Note 1: This is my first fanfiction work. Thank you for all the review that I have received! It's really encouraging and will ensure that this Verse is continued.
Note 2: This takes place during ROTS, right after Anakin and Obi-Wan return from rescuing Chancellor Palpatine from General Grievous.
Note 3: Star Wars and its affiliates do not belong to me, only the contents of this Verse.
Note 4: Thank you to my sister and beta reader, Darth Hope. (I know, ironic isn't it?)
Chosen: Restoration
Chapter 5: Plots & Plans
By WrittinInStone
Anakin woke up the next morning sore and in a very foul mood. He knew exactly why he was so irritable. His body had endured the agony of stone-hard erection. All. Night. Long. He had not known that his body could remain that…ready for such a lengthy period of time! All night he had done nothing but twist and turn as he thought about what Padmé had done yesterday.
When she had tumbled out of his closet, Anakin had had every intention of making her leave. But when she dropped her clothing, revealing the hidden treasure underneath, he transformed from a confident, understandably indignant husband into something spineless and gelatinous.
Anakin knew that he was pathetic. He had spent the entire night creating clever plans to get to Padmé. Some of his plans included crawling through the ceiling ducts, dressing up as a clone, even pretending to be lost although he had been given a thorough tour of Twilight's Rain. His more outrageous plans were to send Obi-Wan a false message from the Jedi Council to get him off of the ship or to simply say 'to hell with it,' blow up the whole damn ship, and take Padmé to a far away place in an escape pod to devour her as he pleased. He had even been desperate enough to seriously consider causing Obi-Wan to have an 'accident' that would require that he leave Twilight's Rain. The last plan made him feel guilty, which only annoyed him more.
He knew that not only were his plans born of desperation, but they were quite ridiculous, so he tried none of them although his need to be with Padmé gnawed at him. Instead, he was forced to endure the torment of unfulfilled desire in his quarters. Alone. And as the night continued, his thoughts became fouler, more profane, until it became the monster of suppressed desire that was Anakin Skywalker.
When Anakin finally exited his room, the droids took one look at his face and quickly steered clear. Good, Anakin thought crossly, because I could use a droid art piece in my suite. He tensed as he felt the presence of Padmé and Obi-Wan. They had made it to the dining hall before him. If nothing else, this made his mood worse. In mere moments he would be in close proximity to Padmé with no way to ravish her the way that he wanted.
Anakin felt like a wild beast. He wondered how Obi-Wan would react if he simply jumped on Padmé and started to consume her right there for Obi-Wan and the clones and the whole damn world to see. Thinking of the look that such an action would put on Obi-Wan's face made Anakin laugh aloud. It served to ease his frustration, but only slightly.
Anakin paused as he passed a mirror. By the Force! Anakin thought in horror as he saw his reflection. I really do look like a wild beast! There were bags under his red eyes and it looked as though he hadn't brushed his hair in ages. That's because I haven't, Anakin thought grimly. Anakin had never put much stock into his looks, but this was unacceptable. I swear on all the lives of the Jedi that I will turn to the Dark Side before I allow Padmé to see me like this. Anakin thought with a grimace as he quickly cleaned up his appearance.
Okay, Anakin, He thought to himself when he was presentable. You can do this. You are a man. You are Anakin Skywalker. You can control yourself. Pasting a smile on his face, Anakin entered the dining area.
"Good morning," he said smoothly, "Did everyone have a restful night?"
"Yes, I did actually. The beds here are amazing," Obi-Wan said, looking at Anakin critically, taking in his disheveled appearance. "Are you…okay Anakin?"
"Of course," Anakin said brightly, "I'm great." He turned to Padmé. "How are you this morning, Senator Amidala?"
"I'm wonderful, thank you Master Skywalker," Padmé said inclining her head toward him.
He nodded. He sat at the table as an awkward silence descended.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said suddenly, "I sent your blood work to the doctors and they said that they would have the results later on today. We will finally find out if this disease is infectious or not."
Hearing talk of Anakin's condition immediately grabbed Padmé's attention. She wanted to know everything about this illness so that she could take care of Anakin.
"That's good," Anakin said, his gaze flickering to Padmé, "it would be nice to know if I'm going to make my friends deathly ill or not."
"Obi-Wan, what exactly do we know about Ani's illness?" Padmé said, then immediately chastised herself for the slip. 'Ani' was an extremely familiar and personal name. To call him that after referring to him as 'Master Skywalker' would raise questions in any politician's mind. It would imply that she knew Anakin a lot better than she had originally let on. It was especially suspicious since they had both persisted in calling each other by formal titles. Padmé hoped that because Obi-Wan knew their history as friends, he would dismiss it as a slip due to habit and nothing more.
Obi-Wan had indeed caught the change in wording, but had chosen not to speak on it although he found it curious indeed. It would have been nothing if Padmé and Anakin had not taken such pains to be so proper. But it was as though when Padmé was on guard, Anakin was Master Skywalker, but when she was relaxed, he was 'Ani.' Obi-Wan knew that it could simply be that they did not want their friendship to be misconstrued in an inappropriate way by the media, but that reasoning would not be valid here because it was just him and he knew about their history. So why the formality unless there was something else they were trying to hide?
Pushing away his feeling of uneasiness at his line of thought, Obi-Wan answered Padmé's question, "We know that this virus is attacking a very specific part of his body. The problem is that we're not sure which part it is. Whatever it is, it's making him very weak. The bouts of weakness have been short and far apart, but everyday, he experiences more bouts that are closer together. When I say that they are closer in frequency, I mean that in a purely medical sense. They are still quite rare, but more frequent than they were when he was diagnosed with the virus."
Padmé frowned. "So, are the doctors working on a cure? Do they know how he contracted this virus?"
"As of now, no," Anakin responded, "They have no idea. No one does."
"So, I think we should start at General Grevious' ship, then" Padmé said, rubbing her chin in thought, "That's where we think that Anakin contracted this thing. Maybe the ship's hologram will give us a clue as to what happened. That is, if it's still working after Anakin's whole landing episode."
"Hey! I saved the Chancellor's life in that 'episode' as you call it," Anakin said in mock offense. "I think I did a pretty good job, thank you."
Padmé rolled her eyes, "That's what you say every time you wreck a ship, speeder, cruiser, or any vehicle that flies."
Obi-Wan cleared his throat, bringing the group back to focus. "Padmé, you want to go find a cure for Anakin ourselves?"
Padmé nodded, "Absolutely. That's why we're here, isn't it?"
"Not really," Anakin replied, "We're supposed to be here to keep me away from the rest of the population. Apparently the Jedi don't approve of mass hysteria."
Obi-Wan grinned at Anakin's words. "Yes, Anakin, I imagine a Galaxy in chaos would not conform to the Jedi Council's views on order."
"Indeed," Anakin responded in mock gravity, "It would be very difficult for the Jedi to try the whole Galaxy for disturbing the peace."
Ignoring their banter, Padmé sat there, appalled, "What do you mean you're just supposed to sit here?" She interrupted them. "You don't really intend to do that, do you? And where is here anyway?"
"We are currently stationed near one of Coruscant's moons, several thousand kilometers from the planet. This exile was never meant to be permanent or even far away from Coruscant. Anakin was only meant to be isolated from the population until such time as this virus was deemed non-contagious. Then Anakin could return to Coruscant where he would be under medical supervision until a cure is found."
"How long until the cure is found?" Padmé questioned.
"That's one of the problems," Obi-Wan said, sighing. "We have no clue. This virus would not be so intimidating if the doctors could gleam some information about it. But so far, everything that they have done has proven inconclusive."
Padmé fell silent as she contemplated this. She refused to sit around and leave the Anakin's fate in the hands of doctors who were stuck in their laboratories. The answer was on Grevious' ship. She just knew it.
Anakin frowned at Padmé. It always disturbed him when she fell silent like this. It meant that she was plotting, and he had some idea about what.
"Padm—" Anakin began.
"Master Skywalker," A clone appeared in the dining hall, "There is a message for you from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine."
Anakin nodded, a smile playing across his face, "Thank you, Palo. I will receive it in my suite."
"Very good, sir," The clone bowed low and then left to make the arrangements.
"If you two would excuse me, I will return momentarily." Nodding to them, Anakin left and made his way to his suite.
Obi-Wan nodded in response, but Padmé tensed at his departure. Though Chancellor Palpatine was from her home world of Naboo, lately, she had been sensing something strange and dark from the leader of the Senate. She was uneasy about him and she did not like how close he was to Anakin. Padmé had yet to voice her fears to Anakin, but when she did, she hoped he would listen.
#*#*#*#*#
Anakin sank into a chair in his suite as a hologram of the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic filled his room, "Anakin, my boy! I am quite pleased to see you up and around. If one listened to the HoloNet, they would assume that you were on your death bed."
Anakin grinned in response, "As of this moment, I am well and filled with gratitude that you would contact me about my condition."
"Well, it's the least I can do after you and your partner, Master Kenobi, rescued me from General Grievous. Tell me, how do you fare in your exile? I would hate for you to lack anything."
"I have been very well equipped by the Jedi. I have everything that I could possibly need here."
Palpatine nodded, "Very well, Anakin. I will check on you quite regularly throughout your struggle. It grieves my heart to know that someone as brave and as noble as you has to endure this. Just know that I will be available to you whenever and for whatever you need. Ask what you will and it will be provided."
Anakin's eyebrows rose at the Chancellor's words, "That is too generous a boon, I cannot accept it." Anakin had always thought that he and the Chancellor had been friends, and had been saddened when there had been no contact with him after the virus had been confirmed. But now, in the face of this token, Anakin did not know how to feel about the Chancellor's involvement. Before this incident, Anakin would have gladly accepted Palpatine's offer, seeing it as a benefit of their friendship, but now, the gift seemed ostentatious.
"Nonsense. It is a personal accounting that I do this. You contracted this virus while saving my life. It would ease my guilty conscience if you would accept my help."
Anakin frowned, disturbed. He and Obi-Wan had done their duty as Jedi, nothing more. It did not warrant this display especially since it was being extended to him only, and not Obi-Wan. Anakin suddenly had the nagging suspicion that the Chancellor knew this. He smiled at Palpatine to hide his uneasiness; if he did take advantage of the Chancellor's offer, it would almost be as though he were in the Chancellor's debt. Which might be the whole point, a voice in his head whispered.
Alarmed, Anakin pushed the thought aside. Chancellor Palpatine had always been a willing ear to listen to Anakin's concerns and had always offered encouraging advice to Anakin when he needed it. Indeed, at one time, the Chancellor had seemed to be the only person who cared about him or even understood him. But that was before Obi-Wan risked his life to be here with me, Anakin thought. That's before I found out that I had totally misjudged my Master.
It was as though he did not need the Chancellor anymore, now that he knew that Obi-Wan truly cared about him. The simple truth was; Anakin had always wanted Obi-Wan to be his confidant. Obi-Wan had raised him and cared for him ever since he had been taken from his mother; Obi-Wan was like a father to him. He wanted to tell Obi-Wan everything; about what he had done on Tatooine, about Padmé… and after what Obi-Wan had done for him, Anakin thought that he just might be able to do that. But Anakin did not want to act badly toward Palpatine; the person who had been so kind to him. And he knew that it would be an insult to the Chancellor and his friendship to reject his offer, so finally, Anakin nodded in agreement, "Very well. I am overwhelmed by your kindness."
Palpatine smiled, "On a less personal note, we here at the Senate know your importance to the Republic, Anakin. It will set all of our minds at ease when this affair is done with. I will contact you again, soon."
"Very good, Chancellor." Anakin rose as the image of the Chancellor disappeared.
#*#*#*#*#
Padmé looked left and right as she hurriedly slipped out of Anakin's room, thinking about the note she had left there.
"I have to do this," she murmured to herself, "I have to. I'm sorry Ani, but I know that this place will lead us to the answers, I can feel it."
Padmé assumed a normal pace as she entered the hallway. She nodded calmly to the clones and droids that she passed until she reached a large brown door. "Data Coordinates," Padmé read aloud as she entered the room.
She quickly went to the computer and scanned the files until she found what she was searching for. The remains of General Grevious' ship were located on the forest moon of Endor. It was in an extremely isolated location near the Unknown Regions. Which is strange, Padmé thought to herself, why would they put it in such a hostile location, instead of in the Republic? According to the data, it was a planet populated by a fiercely territorial people who despised off-worlders. All other details were restricted and inaccessible.
Padmé nodded, suddenly more confident than ever that answers were on the forest moon of Endor. She quickly downloaded the file and exited the room.
As Padmé walked down the hall, she suddenly paused as dizziness swept over her. She grabbed the wall in alarm as the floor rushed toward her.
Moments later, Padmé woke, alarmed that she had fainted. What the heck just happened? She wondered as she steadied herself. After taking several calming breaths, she rose from the floor and slowly continued to her ship in the docking bay. She knew she should rest after her fainting spell, but she refused. She was sure that the faint had been due to stress and nothing more. I can't let something that small stop me, she thought to herself. I have to help my husband.
As Padmé readied her ship, she wondered for a moment if Plan B would work again when Anakin found out what she had done. I guess we'll see soon, Padmé thought as she flew her ship quietly out of Twilight's Rain.
She set the ship for the forest moon and then closed her eyes as the steady hum of the autopilot sent her to sleep.
#*#*#*#*#
"Good news, Master Skywalker, it looks as though this virus is not infectious."
Anakin and Obi-Wan both let out a huge sigh of relief and then grinned broadly at one another at the doctor's words.
That means that Padmé and Obi-Wan are safe, Anakin thought, his gladness building. That means I can go back to Coruscant. That means that Padmé and I can…! Anakin's grin broadened as he thought about all the wonderfully naughty things he as going to do to her. We must leave immediately, Anakin thought, so that Padmé and I can…
Suddenly Anakin frowned. "Obi-Wan, have you seen Padmé? I haven't seen her since breakfast."
Obi-Wan frowned as well, "Now that I think of it, no, Anakin. I have not seen her. I wonder where she is. I thought it was suspicious that she missed this meeting."
Anakin felt a tinge of fear roll up his spine. He rose slowly from his chair and hailed a clone, "Adam, please send out an announcement for Senator Amidala. We wish to know her whereabouts."
Adam bowed low, "Right away, sir."
Anakin began to pace as he tried to quell his fear.
"Milord," Adam spoke upon his return, "The log shows that the Senator left the ship an hour ago."
"Left the ship?" Obi-Wan said incredulously, "To go where?"
"After looking at the hologram projectors, it seems that she accessed the Data Coordinates room to find the location of a moon called Endor. It is located near the Unknown Regions and is said to be extremely hostile, milord."
"Extremely hostile?" Anakin repeated, "Why would she go there?"
"I do not know sir, but Senator Amidala did download some data. We reprinted it for you." Adam gave Anakin and Obi-Wan each a copy of the download.
"Thank you, Adam." Obi-Wan said with a small nod, "That will be all."
"Sir." Adam bowed low and then left the room.
"General Grevious' ship," Anakin said with a groan. He placed his papers down carefully on the chair and then put his head into his hands as though he were tired, "She went to find General Grevious' ship."
"It looks that way," Obi-Wan said grimly, "We should have known she would try something like this. We know her well enough to know that she'd do something this rash."
"Yes," Anakin murmured, unable to name the amount of rage building within him, "She would do something so foolish. Be ready in an hour, Obi-Wan, we must go after her."
"Yes, I know." Obi-Wan said with a sigh. He stopped when he saw the look on Anakin's face. He went to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Peace, my friend, we will find her and when we do, we will both take turns strangling her."
Anakin nodded as a reluctant smile highlighted his features, "Very well, as long as I go first."
"It's a deal," Obi-Wan said, returning his grin. "We will meet on the docking bay in an hour."
Anakin nodded.
#*#*#*#*#
In his suite, Anakin quickly gathered the standard items needed for a mission. "Utility belt, lightsaber…note?" Anakin said aloud as his eyes fell on the note nestled under his pillow.
He opened the note and began to read:
Anakin,
I know you're probably furious right now, and I'm sorry that I left without word, but I had to do this. I have a feeling that this is the answer to the problem. I can't explain the feeling, but I know that I have to follow my instincts. We've never waited for others to solve our problems for us and we shouldn't start now. I won't go onto the planet until you get here because I know you and Obi-Wan will follow me. This was just my way of giving you a boost.
You once told me that you could not lose me, that you would not survive it. Well, I love you, Anakin Skywalker and I cannot lose you, I would not survive. I don't care if I have to drag you and Obi-Wan across the Galaxy; we will find this cure and we will live happily ever after. By now, you have probably printed a copy of the files I downloaded, but just in case you haven't, I am on the forest moon of Endor and I await you.
Hurry, my love, I am lonely here without you.
With all the love in my soul,
P
Anakin closed the note and sat down on his bed. He shook his head as he began to smile. "My wife," he said aloud, "is amazing." He could not get angry with Padmé. He had known who she was before he married her and he would not change her for all the credits in the Galaxy.
"I'm coming Padmé." He closed his eyes and said softly into the empty room, "Wait for me, I'll be there soon."
Far away, tucked in her ship, and in the peaceful rest of slumber, Padmé Skywalker smiled in response.
End of Chapter 5: If you loved it, review it. Writers on this site are paid only by the reviews of the readers.
6th Chapter: Sanctuary Moon: Anakin, Padmé and Obi-Wan meet the Natives of the forest moon.