Chapter 11.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'There Is A Constant Struggle Between Good And Evil, It Is Up To Good People To Choose The Right Side'

"You will find me that infiltrator or you will reap the consequence by the hands of the emperor!" Vader said furiously to the admiral behind the storm trooper army, whilst force choking him. "Yes my lord." the admiral choked out before being released from the Sith lord's grip. "There has been word that he fled to Tattooine my lord." He added once more standing back tall, Vader was silent for a moment at the name of his own planet. It meant nothing to him anymore. "Then what are we still doing here admiral?!" Vader questioned, "Search every village, every home, do what you must to find the traitor! Do not fail me again." He threatened once more before walking off as the admiral prepared for lightspeed towards the sandy planet.

He was going against his own words, he had warned that the family he swore to protect must stay inside but he couldn't help but find out what was going on. He watched the towns from a distance, every day sometimes all day, trying to gather as much information as he could. The stormtroopers hadn't left for weeks now and it was beginning to concern Obi Wan. Once he had gathered enough information he head back to the home of Padme. Luke and Leia being asked to give them some privacy went to their rooms leaving the adults to talk in private. "It appears the stormtroopers are after something, or someone. A spy I think, whatever it is I fear that they will not be leaving anytime soon." Obi Wan said to them, Padme took a deep breath moving her hand to her forehead, if it was just her she wouldn't have been so stressed and panicked, she had been in many battles in her life time but now, now she had two children to protect that was her priority. "This can't be happening.." She said softly as she sat down to soothe her dizzy feeling. "Do you thing the Sith lords will come here? or just send his army?" Mali asked in concern trying to mentally figure a way around this. Obi Wan looked to the women, "I sense great unease...I wish I could offer you great news...but I fear Vader will grow impatient at come himself...no matter the memories of this planet." Obi Wan said saying the last bit looking to Padme. "He is no longer the boy from Tattooine Ben...he is a man swallowed by evil...no matter of the memories here, he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants." Mali added, she had met the emperor many years ago and she knew that if Anakin was under his control then no mercy would be given to this planet. Padme sighed listening to their words, "So what do we do? Do we stay...or do we go?" She asked looking between them. Obi Wan ran his hand over his beard, "I will continue to watch them for a few days more, for now we are save, in the middle of no where, but I would prepare for a flee..." He advised honestly, out of any of them Obi Wan knew best, he had been trained in all this. Padme nodded, "Okay...we will need a ship." Padme said knowing all they had was a speeder. Mali cleared her throat, "Leave that to me, I know a few people." She said offering her support, Padme nodded. "Okay...for now we must act as though everything is normal, I do not want fear to overwhelm the children." She said standing back up. "Agreed...I will find out what I can." Obi Wan said leaving, "I will go sort us a ship." Mali added softly, moving her hand to Padme's shoulder.

That afternoon whilst the other adults where out, Padme paced back and forth her communal area nervously biting a her fingers as she tried to figure out ways to keep her family safe. What if this was it? What if they were going to find their children because of one person? without the Jedi order there was no one to fight against the empire, but if there was a spy surely that meant there was an army? she didn't know for sure but one thing she did know, the galaxy was about to change all over again and it made her nervous. "Are you okay mom?" Luke asked standing in the doorway of his room with his sister, Padme looked up. "Yes, I'm okay." She said with a smile, lying, a lie that they could both sense. "Have you finished your homework?" She asked them knowing she and Mali had been homeschooling them since they could talk. "Yes all done mom." Leia said proudly, she was a very bright young lady, "I haven't I'm a little stuck on a few things." Luke said with a sigh, "Well bring it here I'll help you, Leia can you please give R2 a bit of a clean, he's been collecting dust lately." she joked hearing the response from R2. Helping with Luke's homework would be a good distraction for her and the hour passed quite quickly. "See, its not so hard is it?" Padme asked with a smile, Luke smiled too..."Not now you have explained it." Luke added with a smile before going to put his work back in his room, R2 and Leia came up to her, "He looks so much better, Thank you Leia." Padme said with a smile, Leia went to speak but Padme heard something from outside, "Sshh.." She said holding her hand up as she heard unfamiliar yet terrifying sounds, "Stay here." She ordered before quickly getting up and heading out of the hut to hear the distinct terrifying sounds of the imperial tie-fighters, not one, not two nor three or four, but six, six tie fighters flying into the atmosphere and pretty close by to her home, she had such a bad feeling and knew there was no minute to waste. Running back inside she ordered Threepio and R2 to get on the back of the speeder, "Luke Leia!" She yelled to them, as they came running out to the communal area to her. "We have to go! Now!" She said in sheer panic, the kids knew there was no time to mess around and grabbed the things they needed before they all ran out to family speeder that the droids were already on. Looking back at the fighters that seemed to get closer, Padme ensured her kids safety on the speeder before getting on herself and speeding off into the distance, further from her home. She was said, once more having to flee and leave everything behind, just when she had finally begin to settle.

Mali was discussing things in the markets with one of her old friends about a ship, having been granted one she thanked her friend but was quickly distracted by the sound of the tie-fighters. Running out she saw many flying towards the town, panicking, stormtroopers were appearing more and more, this was not good and she too had a rather bad feeling about this. Luckily the ship and Obi wan was close by since Obi Wan had been watching in the mountains and had also spotted the fighters, along with Padme's speeder. Rushing down to the market he tried to keep a low profile yet reach Mali or Padme in the crowd of panicked people. Reaching the market, Padme got of the speeder looking to her kids, "I need you to listen to me very carefully, these people, they aren't nice people and those ships belong to the empire, I need you to stay with me at all times, if you see Aunt Mali or Uncle Ben you tell me, do not let go of my hand for a second, do not stop for anyone or anything, and no matter what happens, you keep running, you keep running and don't ever look back, okay?" She said so afraid of what was going to happen, but she had to remain calm and strong for her kids, they sensed something was terribly wrong and nodded, doing exactly as they were told.

As the family of three ran through the markets, of now scared people, blasters being fired, people screaming, explosions, Padme did everything she could to keep her kids from getting hit, it was so much easier in battles when she was younger, when she was not afraid of death, but now, now she had two souls that counted on her, that needed her and she could not fail them, she would not fail them. Seeing Mali in the distance she ran to them, "Mali!" she yelled out, "Do you have a ship? We need to get out of here!" Padme asked desperately. Mali nodded seeing Obi Wan running towards them too, "Yes come on...this way." She said leading them through the crowd towards the ship. A blast had gone off in the meantime and it had caused Padme to lose her balance and fall, "Go! I'll catch up!" She said to her kids as they stopped for their mother, "Go! I'll be right behind you!" She yelled, watching as her kids conflictingly ran with their aunt and uncle Padme stepped up taking a breath and was about to run, but then she heard it, that robotic breathing, the breathing she had not heard in ten years, the one from her dreams, from her trance...but this time, it was real. She swallowed hard seeing her kids and friends getting further away from her yet closer to the ship, before closing her eyes and slowly turning to the sound of the robotic breathing. When she opened them it was almost as if she was stolen from her breath, there he was, in the distance, with his troopers, walking through the crowds of terrified people so casually as if it was not him inflicting this pain and fear on them. She froze with...well she didn't know what she froze with, but she just felt like she couldn't move, in shock. She knew she had to run, she knew she had to get to the ship, he would see her otherwise. But, everything was in slow motion, the sounds around her became so muffled, only his breathing, his breathing was the only sound she could hear so clearly. She hadn't seen him in 11 years, he was so different, so evil...and yet all she could see was Anakin, feel his suffering, his pain. Finally she snapped back out of her frozen state but it was too late, Vader had turned his head and caught a glimpse of her, and it confirmed it, that she was still alive. He too froze in fear, Padme had no idea what to do, she was looking at him, and he at her, and this time it was not in their minds, it was real, "Anakin..." She whispered out in disbelief, with a tear running down her face at her pain, at the thought of knowing he knew she was alive, knowing that she had to run, "Padme.." He whispered too, her name, in disbelief that she was alive, that he hadn't killed her, that she was standing not far from him, what of his children? any mission he had now would quickly be distracted on her. She swallowed hard before the explosions once more broke her from her fixation on him, before running, she couldn't risk it anymore, she had to run. Vader quickly became frustrated at the lies of his master, at everything, and now...now the poor town would have to pay for his anger.

Padme ran onto the ship as Mali took off immediately and into lightspeed to make sure they were no longer in that sector and far away from the Sith as they could possibly be. She caught her breath and collapsed to her knees, "He knows." was all she had to say to Obi Wan, who swallowed hard knowing what this meant, from now on their lives where no longer to be the same. She swallowed hard before speaking up once more.

"He knows."