Chapter 9 No Time to Waste
"I know it is a great deal to ask, Chancellor, but Anakin has left Coruscant and we must follow him; I must try to talk some sense into him." Obi-Wan tried to explain.
"I understand, Master Kenobi; but the Council has admitted that it was wrong, would it not be better to meet with them to decide what to do?" Bail asked.
"There is no time for that; the longer Anakin remains deluded, the harder it will be for him to come back to reality. We cannot afford to waste time discussing the best course of action , Chancellor." Obi-Wan answered.
Bail sighed and shook his head, "Very well; against my better judgment, you are free to use one of my ships. However, you must understand that I am now forced to inform the Jedi Council of your intentions." He replied.
"I understand completely, Chancellor; at this point, the Council should know where we are going." Obi-Wan said.
"And just where are you going?" Bail asked.
Obi-Wan looked down at the floor for a moment, sighed and turned his gaze back up to Bail, "Mustafar." He answered.
"Mustafar? Have you completely lost your sanity? You want to take one of my ships to go to that hellish place?" Bail replied incredulously.
"It is where Anakin is going." Obi-Wan told him.
"Of course; just please be careful." Bail answered with a sigh.
"We will try to bring your ship back to you in one piece." Obi-Wan promised.
"It is not the ship I am concerned about." Bail replied.
Obi-Wan nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your generosity, Chancellor; and your concern." He said.
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With the ship in hyperspace, Anakin took advantage of the opportunity to rest; the headache that had retreated to a dull pain was now back in full force as the confusion of the recent events began to crowd his mind. There had to be some reasonable explanation to everything, he knew there had to be; but the more he tried to understand the illogical facts he had learned, the more muddled and clouded his thoughts became. Nothing made sense anymore except the clear and ever present notion that he would do anything to prevent Padme's death. He had already done as Palpatine had asked; the Jedi in the Temple were dead with the exception of the two Padawans he had seen at the Senate complex. But he feared that Palpatine would see him as too weak because they had survived; he even had a chance to kill them a second time and had not, although he had yet to understand why. He had a chance to kill Obi-Wan, and again, he did not even though he knew that Palpatine had declared all Jedi their enemies. He had gone so far to name Obi-Wan personally and Anakin had still failed to kill him when given the perfect opportunity. Then there were those terrible haunting dreams of children, not just the one Padme was carrying now, but three of them. With these tumultuous thoughts still running through his head, Anakin somehow managed to drift into sleep.
"Push, Padme!" A woman's voice urged. "Pushing, AHHH!" Padme answered. "Almost there, one more time." The woman's voice instructed. "Annie? AHHH." Padme said. "There, it's all over; you can relax now, Padme." The woman said. He heard the angry cries of a newborn infant and looked down to see the strange woman holding the unclothed baby in her arms; "Would you like to hold him?" She asked.
He reached out to take the boy in his arms.
"Hadrian?" Anakin awoke with a start.
Then he felt hot tears running down his cheeks, he was being tortured by dreaming about Padme's death in childbirth again and he knew why; he had been weak in showing mercy when he was told not to. Now he had failed and Padme would die; he put his head in his hands and wept.
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Padme picked up the screaming child and tried to comfort him by rocking him gently as she cradled him in her arms, "It's alright, Haddie; hush now." She said.
"He seen Daddy, Mommy." Leia told her.
"Oh, poor baby; it's alright, Daddy's alright." She said as she brought Hadrian up to her shoulder and hugged him to her.
"Is he, Mommy? Is he really alright?" Leia asked with her eyes searching Padme's for some hope that he would be.
"He will be, sweetheart." Padme assured her.
"Daddy's sick, you shoulda told us." Luke stated with his arms folded in front him.
Padme sighed, "You're right, Luke; I should have told you. But I didn't want you to be scared for Daddy." She admitted.
Luke shook his head, "Shoulda told us; bad Mommy." He said.
"Yes, Mommy was bad; but Master Obi-Wan didn't want you to be scared, so he said I shouldn't tell you." Padme replied.
"Then Ma Obi was bad too." Leia added and Luke nodded.
"Yes, we were both wrong." Padme confessed and then sat down, "We don't know yet what happened to Daddy; but Master Obi-Wan and Zak are trying to find him."
"You shoulda told us bafore." Luke answered.
"I know, honey; but Master Obi-Wan thought it would be better for both of you if he found out what happened and found Daddy first." Padme explained.
"Lady Skywalker, am I interrupting?" Gaylen asked as she approached.
"Gaylen, no, of course not; what is it? Some news, I hope?" Padme answered.
"Ferri has just returned to us…alone." Gaylen told her.
Padme put a hand to her mouth, "Oh no." She gasped.
"Well, now, you shouldn't be worried yet; Master Windu asked me to tell you to meet him and Master Yoda in the lower Council room. I will stay here with them." Gaylen instructed as she looked down at the twins and then reached for Hadrian.
"No, we gotta know where Daddy is." Luke protested.
"Yep, we gotta know." Leia echoed.
Padme sighed and shifted Hadrian to Gaylen's waiting arms, "I think in this case, the Masters know what is best for you. I promise to tell you everything, but if they wanted you to come with me, they would have told Gaylen." She said.
"You better." Luke replied, giving her a look that showed he meant business.
"I will, I promise." Padme answered as she squatted down to kiss and hug both of them.
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Zak took the co-pilot's seat and strapped himself in without a word. Obi-Wan sat down next to him, strapped himself in and started the preflight check. When he finished, he turned to Zak, "Are you sure you have to do this?" He asked.
"Yes, Master. It's the only way." Zak answered.
Obi-Wan nodded, "Alright, let's get going then. Take her up." He replied.
"Yes, Master." Zak said, taking the controls and easing the ship from its berth, "Do you think they will come after us?"
"I am hoping they will, yes; we will need their help." Obi-Wan answered.
Zak did not answer as he angled the ship skyward, "You're worried about something." Obi-Wan observed.
Zak remained silent as he guided the ship past the lower traffic lanes, into the higher ones and then finally into the upper atmosphere, "Are you concerned that Master Anakin and I will fight?" Obi-Wan asked.
Zak fingered his braid, "I don't know; maybe." He replied.
"Well, I do not intend to fight him." Obi-Wan told him.
"What if…nothing." Zak started.
"What if Master Anakin forces me into it? Is that what you were thinking?" Obi-Wan guessed.
Zak sighed, stared out the front viewport and then nodded.
"I won't fight him, Padawan. Even if I am forced to draw my weapon, I will only defend myself; I will not strike back at him." Obi-Wan assured him.
"But that's what you said you did with Baylor Grant." Zak reminded him.
It was Obi-Wan's turn to sigh; he closed his eyes and lowered his head, "Baylor Grant's hatred ran deep; it had been eating away at him for many years. Master Anakin…Master Anakin is under a delusion, and he has only forgotten part of himself. I know that I will be able to help him remember who he is and what has happened." He explained.
"But you tried that once and it didn't work." Zak argued.
"No, not at the time; but I planted doubt in his mind that his memories can be trusted. And then he saw you and Ferri; if he is living his nightmare, he must be wondering how you can still be alive." Obi-Wan said, "Besides, he did not kill me when he had the perfect opportunity….in fact, with the exception of that alien in the alleyway, which was probably self-defense, Master Anakin has not killed anyone; that means that subconsciously, Anakin's Light is still controlling his actions."
"And if you can bring that part of him out, he'll remember who he really is?" Zak surmised.
"Yes, and where, in time, he is." Obi-Wan added.
"I'm still worried." Zak admitted.
"I know." Obi-Wan replied and put his hand on Zak's shoulder.
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Ferri was seated in one of four chairs forming a semi-circle flanked on either side by Yoda and Mace Windu. Mace stood up as Padme entered the room.
"What's happened, Master Windu? Where is Anakin?" She asked urgently.
"Sit down, Padme, and we will try to explain everything to you." Mace suggested, indicating that she should sit in the unoccupied chair.
Padme nodded and sat down, "Alright, now, please, tell me what has happened." She said.
"Young Cortis has been instrumental in tracing Anakin's movements since you saw him last." Mace began.
"And?" Padme prompted impatiently.
Mace sighed, "And it seems that Anakin was struck by a speeder outside the Senate Complex." He informed her.
"What? Oh, no….no, no, no…." Padme sobbed.
Yoda reached over and patted her arm, "Alive he is, Lady Padme." He assured her.
"Then where is he? Why doesn't he come home?" Padme cried.
"Ferri has told us that Anakin struck his head on the walkway where he was thrown after the speeder hit him. From what Ferri understands, Anakin is living out his nightmare." Mace explained.
"Oh, the Maker." Padme exclaimed as she lowered her head and buried her face in her hands, "Then why did you come back here, Ferri? You should still…"
"Calm down, Padme; Obi-Wan sent Ferri back here, he and Zak already know where he is going next." Mace told her.
"I wanted to go, but Master Kenobi said it was too dangerous." Ferri interjected.
"Dangerous? Where did…" Padme began.
"Quiet you should have remained, young one; worry Lady Padme any more than she already is we should not." Yoda admonished as he tapped Ferri on the shin with his gimmer stick.
"I'm sorry, Master Yoda." Ferri replied, apologetically, "I just wanted Lady Skywalker to know that I would still be searching for Master Skywalker if I could."
"Can you tell what Anakin is thinking, Ferri?" Padme asked.
"It's like what Master Windu said; he thinks that the old Chancellor is still alive, and that he's killed all of us at the Temple….and he thinks you're going to die having your baby unless Chancellor Palpatine gives him the secret to preventing death." Ferri answered, and then looked aghast at Mace, wondering if he had spoken out of turn.
"It is alright, Ferri; this was something she needed to know." Mace assured him.
"I don't understand, why would he suddenly start living his nightmares? I could understand if he had forgotten who he was when he hit his head, but thinking that his nightmare is a reality…it just doesn't make any sense." Padme wondered.
"Understand this, we do not either; perhaps this, something is that Anakin only can reveal." Yoda told her.
"If he ever remembers what's real." Padme said.
"Zak told me that he'll be alright." Ferri put in.
Padme smiled a little, "Well, I hope he's right." She replied and then looked seriously at Mace, "Now, where did he go that is so dangerous?"
Mace looked at Yoda and Ferri looked down at the floor, "Tell her you may, young Cortis." Yoda instructed.
Ferri fidgeted in his seat, "Ferri, tell me where he went." Padme ordered.
Ferri shook his head and sighed, "Please, Ferri, I must know." Padme pleaded.
The young former apprentice continued to stare at the floor, "Mustafar." He whispered.