing hand through his wife's hair and whispers, " It is all right darling. We now have three precious daughters who are as beautiful as their mother."
Jobal smiles weakly at her husband and suggests, " I think she will have your fighting spirit Ruwee'. She is a fighter."
Ruwee chuckles at this notion. He nods and eyes the midwife as she summons the medical droid.
The midwife swirls around and places the small baby into a metal bassinet. The machine begins its work by taking a small blood sample to check all levels of midichlorians in the child's blood. This is a customary blood check as in the Empire it is required at birth of each person. The Emperor had required this test to be run since the disbandment of the Jedi some twenty years ago. His scientists had found a way to suppress any sort of force powers through a vaccine. This would keep as many children over many generations from becoming a threat to the Empire. However there was a side effect unbeknownst to most life forms who needed the vaccine each year- it usually over time could render the life form infertile or the chances of the child having defects or dying if they were also force sensitive several hours after birth. There had been studies done since the creation of the vaccine in how a force sensitive female could have a healthy child if they over several years did not receive their booster shots. This worked in the Emperor's favor as he could control who would be born with force sensitivity and who could be trained by himself or his commanders.
The midwife's eyes widen as she reads the results from the medical droid's test. She has been midwife to the Naberrie family since the birth of Sola. The first two girls showed no signs of force sensitivity. How could one child be force sensitive and not the others? This is highly unusual.
The midwife's voice trembles and suggests, " Sir, your daughter's midichlorian count is abnormal."
Ruwee's eyebrows furrow and his worry lines are thinner than usual. Ruwee asks, " Are you sure the machine is accurate? None of her sisters produced those types of results."
The midwife shakes her head and states, " No sir, they are completely accurate. Is anyone from your kin force sensitive?"
Ruwee knows the answer to this. No one in his wife's family had these so-called Jedi powers. He had been young when the Jedi had fallen but he knew the answer. His own mother Winama Naberrie knew many things before they happened. She had known Ruwee would marry young Jobal Thule when they had first met. She had known her son would have three children.
His mother had died right after Sabe' had been born. It saddened him to ponder on his mother's passing, but he knew that she might have had the ability to use the force. She never mentioned it, but words seemed to leave him in this moment.
Jobal answers for him. " My mother in law had special abilities…"
The midwife eyes Ruwee' and suggests, " Sir Naberrie, were you ever tested for your midichlorian count?"
Ruwee' nodded , seemingly to remember his days at university when the Empire had first come into power. There had been massive murders during the early days of the Empire. Sheev Palpatine had his Sith apprentice Count Dooku ravage the Jedi temple and the Jedi that were found everywhere in the galaxy- murdered by clones. The university had been on lock down during this time as the galaxy had plunged into darkness. The Jedi had plotted against the Republic and had tried to seize power overtime. Ruwee did not know what was true or not at the time. He was an academic. He had wanted to become a professor and followed like a little lamb when the clones had come to Theed. They had been looking for rogue Jedi who had seeken shelter on Inner world planets that supported them. Naboo being one such planet.
He knew now not the truth even twenty years later. It did not matter to him until now. Until his mother's precious gift had been put on his youngest child. Now it mattered, now his daughter's life would always be in danger if she were ever to discover this ability. He had to protect his child.
" How can we prevent this from becoming Imperial knowledge?" He whispered to the Midwife.
Her eyes widen upon hearing this notion. " Sir- it is against the law to hide any such records. It is treason to even suggest such a thing."
His blue eyes narrow as he responds firmly, " I want no one to know of my daughter's abilities.
I want no record of this. Give her the vaccine and then record she was at normal levels."
The midwife eyes him carefully and states, " I will do this only if you do a favor for me. I will call upon you for a favor when it is needed."
Ruwee' replies, " Done, if that is what you wish Katrina."
Katrina's green eyes are serious as she replies, " Ruwee if she is not on record you will have to bring her to me each year for her booster, understand?"
Ruwee nods in understanding. Katrina turns back to the medical droid and instructs the droid to inject the child.
The newborn whimpers quietly and then Ruwee picks her up. He rocks her in the air and whispers to her, " My darling girl, you shall be safe."
He turns to his wife as she continues to breathe shallowly. He kneels before his wife and suggests, " What shall we name her?"
Jobal smiles and eyes the beautiful lotus flowers on her bedside table. Her favorite flowers in the entire world. She suggests, " Padme', we shall call her Padme' after the lotus flower."
To Be Continued.