Authors opening note and disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I have any financial interest in the characters, places or events of the Star Wars universe or the Star Wars Expanded universe.
You may have noticed that I use opening and closing notes. I do this in order to avoid constantly interrupting (AN: like this) the flow of the story.
I will answer briefly a few of the reviews I receive in my closing notes so as to get right to the story.
Disco Shop Girl: thank you so much, I'll be fixing the first chapter as soon as I can, if I have not already done so.
(AN: except for that one)
Anyway, if you've read this far you must be saying "GET ON WITH IT!" so here we go
(AN: see how annoying these can get? LOL)
STAR WARS: INFINITIES
AN ANGEL'S INSIGHT
CHAPTER II
"Is everything packed, Threepio?" Padmé asked, as she picked her suitcase from the bed. She glanced around her senatorial apartment. She felt the natural remorse from leaving her home away from home, but she knew she had made the right decision.
She glanced out on the setting sun of Coruscant, its light reflecting off thousands of speeders and millions of windows; the view was breathtaking. However, she knew, the sunlight reflecting off Lake Varykino would be just as beautiful with her husband and child with her.
"I believe you have the last of your possessions, Mistress Padmé." The golden protocol droid replied as he dutifully relieved her of the suitcase. Not that the case was too heavy; but due to it being the proper thing to do.
Padmé had once called C-3PO perfect, however, there were a few times, in recent months, where the droid had shown a total deficiency of discretion. If not for his awkward timing in his questioning about her morning-sickness in front of her handmaidens, she doubtedMoteé and Ellé, would have discovered her pregnancy. Luckily she managed to swear the droid to not bringing attention to her frequent morning trips to the fresher when guests came to call. Anakin promised to add some etiquette programming as soon as he landed on Naboo.
Resigning from the senate was much easier than she had thought. Yes, Palpatine was hesitant to accept her resignation but she didn't spend almost fourteen years in public office without learning the arts of persuasion, and she made him see her reasoning quickly enough. Though, she didn't understand the innate feeling of apprehension she experienced when he bid her farewell.
Telling Queen Apailana was more difficult, the current Queen of Naboo was not that much older than Padmé had been when she faced the Trade Federation blockade almost fourteen years ago. As such, the Queen looked to her for council often. Padmé swore that would not change and hinted the possibility of acting as an unofficial royal advisor after her personal crisis at homehad ended. Still the queen would have to appoint a temporary replacement until an emergency senatorial election could be held on Naboo which would be no easy task.
Of course, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma had begged her to reconsider, of their senatorialpetition of the 2,000; Padmé's was one of the strongest voices. However, her mind was made up; she knew in her heart she had made the right choice, she just wasn't certain how she knew.
Settling herself in the passenger seat of her private speeder, she grasped her japor pendant and looked at the penthouse one last time, her eyes started to sting and she knew that she would loose her composure soon. Thankfully, Threepio started the speeder's engine and pulled away before the first tear fell.
"Are you quite alright, Mistress Padmé?" Threepio asked.
"I will be," Padmé replied, softly, "as soon as we get home."
"I must say, I will miss Coruscant," Threepio continued, "I found the cultures and languages extremely intriguing. I believe, I have acquired and assimilated at least six million forms of communication."
Padmé was only half listening, as the golden droid rambled on.
Anakin had finished packing before the council had concluded its business. Being a Jedi, owning possessions was forbidden. He retrieved his lightsaber from his bedside table and headed for the door. He made it half-way before he turned back to retrieve his only other treasure: A holo-portrait of his mother given to him by his stepfather, Cliegg Lars, who had taken it just after their wedding. He made sure that he had everything he was going to take, since he doubted he'd ever step foot in this room again. If the Jedi couldn't trust him, he thought, after all he did for them during the war, what was the point of being their poster boy? He may have been "The Hero with No Fear" but being kept as an outsider still hurt.
He walked to the Jedi hanger and almost made it to his starfighter, but was blocked by a woman standing beside the cockpit. He knew this Jedi, of course, Bulter Swan had been one of the few survivors of the arena on Geonosis. She was only slightly older than him and had earned her knighthood after that first battle of the Clone Wars. She had her black hair grow to her shoulders and her skin was a light shade of bronze, she wore the same simple style tunic as he had worn when they fought the droid army in the Geonosian arena.
"Master Swan," Anakin half-heartedly bowed, "to what do I owe this honor?"
"The council has instructed me to accompany you to Naboo." She replied, bluntly. The tone of her voice suggesting, she wasn't happy with the assignment.
"Give the council my gratitude," Anakin answered, even less happy, "but I'm just babysitting a senator until she gets home, I can handle this alone." He walked past her and turned towards his ship.
"The council doesn't agree." She replied, coolly, to his back.
"It figures," Anakin replied, just as coolly but through gritted teeth
"With your behavior, I can't see why that should surprise you."
"What do you mean?"
"You let your emotions govern you. As of late, I'm told, you've become increasingly hostile toward the Jedi Council."
"Why shouldn't I feel a little 'hostile'?" He turned to face her "They can't even trust me to do this simple thing."
"Trust must be earned, Young Skywalker. You must show them why they should trust you."
She had used the term 'Young Skywalker' to remind him that she had received the rank of Jedi Master. It was a belittling comment, he thought, and inwardly, he seethed.
"Ok, I'm not in the mood to debate so let's get going," he turned back toward his ship, "I'm supposed to meet Pad…" he mentally kicked himself, for slipping in his fit of pique, "Senator Amidala on landing platform 77."
Anakin almost calling Padmé by her first name wasn't missed, "Is there something, I should know about, between you and the senator?" Bulter asked
"I don't know what you mean." He said; his back still toward her.
"You don't?" She gestured toward R2-D2, who had been dutifully standing by Anakin's starfighter, "Isn't that Senator Amidala's personal astro-droid, who you have been using for the past three years?"
"I needed an astromech for my fighter, she donated him to me." He answered, quickly.
Bulter nodded, "I also remember, when you were younger, you used to speak of a protocol droid you had built. Hasn't that droid now been in Senator Amidala's ownership for the past three years?
"A Jedi has no possessions." Anakin quoted. "I figured she might be able to use him for senatorial gatherings."
"I see," She nodded again then crossed her arms, "so they are the same droids?"
Anakin winced, of course many droids look alike and it would have been logical to mistake one for another. But somehow he had slipped, badly, and all but confirmed her suspicion. Thankfully, before he could think of an explanation, she quickly gave him a reprieve.
"Very well, keep your secrets." Bulter said, before she turned and walked toward a nearby starfighter. "For now," she finished, under her breath.
Authors closing note: I'm sorry this chapter is shorter than I had hoped but a lot of dialogue I had written won't work as well just yet. I also stretched out the events of RotS to fit in with the plotline of the story.
For those who are not aware, a "fresher" is the term used in the Star Wars Universe for a "bathroom" or "toilet"
Also, Bulter Swan is a real character in the Star Wars universe. In "Attack of the Clones", she was played by Mimi Daraphet. But there is only vague information regarding her on the Star Wars website, so I'm guessing about her history.
