Chapter two:

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Padme Naberrie Skywalker slowly trudged up the stairs to her lavish apartment in the booming cities richest district as the lifts were broken. She arrived when the city had not been so corrupted and she had quickly made her way to the top as a senator in the second world by joining her favorite role – public service.

The past twenty three years had gone by day by day for her. She went through each day separately, ignoring the next. She was exhausted but she did not know when, or even how to stop. She lived to see the day where she could see her beloved again. She hoped from the depths of her heart that Anakin could find redemption and eventually find his way here but until that day she knew she had to get on with the present.

She reached the door to her apartment and rang the doorbell. A few moments passed and then the door opened. A short young man with green eyes and dark black hair stood on the other side. She immediately greeted the man with a hug. The man broke into a wide smile. "How was your day Padme?" As she walked in she immediately sat on the settee.

"Another boring days worth of debate on slavery, why has the ban still not been enforced?" Padme sighed in frustration. She knew she had to work very hard with this new legislation to get it enforced.

"Well, you are the minister of crime and policing. It is a very demanding job but I think they couldn't have chosen a better person for the job." Padme smiled.

"Thanks Kaycen, you are so sweet." Kaycen smiled in return.

"Padme, I made some dinner since your working so late each late. Come on, it's going to get cold." Padme smiled again. She followed Kaycen to the adjacent room and they sat down as a droid served the food.

As they ate Kaycen noticed that Padme was very distant again, like sometimes she did. Kaycen did not know what she was thinking about, and he knew it wasn't any of his business to ask. She had her secrets that Kaycen knew. In the middle of the night Kaycen could hear Padme screaming in her sleep. The recurring words in those nightmares were 'Anakin' and 'Vader'. Kaycen knew neither of them and he did not sum up the courage to ask who they were.

"Thanks Kaycen, the food was excellent, I'm going to bed now, and I've got some work to do." She grabbed the pile of datapads that sat on the kitchen stand and then quietly walked her way to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Anakin slowly opened his eyes. He immediately took in the scenery around him. He was lying on a grassy field and in front of him was a huge looming city that was immensely high. Speeders lurched at speeds that was borderline illegal and the noise and pollution was immense. Anakin looked behind him and the green fields expanded past the horizon. He turned back around and walked slowly towards the bustling metropolitan.

As he got closer he noticed that there was a small gate with a droid to the side, taking in information from the newly deceased as they came through. He realized that many were coming in from the lush green field just as he was. There were many different species of all different shapes and sizes and from different planets. They were all converging here. He moved forward into the queue.

After about five minutes he reached the top of the queue and the droid spoke to him. It was a raspy human male voice but Anakin guessed it spoke to different species in different voices. "Greetings. I have TP-310. For all new members of this city, please state your name." Anakin watched closely as the droids hands were over the keys of the computer.

"Anakin Skywalker," Anakin quickly said. The droid typed in his name and proceeded to ask his age, planet of origin, marital status. After inputting those information the droid gave wrote a basic description of the person in front of him. Finally the droid asked another question.

"Since you are new to the city, please give us a name of a family member who resides here. You can stay with them until you

Have made enough for yourself to live on your own," the droid asked in an unemotional monotonic voice. Anakin immediately wanted to say Padme but he instantly realized how she would feel if he just suddenly turned up onto her doorstep dead. "She probably has someone else to take care of her, something I couldn't do," he thought bitterly.

"Shmi Skywalker," Anakin finally decided to say. The droid typed a few things into its computer and after staring at the screen for a few moments the droid looked back at Anakin.

"There's no match I'm afraid." Anakin was silent for a few moments. Surely she could have not been sent to the remnants of the eternal hell of the dark side? Then he remembered Obi Wan's words. There were no Jedi here because they lived lives of compassion but without real unconditional love thus they were rendered into the force. He knew his mother loved unconditionally, helping everything and everyone that needed help. She was one with the force now. Anakin knew she had lost her identity and personality but atleast she was permanently happy.

Now the only real solution was Padme. For a moment he contemplated the Lars but after remembering how they died he quickly dismissed the idea. "Try Padme Amidala," Anakin instructed the droid. The droid turned back to the computer and typed in a Padme's name. The droid turned back to him.

"No result I'm afraid." Anakin was becoming frustrated now. That was the name he had expected her to use. What about her family name?

"Try Padme Naberrie." The computer typed yet again but still no result. Anakin silently cursed under his breath. Padme was using a fake name and Anakin was not surprised. However, Anakin still had to try less he sleep out in the streets.

"Keep trying, put in Padme." The droid did as he was told but even the machine was beginning to feel some sense of annoyance.

"161 results. Rather than go through each individual record I can put in other parameters. Home planet for example." Anakin nodded at the droid.

"Put that, home planet Naboo," Anakin instructed. The droid did what he was told and a few moments later turned back to Anakin.

"4 results. The computer also shows the likely hood of the person being a family member. The most likely is Padme Ganren, age 45 when she arrived here." However Anakin had already shook his head. "Padme Drudger, age 57 when she arrived here." Again Anakin shook his head. "This one is more unlikely, Padme Vestapa, age 18 when she arrived here." Anakin disappointedly shook his head.

"The last result, the computer records as 98.4% unlikely. Would you like me to read it out anyway?" Anakin took a deep sigh. This was going to be harder than he thought. Anakin asked for it to be read out but he wasn't paying attention anymore as he thought about what to do now.

"Padme Skywalker, age 27 when she arrived." Anakin suddenly jolted up. His heart beat rapidly and he felt like it was going to explode out of his chest.

"What was the name? Say it again?" Anakin almost shouted.

"Padme Skywalker, she was 27 when she got here." Anakin could almost whoop with joy now.

"Yes, yes! That's her! Where does she live? Tell me the address." Anakin hope almost swelled to an overfill as he noticed how Padme had used Skywalker as her surname. Of all the names she could have chosen, her family name, her royal name, she had chosen his name. Perhaps that meant she forgave him and still loved him?

"Before I part with that information I have to confirm your relation by asking the question that she set that all family members should know the answer to." Anakin excitedly nodded. "There are two questions here, one is for family and the other one simply says…'Ani.' I am not sure what that means." By now Anakin was completely in shock. Padme was waiting for him all this time? Does this really mean he was forgiven?

"The second one." The droid nodded and clicked his computer.

"The question is," the droid began. "What was the planet my husband thought I was from when we first met?" Anakin could not believe his ears. She was referring to him calling her his angel all the time. The first time he met her when he was a child he had called her an angel.

"Iego" Anakin immediately replied. The droid clicked again then turned to face Anakin.

"Correct," the droid answered. "Her address is Penthouse suite, top floor city Boulevard building C. It's not hard to miss as its one of the tallest buildings in the city. I am also programmed to give you fifty credits for your journey to your temporary new residence. Thank you," the droid said as he handed Anakin five small 10 credit coins. Anakin could not thank the droid enough before rushing through the gate into the city.

He ran past bundles of people walking through the ground level of the city as he looked for the nearest speeder park. After five minutes of frantic searching he finally reached an open space where there were various colored speeders of all shapes and sizes perched there. There were a few small children cleaning them but what Anakin saw next made his blood boil.

Next to the children were various older grown ups each wielding a whip watching each child cleaning the speeder intently. He slowly walked to one of the shorter children and the child was visibly shaken, trembling like somebody about to be executed. Suddenly the bulky middle aged stocky man kicked the young child in the back and then dragged his whip high in the air before unleashing it down upon the poor child.

Anakin's face turned red as he struggled to contain the anger that he witnessed. It reminded him of his own childhood. These children suffered in life, now they were suffering in death. Anakin quickly paced over to the poor child, who was whimpering on the floor next to a large red speeder crying. The man raised his whip high into the air again and threw it down with all his might.

The man suddenly stopped when he realized something had caught the whip halfway. He looked to the side to see a man with the barbed whip tail in his hand staring at him, a look of menace in his eye. The stranger was very tall, not too wide but his muscles were obviously very well toned and strong. A long intimidating scar ran from the side of his eye and his deep sea of blue that was his eyes gazed into his.

"Go away, this is none of your business," the older man stated before yanking the whip from Anakin's grip and then thrust it down upon the prone defenseless boy again. Again Anakin caught it. The older looked at Anakin like he was a madman.

"You're going to free all these slaves. Give all your money equally between them and then turn yourself to the police," Anakin blankly spoke. The slaver looked at him again like he was a madman before laughing at Anakin hard in his face. Anakin did not put force behind those words, as he knew the slaver would never change if he was being forced to by the force.

"Are you a mad one? Go on, you gonna make me," the old slaver said, squaring up to Anakin, hating the fact that he had to look up to stare at Anakin fully in the face. Anakin did not falter nor did he even blink.

"This is your last chance, do what I ask and you might live to see this city for another sunrise." The man looked at him then a grin broke onto his face and it wasn't long before he began to laugh again.

"I think that you need to be taught a lesson, come on boys, let's show this cocky piece of Bantha fodder where he belongs in death," the older man spoke as he drew a blaster, backed off a few steps and then waved his hand. In the distance twelve men, all armed with blasters approached. "You made your biggest mistake Jim by walking into here uninvited."

Anakin breathed deeply, not drawing upon the anger but doing what he was about to do for the slave children that were here. He drew his hand up and the blaster that was in the hand of the old slaver suddenly flew into his. He put his left and right hand onto the blaster and snapped it like a dry twig in the desert. "What the- men fire!" the man cried.

Simultaneously twelve red beams of energy came towards Anakin but he was more than prepared. He punched the slaver in the stomach before drawing his white lightsaber and activating it deflecting the many bolts of energy away, some back to their owners.

Anakin barrel rolled to the nearest slaver and the men recoiled trying to back pedal but Anakin was too quick, rolling forward and impaling the slaver through the gut. He quickly pulled his saber out and moved to the nearest one after that lopping his head off in a mere second. In speeds that were impossible for most humans he leaped towards the crowd of the slavers and in three quick strokes the slavers were decapitated.

By now the remaining slavers had grouped to the other side all in fear of their enemy, the fear visible on their faces as they fired their blasters wildly in the direction of Anakin. A crowd had gathered on the other side of the speeder park as they heard the commotion and blaster fire.

Anakin concentrated on some of the earlier teachings of his former master. Sith lightning as it was called was not a weapon just of the dark side. There was a way to summon lightning from the light side as well and he remembered Obi Wan's instructions twenty five years ago.

He raised his fingers in the direction of the remaining slavers and let the light fill him. He focused on what he wanted and suddenly he felt the end of his fingers heat up. All of the remaining slavers suddenly began to jolt and shudder and crawl on the floor in agony as light blue lightening that protruded from Anakin's fingertips slowly ripped them apart and the heat from it began to make their bodies steam.

Anakin did not relent. Nor did he hear the panicked screams of the bystanders as the lightening poured forth from his fingers. Still the men struggled with the immense pain and then Anakin realized he enjoyed watching these men suffer and be tormented. The sudden thought made him stop. Instantly. He was immediately horrified at those thoughts and instantaneously repulsed, reminded too much of his dark past, or Vader.

The crowd was silent at the scenario. Thirteen dead bodies lay dead around the speeder car park and the lone man, the killer stood silent and looked perplexed in the middle, eyes on the clustered bodies he had somehow, magically electrocuted using his mere hands.

Then a series of voices were heard through the crowd. "Coming through! What's all the fuss! Clear the way!" Anakin turned his head at the sound of the voices ad saw four tall men smartly in a dark navy blue uniform each with badges. "The police," Anakin thought.

Finally the four officers turned at the scene and saw the bodies. There were thirteen of them, mutilated in many different ways. Immediately they glanced at the man in the middle, who stood there expressionless. In the mans hand was a small, cylinder that was gold with black trims. Reacting, the four officers immediately raised their blasters and pointed it at this man, who had obviously murdered the thirteen men who looked like slavers. Ducking behind the speeders the children hid and one of them bravely peeked upwards to see the situation. The officers noticed.

"Please, Sir, Don't shoot him, he helped us," a brave boy said his head peeking up. Anakin turned his attention to the boy. He smiled at him in the most comforting manner he could at the situation.

"Get all your friends and get them out of here, tell them to all back to their homes, your free," Anakin said, putting in a bit of command, but not enough to sound intimidating. The timid boy nodded and then ran to the nearest person next to him and they began to clear out the place of all the other children.

Finally when the children had all ran off Anakin turned back to the officers, who still had their blasters aimed at him. "I will come with you freely, but I will not surrender my weapon," he continued. Anakin did not want to fight anymore, though he was confident that he would beat them easily. It was too much bloodshed at one point and it was also true that he had broken the law and committed murder. He was aware of the consequences and was prepared to live with them.

The officers did not know what to do. In their heads they were acutely aware of what the weapon in the overly tall and intimidating man's hand could do, having heard the brief accounts of what a few of the witnesses told them. They were also aware that the man could do some physics defying things having heard about the electricity. The leader muttered something to his men and they made a decision.

Slowly and very cautiously they approached Anakin, their blasters not leaving the vicinity of Anakin's head. They strafed their way over to Anakin and then the two nearest grabbed his arms as his weapon was now attached to a strange looking belt he wore. The third officer attacked cuffs to his hands and they escorted them out of the speeder park, not saying a word, too frightened to provoke the man.

As they arrived at the police station, every officer was waiting for him. Somebody had already taken the video of the speeder park and confirmed that the murdered people were slavers and through the comlink they had confirmed the suspect they arrested was indeed the murderer. But as the video continued the officers watched on in horror. The entire fight had lasted no more than half a minute and the thirteen of them were all destroyed fruitlessly.

Anakin was escorted to a white room where a series of mug shot photographs were taken of him and then he was shoved into a cell where four men stood outside guarding him. Anakin knew he could break out in seconds but he did not want to, knowing fully well that would go nowhere for his atonement and he would be pushing himself within the dark side once again.

Meanwhile, in a conference room just down the corridor, all the police officers were gathered frantically discussing what was to be done regarding their new, incredibly powerful and dangerous prisoner…

END OF CHAPTER!

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