Author's Note: I'm so glad that you reviewers are enjoying the tale! There's MUCH more to come. :)
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Some Other Future's Past
Chapter Six
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When Anakin awoke, the familiar sound the falls greeted him. Padmé was asleep next to him, but this time he was the one bundled in blankets. On the other side of him, wrapped in the brown cloak of the Jedi, was Obi-Wan. Anakin doubted that he could get out of here without waking one or the other.
The inside of his head felt like someone had been banging around in there with a rock. Even the soft, mist-diffused light was enough to make his eyes water in pain.
Even worse than the pain in his head was the pain in his soul. The bad dreams that had haunted his nights were no longer confined, now coming for him while he was awake. Anakin gladly would have traded the mad visage of the Sith for every nightmare he ever had – even the ones about the empty black armor that waited for him at every turn.
The tears in his eyes were not from pain – they were from fear and guilt. The vision had been true, he knew that nothing that powerful could be anything other than absolute truth. People would suffer and even die because of him – unthinkable numbers of them, even entire worlds.
Master Yoda had been right – he was dangerous, he was doomed to be the worst monster in all of history.
An idea flared to life, giving him a light in the blackness of his depression. If he left, if he went so far away that nobody could find him, then he could keep everyone safe. The idea cheered him immensely even as his throat tightened almost unbearably at the thought of leaving Padmé. He would go farther away than even Tattooine, so far out into wild space that nobody would ever find him. The hermit worlds that a lot of spacers spoke about were sometimes one month jumps out from Tattooine. Isolated on those odd worlds with others who shunned contact with other beings, he would never harm anyone.
If he could sneak out of bed, that is.
Carefully wiggling down tot he foot of his unconventional bed, he managed to get his back to the wall and step over Obi-Wan's legs. Landing softly on the floor, he froze, standing in place for a count of sixty before moving again. Creeping off to the 'fresher, he scooped up his scant possessions and pack from the wardrobe.
Once the morning necessities were taken care of, he carefully repacked his things. Everything he had was here, memories in every bit of stowaway sand or thread of clothing. Memories of his mother and home, visions of his Angel, the love of Qui-Gon, and the friendship of Obi-Wan were things he wanted to hold on to. Almost guiltily, he packed the blue silks and his page's tabard; he wanted to remember the girls whom he had added to his definition of 'family.'
Angrily he dashed the tears out of his eyes. No family for him, he'd only wind up hurting them – his dream had shown him that, too.
It was most likely that he'd have to stow away on some outbound heavy freighter. Somehow, he didn't think that nine-year-olds got much work as hire-crew in the Republic. Shouldering his pack once more, he walked to the door thinking about which tunnel would bring him out at the commercial spaceport on the outskirts of Theed.
and was met by the implacable gaze of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé's wounded look as soon as he opened the door.
So much for leaving quietly.
"I have to go or I'll hurt you and a lot more people. The dream showed me." He made his voice as threatening as he could. "I'll be a Sith, just like Master Yoda knew I would. I'm going to go away – so far away that nobody can ever find me and I won't hurt anyone."
"Master Yoda, is it? I'll give him Sith" Padmé was on her feet, eyes flashing. "Anakin, don't you tell me that little green troll"
Obi-Wan gave her a firm look that sat her on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry, Jedi Kenobi, but for anyone to say that about a nine-year-old" Padmé protested. "It's almost like making a prophecy and then setting the events in motion that will see it fulfilled."
"For a group that refused to even consider the return of the Sith as a possibility, I fear they might now be seeing Sith under every rock." The gruesome tattooed body of the being Obi-Wan had killed had not been helped by being smashed and burned by its fall into the pit, but it had forced the Council to believe. "The future is always in motion, set only once we make a choice and set on that course. There are probabilities, Anakin, but no certainties."
"But I saw" His voice cracked as the terror of those sights renewed. It had to be the truth. "Billions, Obi-Wan, and you and Padmé and it was all fire and I did I will do all of it"
White edged Anakin's vision and his knees gave way.
~
If the Council did not get wind of this, Obi-Wan thought grimly, they had even less collective sensitivity than Qui-Gon gave them credit for. Anakin's fear shoved against the Jedi's perception like a windstorm strong enough to actually lean into and Padmé's alarm shrilled storm warnings of its own.
For a moment Obi-Wan felt helpless. Only a week ago he had been a padawan, secure in his master's guidance, developing confidence in his own abilities. Knighthood was something that was coming soon, but he had been content to wait. Now he was a Knight, on his own, unable to even consult with his master or anyone else whom he trusted. How could he help even one of these powerful children, much less both?
Padmé threw herself at Anakin, wrapping her arms around him, rocking him and swearing to keep him safe – to protect him the way he protected her.
His resolve firmed in that moment. They could protect each other, and he would protect both of them. They would not actually be his padawans, he told himself, instead he would just be minding them until he could contrive the return of Qui-Gon. Kneeling, he surrounded both younglings with calm and reassurance as well as with his arms, soothing them until he no longer felt the sharp prickles and jabs of their emotions. When they were quiet, with his imposed calm giving way to their own internal calm, they stayed in his embrace for a while before the subtle drawing-away prompted Obi-Wan to let go and sit back.
"Going to stick around a bit?" he asked Anakin.
The boy simply nodded.
"Good. I've much to teach you and it would a be a little inconvenient if I had to chase you across the galaxy to do it." Obi-Wan smiled, "Besides, you wouldn't want to have me in front of my master trying to explain how I misplaced his padawan and the Queen of Naboo. If he lectured me about losing my lightsaber"
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes in comic dismay, bringing soft chuckles from the pair. Though young, Obi-Wan thought, neither was very child-like. Anakin's upbringing had left him with few boyish dreams and a cynicism far more suited to someone Obi-Wan's age. Padmé had chosen her course when she was a child Anakin's age, but she still harbored a passionate idealism that was only now starting to fray under the strain of recent events.
"I want you both to promise me something." He caught and held their eyes with his own. "I want to help you both, but I need you to tell me. If it seems silly or trivial or childish, but it troubles you, I must know in order to help you. I need to know what you feel, what you think. Anakin, if that vision last night was an attack of some sort, we need to try to find out who is sending it. Padmé, your nightmares might be a less severe version of the same thing. But before I can find out, I need you to work on trusting me, I will do my best to earn and be worthy of it."
The pair looked at each other, seeming to consult in the way they had last night.
"Do you think that there really might be another Sith here?" Anakin asked, his face stiff with fear at that possibility.
Since Anakin had been unconscious during that conversation Obi-Wan concentrated on the two in front of him and sent his reply.
::: As I told Padmé, I think that it is a possibility. :::
A soft buzzing seemed to sound in his ears and Padmé made a frustrated face.
::: Pad why can't hear ::: The 'voice' was clearly Anakin's, fading in and out like a weak comm signal. :::: can hear me? :::
::: Because you are both very new to this, and your thoughts are interfering with your concentration. I take it that you both can hear me with no trouble? :::
When the pair nodded, he switched back to vocal speech. "Right now, your thoughts and worries are interfering with the ability to both project your speech, and to hear what the other person is saying. Also, projecting speech is a matter of targeting, as well as being able to form and maintain the thought."
Padmé asked the next question. "Targeting? Targeting what?"
Obi-Wan felt a huge relief. A master could not teach if he could not lead the student to ask the questions. "There are areas in the brain that 'hear' telepathy, much like a trained musician hears music. When we listen to a symphony, all we hear is the music as a whole. A trained maestro would be able to pick out distinct instruments and the parts they play."
"If we aren't targeting right, could someone else hear us?" Worry colored Anakin's voice and shaded Padmé's face.
"I don't think so." Obi-Wan did his best to sound certain. "I can barely hear you and I'm not three feet from you, but all the same, I think that we should only speak that way when we are all together."
Anakin and Padmé nodded in agreement.
"Now, Padmé, you mentioned that today was Rest Day?" he continued. "Is anyone likely to be looking for you?"
"No, not unless there's an emergency. I usually make myself available"
"And shouldn't we train?" Anakin piped up and Padmé nodded.
Obi-Wan could see Amidala coming back layer by layer, the Queen-self submerging Padmé once more in duty and obligation.
"Your Highness?" Obi-Wan's sudden formality got her attention. "Might I ask when the last time you actually had a Rest Day?"
Her long pause and darting eyes were answer enough.
"As your advisor, I am required to offer my counsel even if you do not wish to hear it. Take the Rest Day, you and Anakin both." He reached out and laid a hand on each youngster's head. "There will be time for me to start your training and sort out our schedules tomorrow. For now, what can we do that has nothing to do with politics, Sith, Jedi or the Republic?"
"How about the Midway?" Anakin suggested.
The Midway, as it turned out, was a subsurface warren of broad tunnels between Theed and the commercial spaceport. Originally meant for the storage and movement of cargo, it had evolved into a well-policed amusement area. There was a small district devoted to pleasures of the flesh and exotic intoxicants, but the main entertainments consisted of thrill rides, high quality simulator games and games of dexterity.
All things considered, Obi-Wan was not at all surprised that Anakin had found it.
It was no shock that Anakin gravitated to the thrill rides and sims, but it was that Padmé seemed to enjoy them as well. She even managed a credible job in the Headhunter sim with both he and Anakin coaching her. The podrace sim nearly made Obi-Wan lose the greasy, salty, starchy thing on a stick he had eaten and made Padmé elicit a promise from Anakin that he would never, ever get in the real thing again.
The games of dexterity were as old – perhaps – as humankind itself. The bright booths offered chances to pit one's hand-eye-coordination against a variety of deceptively simple-looking challenges. He and Anakin engaged in an unspoken contest up and down the broad tunnel, collecting chits by the pocketful. At the redemption kiosk, they came out close to equal and pooled their resources to claim a large plush Wookie doll, which they presented to Padmé.
Padmé thanked them both, then with an odd little smile asked the proprietor of the ring-toss stand for a bucket of rings. From then on, the stunned man and boy tailed her from booth to booth as she decimated each game. At the end of the concourse, she presented them each with a stuffed toy bantha large enough to be used as a footstool or a small table.
In all, it was a very good time.
They returned to the palace in the evening rain - still a matter of delighted fascination to Anakin – and had a very light late dinner. Someone saw fit to hide something called Tum-Eez in Obi-Wan's napkin, which he disdained to take. Padmé and Anakin did most of the talking – albeit punctuated with yawns – preparing themselves to ease back into the next day's routine.
Obi-Wan asked for an hour immediately following breakfast and both agreed. Padmé went off to bed with a hug for Obi-Wan and a more unrestrained one for Anakin that was returned with equal enthusiasm. After seeing Anakin into bed, Obi-Wan settled in his own room.
Opening the windows, he settled into a comfortable position and stilled his mind with the opening sequence for meditation. His thoughts quieted as he sorted through the experiences of the past day. The bond he shared with Qui-Gon was still present, if attenuated by distance. Dimly, he could feel some healing energy and sent a surge of love and support down the bond.
Two more tentative bonds were being formed, he saw. Thin and fragile, they would need a great deal of tending to grow strong and healthy. One ran to the now-sleeping Anakin – feelings of safety and contentment echoed by those Obi-Wan could feel coming from Padmé. The day away had done them both a great deal of good.
The two were mostly good-natured, though far from docile. Still, perhaps training the two would not be so hard as he feared.
With a feeling of gratitude, he sank into deep meditation as the clouds cleared enough to let the moons shine through.
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