Chapter 34
Naboo
Padmé had just got the twins to bed and had settled down in front of her computer to watch Anakin's big event from Boonta Eve. She was nervous and excited, knowing that he was about to change the history of the planet he'd once called home. A planet he said he hated, a planet he said he'd never visit again... It was funny how things turned out sometimes. Padmé smiled when she saw Anakin on the screen as he prepared to address the huge crowd that had filled the seats in the arena. She knew how nervous he was. He hated public speaking, that she knew well. But this was important; this was something that only he could do. I'm so proud of you, Ani, she thought. You truly are the hero with no fear. Anakin stepped up to the voice amplifier and took a deep breath.
Tatooine
Anakin looked briefly out at the crowd, the size of it surprising him. He swallowed hard to try and alleviate the dryness in his throat. "My friends," he began, his voice issuing forth over the crowds. "I thank you for coming here today. My name is Anakin Skywalker, and until the age of 9 I lived here with my mother. I was a slave, like many of you, but was afforded the opportunity to become a Jedi Knight, and served the Old Republic in the Clones Wars. I come to you here today, however, not as a Jedi, but as a former slave. I had a dream when I was a child, a dream that I have been working hard to realize here in the past few weeks. In my dream, I returned here, to Tatooine, to free all the other slaves. And today, I'm here to tell you, that I have taken steps to do just that." Anakin stopped for a moment as the people in the crowd started talking amongst themselves. He waited for them to stop before he continued. "Jabba the Hutt is dead," he said. "I killed him, and have destroyed his lair and every trace of his filth." At this the crowd erupted in applause and cheering. Anakin smiled. "Now that Jabba is dead, I am establishing a system of government that will give all people, no matter their race, no matter their gender or the planet of origin, rights and freedoms. There will be no more slavery here, it is hereby outlawed effective immediately. Anyone who currently owns slaves will receive a monetary remuneration to offset the financial loss. Anyone who currently is a slave, and wishes to remain in the service of their former master, will be paid for their service. But the choice is theirs, no one will be forced into servitude. There will be jobs for those who wish to start anew, for I have exciting plans for Tatooine, plans that will make this planet one that the New Republic will be eager to engage with. Tatooine has a lot to offer, untapped and underdeveloped resources that I will use my own monetary resources to develop. The money from these resources will be used to fund and support our new government, a government that has been created not to exploit, but to protect the people it represents."
The crowd erupted again at this point, with shouts and cheering. Anakin beckoned to Rex and Naaviva to step over, anxious to give the attention to them. Rex wasn't too eager, but Naaviva loved the attention, and stepped up to the amplifier with a smile.
"Good afternoon my friends," Naaviva began. "My name is Naaviva Tirrabi," she said. "And I am honoured to be your new leader and protector. Until a few weeks ago, I was a slave in the palace of Jabba the Hutt. While I was there, I was demeaned, brutalized and terrorized. I saw my only sister fed to a monster that Jabba kept as a pet. I know the humiliation and heartbreak you have lived, I understand the dreams you have, for they were my dreams too. Thanks to Anakin Skywalker, I can realize my dreams, for he freed me from Jabba's grasp. And now that I am free, now that I can realize my dreams, I want to do everything I can to help you realize yours too. We are in unchartered territory, and stand at the dawn of a new era on this planet. Together we will create a planet that others will envy and want to be allied with. Together we will create something wonderful here on Tatooine. I am so excited to be a part of this new beginning, and I promise you that I will work tirelessly to do everything I can to make Tatooine a place of prosperity and peace for all."
Anakin and Rex watched in amazement as Naaviva addressed the crowd, and joined in the applause when she concluded her speech. Rex smiled, the young woman growing more attractive in his eyes. She turned to him and returned his smile, and Anakin realized at that moment that there was far more between the two of them than he had previously known.
"Well, I think that went very well indeed," Obi- Wan said as Anakin, Rex and Naaviva joined him inside the broadcasters' booth high above the arena.
Anakin nodded, and watched as the crowds start to file out. There was an air of excitement, and the people were highly excited as they left. "I think so too," he said. He turned to Naaviva. "You blew me away," he said with a smile.
Naaviva laughed. "Not bad, eh?" she said. "What an exciting day! I can't wait to get started."
Anakin smiled. "Well, we certainly have our work cut out for us, don't we?"
The next week saw a flurry of activity on the two sites. The mining operation was up and running at full tilt, the platinum production proving to be more prodigious than anticipated. In addition, while they were excavating for the new government building on the former property of Jabba, the engineers stumbled upon a rather impressive seam of silver. The discovery had Anakin wondering just how much mineral wealth there was on Tatooine, untapped and underdeveloped. He knew that much of the mineral wealth would be inaccessible due to the danger of the indigenous creatures that lived in the wilderness. Anakin had first had experience with such creatures, having lost his mother to them not so long ago.
"Looks good," Anakin said as he stood in the office of the president. Naaviva had decorated it herself, and the touches of her Twilek heritage could be seen here and there.
Naaviva smiled, pleased by Anakin's approval. "I still can't believe this is happening," she said. "If it hadn't been for you, I'd still be living that nightmare. I can never thank you adequately, Anakin. Never."
Anakin shook his head as he sat on the edge of the large desk. "What you're doing now more than makes up for that," he said. "You're helping to change the future of this planet, to rewrite its history. That means more to me than you can know, Naaviva. You've helped make my dreams come true."
Naaviva smiled. "So what's next for you, Anakin?" she said. "Will you go to Coruscant to help rebuild the Order?"
Anakin frowned. "How do you know about that?" he asked.
"I heard General Kenobi speaking about it to some of the men," she said. "I'm assuming Yoda is a Jedi too?"
"Yeah, he left weeks ago to get things started," Anakin said. "I know Obi-Wan wants to help, but he's been so busy helping me with the situation here."
Naaviva nodded. "But what about you?" she said. "From what I understand, you were the greatest Jedi of them all. Aren't you anxious to return to that?"
"No, I'm not," Anakin said. "I'm not worthy to be a Jedi, Naaviva," he said. "There's a lot you don't know about me, a lot that I'm ashamed of in my past."
Naaviva frowned. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I remember you, Anakin! I remember hearing about you during the Clone Wars. I was just a little girl, but I remember what a hero you were."
"You don't know everything," he said. "You don't know the monster that I became, Naaviva."
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I turned to the Dark Side," he said. "I lead the Jedi purges," he said. "I became Darth Vader. That's what I'm talking about."
Naaviva stared at him in shock. "But...how, Anakin? How could you be Darth Vader? How could you have become such a monster?"
Anakin sighed, and looked down at the carpet. "It's a long and very sad story," he said. "Suffice it to say, it started off with good intentions that turned horribly, horribly bad."
Naaviva could see that Anakin's past was still a great source of pain for him. "But you changed," she reminded him. "You're not Darth Vader anymore, you're Anakin Skywalker, the hero with no fear. You've done so much in the short time that I've known you to prove yourself. Perhaps it's time to put the past behind you, Anakin, and focus on the present and the future."
Anakin smiled. "You're pretty wise for someone so young," he said.
Naaviva smiled. "So are you," she said.
Naboo ...a few days later..
The sun glistened on the still waters of Lake Varykino as the gondola made its way towards the lake house.
"Mommy are we almost there?" Leia asked.
Padmé smiled. "Yes, almost," she said.
"Are grandma and grandpa there yet?" Luke asked.
"No, not yet," Padmé said. "But they'll be there on your birthday. It's not your birthday yet, not for two more days."
"Is Daddy there?" Leia asked.
"No, Daddy isn't there yet either," Padmé said. "But he'll be there soon."
Luke and Leia seemed satisfied by her response, and sat back to watch the scenery pass them by. Padmé put an arm around each of her children and did her best to enjoy the ride. Please don't let them down, Ani, she thought. Please don't let us down.
Tatooine
Anakin stood inside a deep hole with Obi-Wan and Rex, examining the seam of silver.
"Never rains but it pours," Obi-Wan quipped.
"Not on this planet," Rex commented.
Anakin chuckled. "Too bad we can't excavate this," he said. "It's too close to the government building. The whole thing would cave in."
"Yeah, too bad," Rex said with a frown. "Maybe we could see what's going on a few kilometres away."
"Maybe," Anakin said. "Who'd have ever imagined that this backwater planet would be so full of hidden treasure."
"The people of Mos Eisley are here, sir," a voice came over Anakin's comlink.
"We'll be right there," Anakin said.
Word had spread out of Mos Espa about the big changes being undertaken by Anakin and his new government. The people of Mos Eisley wanted in, plain and simple. A small delegation of representatives had approached the new government to ask for a meeting. Naaviva had asked Anakin and Rex to be present. Anakin had agreed, and was rather interested to see where this development would lead.
Naaviva looked up from her desk with a look of relief on her face as Anakin and Rex entered the room. She smiled and stood up.
"Gentlemen, this is Ousan Bardak, Raddi Orion and Jemmila Arthos. Friends, this is Anakin Skywalker and Rex. Please have a seat, gentlemen," she said.
Anakin and Rex sat down.
"Welcome," Naaviva said. "Shall we begin?"
Later that evening
"How did the meeting go?"Obi-Wan asked Anakin over supper.
"Very well," Anakin replied. "Looks like the people of this planet are ready to be united."
Obi-Wan smiled. "How exciting," he said. "Quite an historic day, wouldn't you say?"
Anakin nodded. "Yes. Wait a minute...isn't tomorrow Empire Day?"
Obi-Wan nodded as he sipped at his tea. "It used to be," he said.
"Damn it!" Anakin said, and sprang from his chair. Obi-Wan frowned, not understanding for a moment. And then it hit him. Tomorrow is Luke and Leia's birthday, he thought. "Oh no," he said softly. Hurry, Anakin.