Chapter 1: The Awakening

Darkness. Silence. Then, a slow, rhythmic beeping.

Padmé Amidala Skywalker gasped as light flooded her vision—but she saw nothing. Panic surged through her as her heart raced, each beat echoing the empty hollowness that had consumed her for what felt like eternity. She reached out with trembling fingers, desperate to grasp something, anything, but only cold, unfamiliar air met her touch. Her body convulsed as if she had been drowning, gasping for breath as the world around her felt unreal, distant. Her lungs burned, the air in her chest heavy and wrong.

Where am I? What happened?

Her mind scrambled for clarity, but all that came was the deafening weight of an unbearable silence.

Then came the voice. A voice so familiar, so cherished, that hearing it was like a lifeline cast in the ocean of her confusion.

"Padmé! Stay with me!"

The voice was urgent, desperate, but it anchored her in a way nothing else could. She didn't have to see to know who it was.

"Sabé...?" Padmé whispered, her throat raw, her voice thin.

Sabé's hands grasped her shoulders with firm but gentle pressure, steadying her as if she were a fragile thing. "Yes, it's me. We have to move. Now."

"What happened? Where am I?"

"Master Kenobi put you in carbon freezing after you gave birth. It was the only way to save your life. You were brought here to the Prism to keep you safe until you recovered, but the Empire discovered it and took control. I'm here to bust you out."

Padmé's heart twisted in a mixture of relief and dread. She tried to sit up, but her limbs felt like lead, uncooperative and weak. Her body seemed foreign to her. She could feel Sabé's hands steadying her trembling frame, but she couldn't understand why everything felt so wrong.

A series of beeps and whistles came from nearby. R2.

"Yes," Sabé confirmed, as though reading Padmé's thoughts. "Artoo helped find you. But we don't have much time."

Padmé tried to clear her mind, to remember the events before this moment. The last thing she could recall was a haze of fear—a desperate escape from Coruscant, Obi-Wan's kind but solemn presence, and the overwhelming dread that had choked her every waking moment. And then… nothing. Just darkness. Where is Anakin? Where are our children?

The emptiness swirled inside her, colder than the freezing silence around her. Anakin. She reached for him in the void, but there was no warmth in the Force, no connection. The bond between them, once so strong, had vanished. The thread of their bond trailing off into nothingness. She searched for it—his presence—but it was gone. Only an aching void remained, pulling her under, like the cold emptiness of space.

Anakin, where are you? The thought echoed, sharp and desperate. She remembered seeing him on Mustafar, but it wasn't him. She could not sense his thoughts and feelings, and she knew her Anakin would never hurt her. The Anakin she had seen on Mustafar was a cold, unfeeling monster. But where was he?

Her chest tightened with the sudden, crushing weight of loss.

"I... I can't see," Padmé murmured, her breath shallow as she tried to steady herself. The emptiness felt even deeper in the absence of his voice, of the warm rush of emotions that used to flood through her whenever they were close. Even by her friend's side, she felt alone in a way she hadn't ever experienced before.

Sabé cursed under her breath, pulling Padmé to her feet. "Carbon sickness. It should wear off, but we don't have time to wait." Sabé's voice softened, an anchor in the chaos. "Hold onto me. I'll guide you. You might not be able to see, but I know you can feel them. R2, show us the fastest route to the hangar."

Padmé's hands shook, but she gripped Sabé's arm. She had to move. She couldn't let herself be paralyzed by the emptiness that threatened to swallow her whole. She had to find Anakin, find her children, even if she had no idea where they were. She had to find them.

R2-D2 beeped in agreement, rolling ahead to project a holomap. The beeping was a small comfort—something familiar, something grounding in a world that no longer felt right.

Padmé inhaled sharply, reaching out with the Force. She could sense something—the space around her—but it wasn't as clear as before. It was fragmented, disjointed. The Force felt so... distant. There was no immediate pull, no familiar rhythm to her thoughts. She reached harder, but all she could feel were faint impressions, flickers of life in the distance. She could sense the pulse of people, of things, but not him. Not the beacon of light that was her husband. Her heart clenched, and a sharp pang of loss twisted through her chest.

The distant sound of boots echoed in the hallway ahead, signaling their enemies. Stormtroopers. They were closing in, and time was slipping away.

A klaxon blared through the facility. The rescue had been detected.

"Damn it!" Sabé swore, her voice tight. "We need to move!"

Padmé's heart pounded as the familiar hum of a blaster rang out. Instinctively, she reached for the weapon Sabé had placed in her hand. Her fingers wrapped around the cool metal, and before she could even consciously think about it, she fired. She didn't need to see to know where to shoot. She felt it—the shift in the Force, the intent of the trooper before the shot was even fired. The bolt struck its target with deadly precision.

"You're scarily good at this," Sabé muttered, sounding both impressed and relieved as another stormtrooper crumpled to the floor.

They sprinted through the corridors, the echo of their footsteps drowned out by the blaster fire that followed them, the sound of the alarm blaring in their ears. The stolen freighter was in sight—the ramp lowering, the ship's engines warming to life.

Almost there.

But as they neared the ship, a searing pain ripped through Sabé's shoulder. A blaster bolt struck her with a sickening thud, and she stumbled, barely managing to catch herself before collapsing.

"No! Hold on!" Padmé cried out, panic surging through her as she caught Sabé before she fell.

Sabé's breath came in ragged gasps, blood staining her tunic. "Get to the ship! R2... get her there!" Her words were sharp, urgent, but Padmé could hear the strain in her voice. Sabé was growing weaker by the second.

R2-D2 let out a series of beeps, rolling to Padmé's side and nudging her forward with a determination that made Padmé's heart ache with gratitude.

"Please stay with me, Sabé," Padmé whispered, her voice trembling as she half-carried, half-dragged Sabé up the ramp. The weight of her friend's injury felt like a physical weight on Padmé's chest, but she pushed it aside. They had to escape. They had to survive.

The freighter's engines roared to life, and as the ramp closed, the ship shot into hyperspace.

Sabé collapsed into the seat beside her, breath coming in shallow gasps.

"No, no, stay with me!" Padmé pressed her hands to Sabé's shoulder, her mind desperately reaching out with the Force to heal the wound, but the energy was so faint. She could feel it slipping away from her, like sand through her fingers.

Sabé's fingers curled around Padmé's wrist. "Listen to me..." she whispered, her voice weak but resolute. "Your children. Leia... she's on Alderaan. Luke... Tatooine. They're safe."

Padmé's breath hitched, a sob threatening to break free. Her children—the ones she had been forced to leave behind. They were alive. She could find them. But the relief was short-lived. The knowledge that they were safe did not dull the pain of everything else—of everything that she had lost, and the uncertainty that still loomed.

"I have to find them," Padmé whispered, tears blurring her vision.

Sabé smiled faintly, her hand slipping from Padmé's wrist. "You will."

And with those words, Sabé's breath stilled. Her eyes fluttered shut, and just like that, the woman who had fought beside her through so much was gone.

Padmé sat there, her body trembling, unable to hold back the sobs. She had never felt so alone. The bond she shared with Anakin was gone—she could feel it, a void that would never be filled. And now, Sabé was gone, too.

But there was still a spark. A small flame of hope that remained buried deep in her heart. Her children were alive. And she would find them.

And somehow, she would find Anakin, too.

Let me know how y'all are feeling about chapter 2. Hell idek if anyone will read this. I'll prolly post it anyway if I get the chance. Anyway peace out for now.