Chapter 2: Twins in hiding

Artoo led the way as he and Threepio made their way across the sand dunes of Tatooine. They were just coming back from one of their regular visits to the shuttle Padme had arrived in. It was currently hidden away in the middle of a rocky outcropping, with all its systems shut down except for its communicator. It had been left on to record all the transmissions it could. The computer followed a program to record all the news feeds and identify any story that would be important to Padme. Every couple days, the two droids went out to analyze the ship's computer and report back to Padme if there was anything she needed to know.

The ship was set up to intercept and analyze messages sent through the encrypted diplomatic channels. Padme wanted to keep abreast with the news of the galaxy, the real news of what was occurring and not simply the censored reports being put out by the Emperor's lackeys. The droids were returning with the ship's assessment of the current situation in the galaxy. The emperor was continuing to consolidate power, with the Jedi being hunted to the point of extermination.

When the droids came over the last dune preceding the Lars homestead, they were spotted by Owen. He had just stepped out to see if they were coming when he spotted them. Anxious to hear if they were returning with anything significant, he walked out to talk to them.

In giving all his attention to the droids, Own failed to notice the young infant crawling up the stairs behind him. The baby was wondering where his uncle was trying to run off to and crawled up the stairs to see. When he reached the top, he started crying as the sun was hurting his eyes. He expected his uncle to hear him and come to his rescue, but he was too far away.

"Luke. Luke." The boy heard the familiar voice of his aunt calling his name behind him. He stopped crying as he turned around to look down the hallway, but he couldn't see her. He knew she had to be back there, and he wanted to crawl to her. He looked down at the stairs but was unsure how he was going to descend them. Upset that he was stuck, he started to cry again.

The child's cries alerted his aunt to his location. "How did you get all the way out here?" she asked as she ran up the stairs and picked him up. She took a quick glance at her husband, who was speaking with the droids.

"You would crawl away from this place and all the way to Anchorhead if we let you, wouldn't you?" Beru said to Luke. The baby stopped its crying and laid its head on its aunt's shoulder as she headed back inside. "Come on now, you can't be tired already. You just woke up from your nap."

Beru went straight to the playroom, where she found Padme with her daughter. She was sitting on the ground, trying to get Leia to walk to her. The child had been able to stand on her own for a while now but had yet to take her first step without falling. Wanting her daughter to take her first step, Padme stood Leia up before taking a few steps back.

"Come on, Leia. Walk to mommy." Padme patted the ground in front of her to show the child where she wanted her to walk. Leia just stuck her finger in her mouth as she looked between her mother and the spot on the floor.

"Look, your sister is awake and energetic," Beru said to Luke.

Padme glance up at her son in Beru's arms. Right as she looked away, Leia tried to take a step, but fell the moment her foot hit the ground. Padme reached out to help her daughter but halted when she saw the child was pulling herself back on to her feet. Leia tried to take another step but fell in the same manner. Unwilling to give it another attempt, she simply crawled to her mother.

"That was a good attempt, Leia," Padme said as she picked up her daughter. She turned her attention to her son, still resting in the arms of his aunt.

"Where did he try to run off to?" she asked Beru as she stood.

"He was running after Owen, who had gone outside to talk to the droids. The two of them just made it back. This little guy made it all the way to the top of the stairs but didn't quite know how to get himself down from there."

Padme's mood sunk like a rock as the mention of the droids reminded her of the horrors that were occurring in the outside world. She stared down at the floor. Leia cooed and waved her arms to try and get her mother's attention. She was unsuccessful, and soon gave up.

"There probably isn't any news to report," Beru said. "Owen would have run straight down here if there was."

Breathing a sigh, Padme was both relieved and dejected. No news didn't necessarily mean there was truly nothing happening. All it meant was there was nothing unexpected happening. The Emperor was still consolidating power and crushing dissent. She wished she could do something, she felt horrible sitting on the sidelines, but she had made a deal with Thrawn she felt she needed to keep.

Luke seemed to be trying to get out of Beru's grip. His eyes were focused on something in their bedroom across the hall. Beru followed his gaze to his toy spaceship on the ground. He was clearly reaching for it. For a moment, Beru wondered if he might be trying to call it to him with the Force.

"Luke wants to play with something in the other room."

"Okay." After Beru disappeared, Padme went back to giving Leia her full attention. The baby responded with joy and started cooing and laughing again. She only got her mother's undivided attention for a few minutes, though. Once Owen appeared, she ignored her baby for a moment to talk to him.

"Are the droids alright?" Padme knew the only thing that would have held up Owen was having to service the droids.

"They are the same as always. Threepio thought the long journey through the desert filled his gears with so much sand he was close to breaking down. After ignoring him the last two times, I really had to give him a bath to clean him out. Otherwise, he would be howling for daya about it. He's out in the workshop now."

Padme snickered over the thought of how insufferable Threepio could be. "What about R2-D2?"

"He's the same as always as well," Owen replied. "He's roaming around the place right now."

"And what about the news he brought back."

"Everything is in the main computer. I didn't look through it myself. The algorithms you run didn't identify anything of significance. You can look through them yourself anytime you want to."

"Thank you, Owen." After he disappeared, Padme stepped out of the playroom to join Luke and Beru. Just when she made it into the hall, Artoo rolled up to her, giving her a signal of three evenly spaced bleeps. It was the signal she had told him to give her in the event Thrawn sent her a message. Her heart leapt into her chest with elation. She motioned to Artoo to follow her back into the playroom, making sure Beru was still occupied with Luke. She had not told them she had an agreement with Thrawn to return to the Empire after he left it.

Once she was alone with Artoo, she knelt as she pulled out the datapad she always kept with her. She hooked it up to Artoo so he could send her the message from Thrawn. The datapad shook in her hand as she read the message.

TWO WEEKS

For a moment, Padme felt faint as she realized this was it. This was the message she had been waiting for, but now that it had come, she found herself wishing it hadn't. She had grown comfortable living with Owen and Beru and her two children and she didn't want to leave. She knew she had to leave, though, as she had responsibilities to the galaxy. She had to leave and find a way to combat the Emperor, and her husband. Along with the message from Thrawn, she had downloaded all the news the ship had obtained. She began going through it to see if there was anything in there that would help her return to the Empire.

...

Vader and the platoon of clone troopers got some curious glances as they walked into the outskirts of the city. The citizens apparently thought nothing of the group, as they paid them little attention as they walked by and went about their business. Vader scowled at them, knowing they would be cowering in fear if they were able to recognize him by sight. He had his mask on, but his visage was unrecognizable to the citizens of the Empire. While the name of Darth Vader was known and feared throughout the galaxy, no one knew what he looked like. It was Palpatine's idea to keep his image a secret, as he believed it would allow Vader to hunt the Jedi discreetly.

Vader was angered by every aspect of his identity being kept secret. He wanted to be known, he wanted to see the looks of fear on the faces of others when he was recognized. He didn't care about being able to hunt incognito. He preferred the Jedi being tipped off to the fact he was hunting them, as it would smoke them out and allow him to attack. That was how he wanted to operate. Sidious forever preached to work by subterfuge, as it was the Sith way. He saw hunting by subterfuge a sign of weakness. If that was the Sith way, then he wanted no part of it. He intended to be a different kind of Sith. One who used raw power and ability to get what he wanted.

As he looked around, Vader realized that raw power was not going to get the job done in this situation. Vader knew she was on her way to the capital, hiding among the citizenry as she tried to make her way there. For a moment, he thought about hiring a local bounty hunter who knew the planet to help him in his search, but quickly rejected that plan. He thought it would be best to get help from the top, ask the planetary government officials for assistance. Mandalore was an Empire system, and they were obligated to follow his orders. He thought it would be best to seek their assistance in his search for the Jedi. They would have the necessary knowledge to help him as well as the authority to take him anywhere he needed to go. He radioed the political officer on the fleet and instructed him to set up everything with the local government.

...

After putting the twins down for a nap, Padme joined Owen and Beru for dinner. The dinner conversation started out rather pleasant, with Beru and Padme sharing stories about what the babies did that day. Owen stayed silent as the women talked.

When Padme and Beru reached a lull in their conversation, Padme decided it was time to change gears and bring up what she had planned. "I was reading over the news stories that came back with R2-D2. You were right Owen, there wasn't any news of significance, at least none concerning politics or the Jedi. However, there were a couple stories about a new initiative by the Em-, by the government I mean." Padme shook her head over the fact she had almost said a word she had forbidden to be spoken in the house. "They are undertaking an initiative to help war refugees resettle. Specifically, those who no longer have a home to return to. Several systems have agreed to settle refugees."

Owen and Beru gave each other a tentative glance as they braced themselves for what was about to come. Padme continued. "It appears they are going to be attempting to move and resettle a high number of people throughout the galaxy. With a situation like that, it would be easy for me to take advantage of the situation. I could get a false identification and board a refugee ship. There is one that is scheduled to leave here in several days. Once I am back in the Republic, I could make some contacts, and find a way to return home, discreetly, of course."

"Whatever you decide to do, we will support," Beru said. "It has been a joy to have you and the babies here. I will be sorry to see the three of you go."

Padme felt dejected as she looked down. She knew how much Beru enjoyed having the babies around. It pained her that she might have to take them away.

With Padme silent, Owen took the moment to make known his disapproval of her plan. "You don't have to leave here and do anything. I know you think otherwise, but there is nothing for you to do. The galaxy has trillions of people in it, what makes you think you can alter the path it is on at all. You are safe with us here. You can have a good life here. You do have a good life here. You have your children. They are safe here. No one knows about them. Everyone thinks you are dead. Leaving here would just cause more trouble for you, and everyone you love."

"But there is something I can do," Padme pleaded. "If I can reach Anakin, I can turn him back. That will end all of this."

"I know I don't have the understanding of politics that you do, but what is happening now is not about just one man. Turning him back will not change everything. Trying to change things will only reveal you are alive. They might even find out about the children. Please, stay here. Keep yourself and your children safe. And besides that, given your role in everything that transpired, can anyone really count on you to set things right."

Owen had said the wrong thing and knew it. Before he could apologize though, Padme had stormed away from the table. Feeling guilty, he looked across the table at his wife.

"I wasn't too far out of line there, was I?" She gave him a glare of disapproval before going back to her meal.

Wanting to get away, Padme stepped outside just as the twin suns of Tatooine were setting. She walked a short distance before stopping to take in the sunset. The night wind was beginning to swirl, forcing her to push it away from her face so her eyes weren't covered. The beauty of the sunset calmed her, but also reminded her of Anakin. She remembered the two of them watching the sunset together on Naboo the night they were married.

Padme felt as if a huge weight hit her as she realized what she needed to do. Fighting back tears, she looked down before looking back at the sunset. She wanted Anakin back. The best moments they had together ran through her mind, serving to remind of her what she and her children could have if Anakin was himself again. After the two suns disappeared over the horizon, she walked back inside, knowing what she had to do.