Sorry for the long delay!
Chapter 22
"... Breaking News: Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was previously sentenced to several years in prison, escaped from prison tonight. Previously, he had already become conspicuous by aggressive behavior towards the guards..."
Padme put aside the datapad she had been working on earlier and stared in disbelief at the large screen that showed the news.
A blurry camera shot was visible. It was the video from the prison that Master Koon had already shown her as well. Obi-Wan was fighting - or rather defending himself - with the guards. The video stopped before one could see how the guards had beaten up the Jedi shortly after.
"...It seems this man is but a shadow of his former self," the reporter continued speaking in a voice that barely hid her disgust, "Dear citizens of Coruscant, watch yourselves! If you see this man, inform the authorities immediately and get to safety! Hey. Is. Dangerous!"
Clenching her fists, Padme eyed the image of Obi-Wan which was then shown. It was not a favorable photo. The Jedi looked grimly with bloodshot eyes in the direction of the camera, as far as one could call it like that, since he had not been able to see it at all. There were bruises on his head, standing out harshly against the red of his scar. He looked sick. His hair was disheveled and his skin was pale as a sheet, covered with a thin layer of sweat.
All of this reeked of a massive lie. The media branded him like a criminal - a lunatic.
She had to find out what had happened.
Padme grabbed her robe and made her way to the prison. The imposing complex was brightly lit with spotlights even at this late hour and one could already suspect that the entire guard was on heightened alert. Many patrols crossed her path and in the distance she could spot several ships with searchlights.
They really try everything to cover up the truth. She was firmly convinced of that.
Quickly she approached the entrance gate, where a group of soldiers was already waiting for her.
One of the men stopped her before she could even approach. "Stop right there!" he ordered firmly.
Padme took a step back and gently raised her hands. "Alright, no need to overreact," she said softly, "I'm here because I want to visit someone."
The soldier eyed her through the black visor of his helmet, before visibly relaxing. "I'm sorry, Senator Amidala. But at the moment we are not allowed to allow anyone into the prison...I think you were able to follow up on the jailbreak thing."
She tapped her head curtly in response. "Of course, I understand," she said, "But calls are still possible?"
„Of course, senator."
„Thank you." With that she quickly withdrew, making her way back to her apartment. Padme already knew who she needed to talk to.
She sat down on the couch and set up her commlink for her upcoming call. When she was ready she sat back for a second and took a deep breath. She hadn't forgiven Anakin for what he had done – and she was still angry. But she had no space for anger now. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
Anakin would need to call her. But somehow she had the suspicion that he might already be working on that. Force-related stuff she never understood completely.
Indeed the commlink started beeping after a second. Hesitantly she activated the device.
„Hello?", she asked tentatively.
There was a moment of silence before she got an answer.
„Padme… ehm, it's me, Anakin."
She hesitated shortly. „… Hello, Anakin."
Anakin shifted on the other end of the line. „I… I know that you are still angry at me…," he stopped and she waited patiently, „Force, I will never be able to forgive myself either… and I won't even try to beg for your forgiveness… I don't deserve that…"
Padme heard enough. „Quit with your self-loathing, Anakin," she said harshly, „I know why you are calling, so tell me what you know."
He seemed to be taken aback by her words. „"I… o- okay," Padme couldn't remember every hearing her husband stutter, „I'm worried about Obi-Wan…"
He continued with a whisper. „… I don't exactly know what happened but whatever they are showing in the news is not correct," he searched for words since he probably couldn't speak openly, „ He was there, Padme… and he was threatening first me and then assumably Obi-Wan."
It didn't take her long to understand who he meant. „Who can I trust?"
„Don't ask anyone of us. I think he has eyes and ears everywhere."
Anakin was talking cryptically but she still managed to keep track of what he was trying to tell her. „Okay…," she breathed, „I see what I can do."
„Thank you," replied Anakin, „… I trust you."
Before she could say more, the line disconnected. Padme was left with her stomach churning and an overall uneasy feeling.
The chancellor. Somehow she had always known that the man was dangerous but hearing it now from Anakin – it made her afraid. Even though he had tried to hide it, she heard the terror in his voice.
He asked her not to involve the jedi. Who should she then turn to?
Padme dropped her head into her hands and raked her fingers through her hair. There weren't many people outside the Order that Anakin – and especially Obi-Wan- knew very well and trusted.
First she thought about asking Bail for help but he was too close to politics – too close to Palpatine.
So who else would be willing to go these lengths for Obi-Wan?
Only one person came to her mind. Padme didn't knew him personally but she heard enough stories to be sure that he had his heart in the right place. And more importantly – he was a dear friend of Obi-Wan's.
Padme quickly changed into some civilian clothes and ordered 3PO to cover for her absence. Night fell slowly over Coruscant and shrouded the skyscrapers in a dim light. She pulled the hood of her robe deeper into her face and mingled with the crowds. Obi-Wan's face was visible on many of the display panels, along with the horrendous announcement. Padme felt the need to destroy every one of those screens.
The further she descended into the lower levels, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. The only light down here came from the large neon signs and the lights that shone out of the stores. Figures loitered at every corner, some keenly observing the people passing by, others completely preoccupied with themselves.
Forcing herself to move on, she soon spied her destination. The restaurant was located on a comparatively spacious square and shone out to her in bright colors. Inside the restaurant there was still a bustle of activity when Padme entered.
A blonde waitress and a droid were busy trying to keep up with all the orders.
Padme took a seat at the edge of the bar, almost in the corner of the diner, and waited. She continued to keep the hood on her head to remain undetected.
It didn't take long for the waitress to step up to her. "Hi, what can I get you?" she asked a little stressed, playing with the stylus of her datapad.
"I'd like to talk to your boss."
Her expression soured. „Do you want to complain? You can tell me what you have to say."
Padme sighed. „No, I don't want to complain. I have a personal matter, which is why I need to speak with him urgently."
She became no less suspicious. "And who are you if I may ask, darling?"
Turning her head so that the waitress could see her face, she looked resolutely at the woman. "I think you might recognize my face."
The blonde took a step back. "Senator...?" she caught herself in time and whispered, aghast, "...I- what are you doing here?"
Padme closed her eyes for a moment, then finally looked towards the kitchen. "Like I said... I need to talk to your boss. Please, it is really urgent."
Finally relenting, the woman disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, a huge Besalisk stepped behind the bar, wiping one set of hands on his apron. He let his eyes wander over his guests, before he stopped when he found her. With heavy steps he came over.
Bracing himself with his arms, he leaned over the counter. "I hear you're looking for me," he murmured.
Smart man. He knows better than to use my name.
"I'm here because I am concerned for a mutual friend," she supplied calmly, eyeing him from underneath the hood of her robe.
Dex held her gaze with equal steadiness. "Maybe we should continue this conversation in a more private place, then."
With that, he straightened up again and opened part of the counter so Padme could step behind it. It was surprising that none of the guests cared.
Padme followed Dex into the kitchen, where he stopped. "The diner closes in about an hour," he explained, "Then we can talk. If you like, you can wait upstairs in my apartment until then."
He gestured toward a staircase at the far end of the kitchen. "Thank you," she breathed with a nod and quickly climbed the stairs. The apartment she found looked quite cozy - at least for a man like Dex. Padme sat down on the couch, noticing the blanket and pillow lying on the side. It looked like he must have had a visitor.
The large window gave her a good view of Coruscant's nighttime activity - and not for the first time, she wondered if she could have prevented some things.
Padme rubbed her temples with her hands as a headache began to make itself known. She didn't even have an idea what she should actually ask Dex.
It wasn't like he could just leave his restaurant to go on a wild bantha chase with her.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice as time passed and Dex entered the apartment.
"I have an idea why you're here, Senator," he crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen counter, "But I want to hear it from you."
Exhaling, Padme collected herself. "It's Obi-Wan," she finally said, "I think you heard what happened last ... and I know that what they told you on the news is not the truth."
Dex scratched his chin and stepped over to the sofa. "Thought as much," he muttered, "But that still doesn't explain why you're here."
"I know that someone probably took Obi-Wan, and that the Chancellor is involved in some way in this whole story," she paused and looked him in the eye, "And I need your help to find Obi-Wan."
"That's what I thought," he grumbled, taking a seat across from her, "Lately, many of Obi-Wan's friends have requested my help...just not him."
He looked genuinely concerned. "I've been worried about him for a long time, he is - he is not himself anymore."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"What I mean is," he paused, "That Obi-Wan shouldn't have to drown his worries with some cheap alcohol because he was so damn afraid to talk with anyone about them."
He fixed her gaze. "Do you know how many times I picked him up from some shady bar? How close he was to losing himself?"
Padme swallowed thickly. "I didn't know."
Dex huffed. "... I guess no one saw what your husband was doing to the people around him."
She squared her jaw. "It was not within my control what Anakin did," she ground out, "... I tried talking to him, but... his anger was unpredictable."
His amber eyes analyzed her for a moment more, before he evidently found what he was looking for. "So you want me to drop everything and go on a probably life-threatening mission with you?" he asked.
Padme was not deterred. "Yes," she replied confidently, "If we don't help Obi-Wan - no one will...he will die."
Dex stood up and stepped to the large window, arms folded behind his back. "You know-," he began, "you didn't even have to convince me."
He turned back to her. "My answer would never have been no."
I received an amazing artwork for chapter 4 of this story! But since fanfiction is quite strict about posting links in stories I sadly can't put the link here :( So check out the artwork on the instagram page of art_pris0n! The complete link you can also find in the latest chapter of Blinded on my AO3 account l_1Z4RD.
