Chapter 36: The Prayer

Vader stood at the viewport. His hands were clasped behind his back. His eyes were closed. He was focusing on his breathing, an even in and out. He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there. His legs ached a bit. He opened his eyes and looked out at space through the cracked transparisteel. He finally felt calm. At least calmer than he had been.

He turned sharply on his heels. He faced the sitting room of his family's quarters. What was once his family's quarters. It was now destroyed. The furniture had all been blown into the walls. A few pieces had deep burn marks slashed through them. Large cracks dug through the floors, walls, ceilings, and even the viewport. Sparks sputtered out of the lights. There was a smell of ozone and burnt plastoid and wood.

Padmé had . . .

Padmé had . . .

She had . . . left . . .

She was gone.

Part of him wasn't surprised. He knew she wasn't happy. Not truly happy. Her smiles were always a bit fake. There was a lingering sadness in her eyes. He thought that eventually she would be happy once things settled down. Once she was able to accept her new life with him. With their family!

All she had to do was be with him and his children. Their life could have been perfect! The children would grow into powerful and respected Sith and leaders. The galaxy would bow at their feet. He would have given Padmé anything had she asked.

Except her freedom, a small voice whispered inside of him.

He scowled. Fresh cracks erupted from under his feet. Freedom? Was that what it was? Was that how she saw it? The life he was giving her was freedom. If only she had trusted him. He would have protected her and made sure everything was fine and perfect. She could have done anything. Did she want to take up politics again? He would give her the whole Senate!

She had given that up for what? A miserable horrible existence? She had nowhere to run to. The Rebels had betrayed her. Obi-Wan had betrayed her. His Empire was hunting her down. There was no one to take her in, except him of course.

He took a deep breath. He clenched his teeth and made his way out of the rooms. Next time he would prepare a better cage for her. Or perhaps a literal cage was where she needed to be. If she thought she was a prisoner before, what would she think if she lived inside a cell in one of his detention centers? Perhaps that would finally show her how kind he was. How wonderful the life he offered could be.

But first he had to find her. A cruel cold smile twisted upon his face. She was running against the clock this time. She was due to give birth in a matter of days. Ideally he did hope to find her before that. But she should be looking for a place to give birth. That did help Vader narrow down his search.

And if he couldn't have Padmé by his side . . . then at least he wanted his children. They were the true innocents in all of this. Being used as pawns by the Rebels and Padmé. His blood boiled as he thought about how she had used Luke. He never would have thought it possible of her. To poison her own child. Was she that desperate to leave him? He thought having the children here would have calmed her down, but again he was wrong.

Vader had made it to the med bay. Red royal guards stood outside Luke's private room. They didn't stop their emperor from entering. Another guard was stationed inside the room, but promptly left without having a word said. Vader and Luke were alone.

The boy looked so small in the medical bed. Vader walked to the edge of the bed and gently lowered himself to sit on the edge. He watched as Luke's chest rose and fell gently. Luckily there wasn't much instrumentation hooked up on him. Just an IV and a heart monitor. With his flesh hand, Vader gently stroked Luke's cheek with his knuckles. He did his best to avoid waking him.

Luke was recovering. The doctors had pumped the boy's stomach. Now they were just giving him fluids to keep him hydrated. Luckily, Luke had been out of it most of the time he had been in the med bay. Vader still hadn't told his son about his mother and sister, though Luke had asked for them. It had broken Vader's heart and only fueled his unending rage more.

He still didn't know what he was going to say to the boy when he woke up. Vader could only postpone the cruel truth for so long. What would Vader say? The truth? How much of the truth? Vader didn't want to lie. It would make hearing the truth later on sting much worse. Plus it would only give Luke false hope that his mother and sister would return any moment. Yes, the truth would be for the best. That didn't mean it was going to be easy. It was going to injure the child.

But wouldn't that be for the best? Wouldn't that give Luke pain and hate that would only make him stronger in the Dark Side? Isn't that what Vader wanted? Powerful Sith children?

But . . . at what cost? This . . . this isn't how he wanted it to happen. Yes, he did want his children strong in the Dark Side. But not like this. Not caused by their family. Their mother.

Vader sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to do. He only hoped Padmé was found soon. Perhaps he could avoid the worst pain.

Padmé tightly clutched Leia's hand as she pulled the girl through the spaceport. They had ditched the Imperial shuttle. It was too easily identifiable and trackable. She had taken what she could carry that would fetch a price. With what little money she had she got new clothes and a ticket on a transport.

Now she wasn't sure what to do. She knew she had to keep moving. It was how she had been able to always be ahead of Vader before, but this was not like last time. Last time she had allies. She had a ship. She had credits. Now she had nothing. She did debate about turning to a rebel cell. Turning to Obi-Wan. But how could she trust them? How could they trust her?

So for now she was alone. She had never felt so alone in her life before. There had always been someone. Sabe or Dorme. Anakin. The children. Bail. Obi-Wan. Rion. Her crew. Even recently there had been Vader. But now? Now there was just her. Her and Leia. And Leia was only a child who was depending on her mother.

She had been brave. She had only asked if they were getting medicine for Luke. Padmé hadn't answered. Her throat had become choked up. Instead she just hugged Leia tightly. Now the girl was quiet. She had barely said a word in hours.

Padmé was looking at various transports. She was deciding which one to hop on. Which destination and at the cheapest price would be best. She needed a place to stop. A place to hide. A place to be safe. Eventually she was going to go into labor. She needed to find somewhere to give birth. But where?

She pulled Leia along to the next loading dock to look at the next transport. As she stood amongst the crowd staring up at the terminal displays announcing destinations and prices, she heard a murmur through the crowd. At once the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Leia squeezed her hand tighter. As casually as she could, she looked over her shoulder.

Further down the crowd she could see the unmistakable white of stormtroopers. They were stopping people asking for identification. Padmé bit back a curse. She took a deep breath, and then slowly walked away. She kept glancing around her as if she was just perusing the markets and shops set up along the sides of the transports, but she was steadily moving away from the troopers.

However her breath caught in her throat as she saw troopers in the direction she was heading. This time she did curse, but kept it under her breath. Leia looked up at her.

"Mother," she said in a soft voice. "I want to go home."

What was home? The palace? The place where Leia had used the Force to kill her nanny? That was where she wanted to go back to?

Padmé gave her daughter a weak smile and pulled Leia on. She moved towards the ships. Perhaps she could go ahead and board one?

"Please can we go home," Leia said more urgently. "Can't we just go with father?"

Padmé froze. "Fa-father?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's here to take us home."

He's here to take us home.

He's here.

How? How did he know? Padmé looked at her daughter. Her eyes were big and round. Her brows were furrowed. A small frown pulled on her lips. Leia who Vader said was already so strong in the Force. Had . . . Had Vader tracked them through Leia?

A sob bubbled out of Padmé. It was impossible wasn't it? Her children were never going to be free. Even she if she managed to get them away, their father would always be able to hunt them down. But why hadn't Vader found them before when they were both hidden away? Why had he gone through so much just to get Padmé to reveal their location? He clearly hadn't known. There had to be some trick to this.

But right now she couldn't worry about that. Right now . . . Right now she had to get away.

She pulled Leia along the long side of a transport ship. There had to be a service access or matientence door or something. She saw steps going down and took them. They took them down to a service level made of grated walkways that hung from the solid duracreet level above them. Pipes of fuel and supplies ran along the walkways to be pumped into ships.

Luckily it was also pretty deserted. She saw a few workers and droids in the distance, but none close to them. More importantly, she didn't see any white stormtroopers. She didn't know how long these walkways ran, but she would go as far as she could. Hopefully she could get around the troopers. But even if she did, would she be able to avoid Vader? She needed to get a ship. She needed to away from here and now.

So they walked along the walkways. They zigzagged around the bellies of large transport ships and avoided any other people. She spotted a hallway, and she made for it. They were almost to the hallway when suddenly the air grew colder. The hair on her arms stood on end. Leia suddenly stopped and looked behind her. Padmé slowly did the same.

Behind them further down the walkway was Darth Vader. He was dressed as he always was in all black in a long cape that fluttered softly. Even from this distance, Padmé could tell his eyes were a burning gold. His face pulled down in a frown.

"Padmé," he said. He hadn't shouted, but yet she heard him clearly. "Stop. It's over. You're coming with me. Now."

Leia looked up at Padmé and back at her father. Padmé only tightened her hold on her daughter's hand. Her other hand felt for the small blaster she had bought and tucked away. Vader started to slowly walk towards them. Padmé started to step away from him. Leia was reluctant to go.

"Don't cause a scene," Vader growled. "You have nowhere to go. Just come with me. Please, Padmé."

She gripped the handle of the blaster.

"I can't," she said. "I can't go back there. I can't live that life!"

He kept walking closer. "What life? A life where you were safe? A life with your children? Your husband?" There was an unsaid 'with me' hanging in the air. "And what is this grand life your running away to? How is that any better?"

"My children won't be raised as murderers," Padmé said.

Vader paused. Then his face darkened. His golden eyes seemed to glow.

"I think it's time you rethink your actions and how they are 'what's best for your children'," Vader hissed. "After what you did to your own child."

Padmé took in a sharp gasp.

"You will not take my children away," Vader hissed.

His eyes flashed to Leia and then Padmé's stomach. Her arm twitched. She wanted to put a protective arm around her stomach, but her hand was gripped around the blaster. He continued to walk forward and Padmé stepped back. Leia whimpered as she was pulled back her mother.

"Leia come here," Vader said as he paused and held out his hand.

Leia looked from Padmé to Vader and back to Padmé clearly unsure of what to do.

"Leia," Vader said again strained. "Your mother is running away. She is taking you from your home. From your family." Again there was an unsaid 'from me' in his words.

Leia looked up at her mother. Her eyes were big and round. The question on her face was so easily read.

"Leia, you've already lost one home," Vader said.

"Because of you!" Padmé snapped back.

"Because of you!" Vader shouted. He raised a hand and pointed a finger at her.

Padmé pulled out her blaster and pointed it at Vader. He gripped his lightsaber and pulled it free from his belt.

"Put that away," Vader said in a low voice. "Put that away and come home."

She couldn't do that. She couldn't go back. Not now. By now she had backed into the hallway while Vader still stood on the grated walkway. Shooting directly at him would do no good. He would deflect it with his lightsaber. Was there a blast door to the hallway? She glanced wildly at the wall. None. There had to be something!

That was when she noticed a pipe running above the walkway. She didn't know what it was for, but she wasted no time in raising her blaster and pulling the trigger. Her aim was true. The bolt hit and at once steam poured out. Vader let out a pained shout as the steam covered him. It caused Padmé's heart to squeeze, but she at once turned and ran.

It hurt. Everything hurt. Her body shouldn't be running like this. Not with the baby. But she had to keep going. Tears started to cloud her eyes. She really didn't know where she was going, but she pulled Leia along.

"Mother!" the girl cried. "Please stop! I can't run anymore!"

But Padmé didn't stop. Despite her daughter's pleas. Despite the throbbing pain in her body and the piercing pain in her heart. She kept going. She vaguely remembered going through different hallways and up a few flights of stairs. She remembered slamming a few door panel buttons.

But finally she stopped. She stood amongst some cargo ships. She spotted large metal crates being loaded onto a ship. She pulled Leia along and the two slipped into the cargo hold. Padmé opened one of the large crates and it was full of plain white fabric. She lifted Leia into the large crate. It took Pamde a lot longer to crawl in, but finally she did. Her body ached and burned, and worst of all were the regular waves of contractions hitting her.

"Mother?" Leia asked. "Is it true? Are you running away?"

"Yes-yes," Padmé said through pained gasps.

"Are you ok?"

"No," Padmé said biting back tears.

Leia scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her mother. Padmé hugged her daughter. The cargo hold door was closed, and the engines of the ship started up. For the first time in a long time, Padmé prayed to her Nubian gods.

She prayed that this ship was able to leave safely, and that wherever it was going was someplace safe. She prayed the baby would stay in long enough for Padmé to get someplace safe once the ship landed. She prayed for the health of her baby. She prayed for Leia and Luke. She also prayed for Anakin.

Please, she prayed. Please keep let them be safe. Let my children be safe. Guide us. Protect us.

Despite Leia curled up beside her and the heavy weight of the baby, Padmé felt so alone. Tears silently fell from her eyes.

And please, she added to her prayer, let us be together again. As a family. A true family.