The air around Anakin felt charged as he worked on piloting it down for a landing. Normally, he was eager to return to Coruscant after a few days away from the capital planet, Tatooine still far from his favorite planet (though it got better every day. He was proud of Beru for all the help she provided, and he was doing a lot of effort on his own since he'd been voted into the Senate) but tonight was different. The air around the city had felt tense, prompting Anakin to be glad of his decision to fly a small, inconspicuous ship down to the planet. Somebody was after him, he just wasn't really sure why.
He felt a flash of something, a warning in the air to be careful and wary. He closed his eyes, trying to remember what Obi-Wan and Padmé had taught him years ago, and immediately turned the steering wheel, rolling out of the way of a projectile that had nearly caught his ship. That would've grounded it instantly. "Kriff."
He heard the beeping of his Astromech companion and security detail, yelling at him for his risky flying. "Come on Artoo, we're fine." More angry beeps. "I didn't get hit."
More beeps, this time sarcastic and irritated from Artoo. "If you're just going to try to yell at me, be useful and call Mom."
A holographic projection of his mother appeared moments later. "What is it Ani?"
"You're already landed, right?"
"Ani?"
"Mom please." He felt it again, the same disturbance, and this time swerved out of the way of the second attack.
Shmi Skywalker shook her head. "Of course we have, the last person on the cruiser just disembarked. Is something wrong?"
Well, if he was honest, he wanted to say everything was wrong. But he wasn't about to worry her, plus it wasn't like he didn't have things under control in regards to whoever was firing at him. "I think somebody let slip that I wasn't flying in with the rest of the delegation from Tatooine. I've got the situation under control and I have Artoo with me, so I'm fine. We'll still be landing soon."
"You ask me not to be worried, but it's never easy."
Anakin chuckled. "I promise I'm fine mom. Leave the worrying to Threepio. He's always been better at it. Just make sure to clear the landing platform. If this goes wrong I don't want our friend hurting anybody else." Before she could respond, he hung up, not wanting to worry his mom more in case another attack came. "Ready Artoo? Time to make a landing."
He was pretty sure R2 was ready to kill him by the time they finally touched down on the platform as he approached rapidly, wanting to avoid a third fire from their mysterious and very murderous new friend. In fact, he wanted to make sure he wasn't in the ship at all as the bad energy continued to flow around him. "Artoo, let's go."
The droid and Anakin emerged from the ship, Anakin pulling up a hood on his cloak to hopefully avoid detection from whatever assassin has his trail. Barely a minute after he was off the ship and approaching the entrance to the building, he was pushed forward, scarcely out of the blast radius with his faithful droid. And he looked behind himself to see the small ship that he had arrived on was absolutely destroyed. "Message received."
Somebody didn't want him on Coruscant.
They'd regret trying to get him to leave.
"Peace is our objective here, not war." Palpatine's voice pulled Anakin out of the stupor he'd fallen into as the senator from Malastare concluded his request for aid from the Republic to deal with the Separatist threat coming onto the planet. If he was honest, had the senator not been pushing for the Military Creation Act, Anakin might have felt sympathy, but the creation of an army was not an action Anakin would ever defend. Not one founded on individuals forced to join an army.
He felt his mom squeeze his hand, though she stepped back before he moved the pod out, not wanting the attention on her, but rather on everything Anakin would say. "My fellow senators, when I arrived on Coruscant today to come to this very meeting, an assassin made an attempt on my life. I was fired at three times, and while my skills behind the wheel of a ship saved my life today, had the assassin only been slightly quicker on the uptake when I landed, it's likely I wouldn't have made it off the ship alive at all."
The crowds started to talk amongst themselves, a sign to Anakin that he needed to push. "The reason I was targeted today was because of the bill we're supposed to be voting on today. Of all the senators against the creation of the creation of an army, I've been the loudest, most open about my displeasure, and the one who everybody knows is willing to do anything to get the results I want. Somebody here wants to take that a step further, just to make sure that the bill gets through." He looked over the other pods, and felt Bail's approval much to his relief. The speech hadn't been gone over or discussed with his former mentor, and Anakin had been slightly worried that bringing it up in the Senate would be unwelcome, but it seemed to have been a good idea, even if no prior words had been drafted.
Despite the approval from Bail, the Senate was getting tense, and shouting was beginning. "Ani-" His mom put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. He had to make his statement clear to the others.
"You're all booing me, and for what? This whole idea is a joke. You don't raise an army for protection. You raise an army if you want to start a war. It won't deter the Separatists. It will embolden them, and then the fighting will be brought right to our planets. Our systems. Our people. You have to stop living in your delusions." He slammed his fist on the pod in front of him. Not his best move, but far from his worst in the Senate. "People will die. Civilians drafted for combat will die. The people you force to fight this battle will be nothing but slaves."
He had people's attention, and their ire judging by the ever increasing yelling from the other pods. Which was good, it was what he wanted from the other senators. He wanted them to remember his words. "This ‘security measure,'" he said the words full of disdain, "that we're all voting for is nothing short of a declaration of war on the Separatists, and unless you want to claim that you were the one who brought war to the Republic, you'll vote with me against this bill."
The outrage in the Senate was tremendous, but Anakin smirked, having done his job at riling up the chambers. Voices rang against each other as Mas Amedda called for order within the Senate to try to regain a semblance of control amongst the Senators.
After a few minutes, the Senate calmed down, and Palpatine spoke. "Due to the lateness of the hour and the seriousness of this motion, we will take up these matters tomorrow. Until then, the Senate is adjourned."
Within an hour, the Loyalist Committee was summoned to the Chancellor's office. Not a surprise, if Anakin was honest. He'd stirred up a storm in the Senate and even if Palpatine wasn't mad at him (unlikely) the announcement that he'd nearly been a victim to an assassination attempt less than an hour ago was likely not welcome for him to hear, especially since Palpatine had been trying to get Anakin's favor since he'd arrived on Coruscant five years prior.
Much more surprising to Anakin, was the presence of several Jedi in his office. Council members, if he recalled the faces correctly. He looked them over for Obi-Wan or Padmé in their midst, and quickly squashed down his disappointment at neither of his friends being present. "Senator Skywalker." He looked down to see Yoda walking over. "Your tragedy on the landing platform, terrible. Seeing you alive brings warm feelings to my heart."
"Thank you, Master Yoda. I'm just thankful I'd chosen to fly myself into Coruscant. The loss of life had I been on a transport with the rest of the members of my delegation would have been much greater." Admittedly, a small part of Anakin still stung with resentment over the fact that Yoda refused to accept him into the Jedi Order, but he had mostly put it behind him. "Do you have any idea who may have sent the assassin?"
Windu approached as well, joining the conversation. "Our intelligence network thinks it may have been remnants from Jabba's gang seeking revenge against you from when you overthrew them and brought Tatooine into the Republic."
Anakin shook his head. "I think you're wrong, Master Jedi." He watched Windu raise an eyebrow and took it as a sign to continue. "I think the Separatists are behind these attacks."
The room was silent, as though they were processing what Anakin had said. He didn't blame them. Accusing the Separatists of wanting to kill the single person who was actively against the formation of a military against them wasn't logical. But every part of Anakin just knew it was right.
"You mean to imply Count Dooku?" Windu asked, clearly skeptical of Anakin's accusation.
"Not one hundred percent, but nobody else in his Confederacy would have the means or motive." He thought of Senator Bonterri for a moment. Onderon was a member of the Separatist movement, but she was certainly unlikely to try to level an attack on him given how closely they had worked when he'd been a teenager running around the Senate floor. He had little doubt the other senators who had left would be similar. Almost no other member of their group would have an interest in killing him if his hunch was correct.
"Count Dooku is a political idealist, not a murderer." Master Mundi corrected Anakin, but he said nothing, letting the Jedi have their say.
"He was also once a Jedi, Senator. He couldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his character."
"Once." Anakin frowned at Windu's defense. "As in he's not a Jedi any longer. There's no reason to believe he would still hold to Jedi beliefs, and even then, I'm not arguing that he's the killer, only that he hired one out."
Before Windu could respond, Yoda spoke up. "Matters not, the killer's identity does. For certain Senator in grave danger you are."
"Master Jedi." Palpatine looked away from the window he had been near to give a kind smile to Anakin, as though he truly wanted to protect him. "May I suggest the Senator be placed under the protection of your graces."
"You really think that's a wise decision under these stressful times." Bail spoke up, and he was right, the Jedi council didn't need to spare anymore Jedi from whatever peace keeping mission they were on.
"Chancellor, with all do respect, I don't need protecting, I can handle myself-"
"I'm sure you can, Senator." The Chancellor cut him off. "I know you are a great pilot, and have a lucky streak, but the situation right now is dire. I understand that you do not want the help of the Jedi, but perhaps you might be willing to accept the extra security if it were Jedi you were familiar with. Perhaps an old friend like Master Kenobi, or Knight Naberrie."
Anakin clenched his hands into fists, feeling his nails dig into the palms of his hand. He desperately wanted to see Obi-Wan and Padmé again, that much was true, but having his friendship with them used as a weapon against him soured his mood for a possible reunion, which further sank as Windu revealed that the two had just returned from a border dispute.
"Please, Anakin. You know how much I've desired to look out for you since you asked for our help. Allow me to arrange this one thing for you, my boy." There was nothing more he could do with Palpatine's plea like that, and while Anakin was sure there was some ulterior motive to what was going on, he had his hands tied.
With nothing else he could do, Anakin turned to face Windu. "Tell Obi-Wan and Padmé I'll be in my apartment, and that I look forward to seeing them again."
It wasn't until he left the office that he smiled as he realized just exactly who he was seeing again.
The elevator ride up to the senator's apartment couldn't be over sooner, in Padmé's opinion, yet if it never ended she would have been thrilled. She looked out the window, trying to ignore the impossibly bright presence at the top of the building as they got closer and closer to the top floor of the building.
"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan pulled her attention away from the window she was gazing out of, and onto the ride up. The truth was, she wasn't sure. The elevator ride up to the senator's apartment felt impossibly long as it came nearer to the top floor of the building. "You're not normally this nervous, my Padawan."
Padmé laughed and gave a smile, hoping to seem more at ease. "I'm not your Padawan anymore." She had recently completed her trials, which probably helped explain her nerves. It was the first mission the council had deemed to give her since she'd been knighted, a matter of pride to her and Obi-Wan, and it was expected for her to be a little nervous. Though the nature of the mission, and who they were protecting, were more the cause than her new promotion.
An assassination attempt had been made on the Senator of Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker, and so she and Obi-Wan, by request of both the Chancellor and the council, had been assigned guard duty to the young man. To make sure no other attempts were made on his life. It was a compromise, she was sure, but Anakin knew them best after all. It was only natural they'd be sent to help.
Obi-Wan smiled at her. "So I keep forgetting." It was clear he hadn't, he'd been there when she was knighted after all. "But I'm sure it doesn't make things less nerve-wracking, I remember my first mission after being knighted wasn't much easier."
She couldn't imagine it would have been, he'd had a Padawan following him for the entire mission after all. "It was probably harder, you had to watch out for me too."
"So I did, though I'm sure that's probably not all that's plaguing you." Obi-Wan indicated her to express her worries. "So what else is wrong?"
"Not wrong, not necessarily." At this, Padmé couldn't help but keep the smile off her face. "I'm worried about Senator Skywalker, of course, but I'm also excited to get the chance to see him. It's been too long since we've seen him." Five years had passed since their last trip to Tatooine, and Padmé still remembered the young fourteen year old.
"That it has. Hopefully Anakin's been taking care of himself." They knew he had to have been, to some degree. He was a senator right now, and one didn't become a senator overnight with no hard work involved.
"I'm sure." She smiled. The elevator opened up, and Padmé and Obi-Wan walked into the apartment, watching the senator's advisors and Anakin himself discussing what they would need to do for the next meeting of the Senate.
It wasn't long before they were noticed. "Padmé, Obi-Wan." Before Anakin could even greet them, Shmi had come over, giving both Padmé and her Master a hug. "It's good to see you."
"Good to see you as well, Shmi." Obi-Wan bowed to the woman after being released from the quick hug. Padmé hugged the woman back, happy to see her again as well. She was a compassionate woman, and Padmé couldn't deny a bit of excitement at seeing her alongside her son. "How has retirement from the Senate been serving you."
"I'm glad I'm not in it right now. The stress Ani has to deal with to stop this bill..." Shmi gave them a tired smile. Admittedly, Padmé hadn't been able to follow Coruscant's politics with her preparation for the trials, so for once she had little idea what Shmi was talking about. "You'll protect him, right?"
"We'll do our best." Padmé gave the woman a smile. That was what they were here for.
"Mom, what are you-" From the kitchen, Anakin's voice stopped as he looked at the two Jedi, a smile forming on his face. Padmé couldn't stop one from forming on hers as well.
In the five years since they had last seen each other, Anakin had grown up from the gangly young teen into an adult. His blond hair had grown longer, but darker, likely due to him having spent less time under the twin suns on Tatooine. He'd also grown considerably more attractive, and Padmé felt her face warm up several degrees. She tried not to think about it. "Ani?"
"Hello Knight Naberrie," so he knew she was no longer a Padawan, "Obi-Wan. It's nice to see you both. I'm surprised you two didn't try to stop by sooner."
"We've been off world on missions, with the Separatist unrest stirring, it's been difficult to find a moment of rest for any Jedi." Obi-Wan gave an exhausted smile to Anakin. "Not to mention, Padmé had to study for her trials."
"I heard." Anakin smirked. "I've been keeping an ear in the Jedi Temple's business to see what I could hear about you two." That surprised Padmé, at least a little bit. She knew they had parted as friends, but she hadn't expected he'd be able to keep tabs on them. "Congrats, Padmé. I knew you'd be able to do it. I'm sure you'll make a fine Jedi."
"Thank you, Anakin." She was flattered for sure. "I only with you could share this moment with me. I know how much you wanted to be a Jedi too." The little slave boy from Tatooine who'd been so eager to learn how to use a lightsaber when she'd shown him hers as an initiate was a far cry from the man sitting in front of her now.
"It's the past." He waved her off, though she detected a small wave of irritation in the Force at the reminder. "Besides, I can do just as much good for the world without one. That's why I'm a Senator now." He indicated for the two of them to follow him to another room. "Mom, can you discuss the plan for dealing with the Military Creation Act? I need to discuss security with Padmé and Obi-Wan."
"Of course." Shmi nodded, her voice turning slightly more serious. The reminder of why they had reunited was a slight damper on the mood. It should have been under much better circumstances. All of them agreed on that. "I'll keep everybody occupied." She returned to the Tatooine senatorial delegation as Anakin entered into the kitchen, grabbing a seat with the Force for Padmé and Obi-Wan to sit down on.
"Somebody's still been practicing." Obi-Wan noted, watching as Anakin looked away.
"I didn't want the training you both gave me to go to waste. I try not to use it around others. You both warned me to keep it a secret for a reason, after all." Anakin's position likely meant the Force wasn't useful for much, but Padmé didn't blame him for keeping up with it. She likely would've done the same in his position. "Which means I think we can rule out the whole extremely powerful Force sensitive thing as the reason I'm being targeted, though I'm pretty sure it's the only reason I've survived so far."
"I agree." Obi-Wan nodded. "Not that we're here to help you solve the mystery of whoever's trying to kill you. We're merely here to serve as your protection."
Anakin frowned. "What do you mean you're not here to help me figure it out. That's the most important thing. Bail and I both agreed I need to be there to help deal with the Military Creation Act. I can't do that if I'm being hunted down by assassins."
"It's not our mandate." Padmé explained, almost feeling bad for Anakin as she felt a wave of irritation come from him in the Force. "The Jedi Council didn't assign us to solve the mystery of the attempts, just to guard you from them until they stop."
"And? That doesn't help any of us." Anakin wasn't wrong with that sentiment. "If you're here, you can't help deal with the Separatists and try to pacify them like the Jedi are supposed to do, and so long as I'm under threat I'm not supposed to be making anymore public appearances."
"Anakin-"
"No Obi-Wan, I'm not going to pretend that you should ‘just' be protecting me." Anakin crossed his arms in irritation, clearly unhappy with Obi-Wan's attempt at an argument. "A part of protecting me is stopping who's doing this. My bodyguards and Force sensitivity would've been enough if that wasn't the case."
Neither Jedi knew what to say to argue against that, because technically, Anakin wasn't wrong. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. "We understand Anakin, we'll do our best, we just can't go out of the way to find them." Padmé smiled, trying to placate the senator. It seemed to work, as the moment she gave the explanation, he seemed to calm down just a bit. "But if we learn anything while serving as part of your security, we'll make sure to look into it."
Anakin smiled. "Right, I knew I could count on you guys. So, shall we discuss plans for my protection? I have an idea."
"An idea? I'm not sure I want to know given how infamous some of your ideas are." Despite having not run into him in their visits to the Senate, both Padmé and Obi-Wan knew of just some of the insanity Anakin was known to get into. The borderline fights with other Senators just to prove that he was right and that they should follow his ideas and policies. Still, Obi-Wan indicated for Anakin to continue. "But I'm willing to hear them out."
"Use me as bait."
"Use you as what?" Padmé stared at Anakin as though she couldn't believe what the Senator was saying.
"It's the best way to lure out my assassin. If he thinks my defenses have minimally increased, then he'll attack again. The Force can give me warnings, but if not then you two can sense what's going on too and keep me safe." Anakin leaned back in his chair. Padmé had to admit, the idea had merit. If they lured them out, at minimum they could kill whoever was targeting him, or perhaps even learn why. Either way, it was an idea that held promise.
"Absolutely not." Obi-Wan crossed his arms, denying the idea before Padmé could voice her opinion on it. "Anakin you can't play with your life like that. You're far too important." He didn't object, merely listened and looked to Padmé, waiting for her answer.
"Obi-Wan is right." In spite of the fact that she wanted to solve the mystery for Anakin, she knew her Master was right. "Your life is the first priority here Senator. We can't leave your life to chance."
Anakin sighed, relenting far too quickly on the matter. "Right then, if you're both decided, Padmé, would you mind coming with me. I'd like to discuss some extra security details with you. Alone." Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain. So Anakin did. "I want her watching the security feeds."
"Anakin are you sure?" She saw why Obi-Wan was unsure, she was unsure herself why the Senator felt more comfortable with her watching him sleep over Obi-Wan.
"I trust Knight Naberrie with the task. She'll be faster to alert the team, she's not as old as you." There was a teasing note to Anakin's voice, and Padmé started to laugh as she watched her master start sputtering, clearly taken off guard.
"I'm not that old."
"Aren't you pushing thirty-five, Master?" Padmé smiled, joining Anakin on his teasing. "That's old in my books."
"Yours aren't the only ones that matter, my Padawan." Obi-Wan sighed. "I can see when I'm not wanted. I'll discuss with the rest of your team about where they think I might be of most use."
"Thank you, Obi-Wan." Anakin watched the Jedi Knight walk out of the room. "Padmé, if you'll follow me." He led the way, leading her into a room with dozens of monitors and a single blue Astromech droid, plugged into the main console to watch the feed.
"Artoo?" Padmé looked at the droid in surprise. "Artoo's on your security team?" She remembered the eccentric droid. He'd stayed behind back when Padmé and Obi-Wan had returned to Tatooine to inform Anakin that they wouldn't be training him, but she still couldn't imagine him doing so much for him.
"I trust Artoo to keep an eye on any intruders, he's pretty good at keeping an eye on everything." He put his hand on the Astromech's dome with a smile, and the droid let out a series of beeps in return. But if R2D2 was going to be keeping an eye on everything, then...
"Anakin, why did you want me here if you have Artoo covering security?" She wasn't necessary for the job. The droid would be able to activate the system instantly so long as he was watching.
"Because, I know you don't agree with Obi-Wan's or the council's mandate just to stay here and guard me." Anakin looked to her, waiting for her to deny what he said. When she didn't, he continued. "You want to get down to the bottom of this just as much as I do."
"Of course I do, but Ani, I can't just go around the command I'm supposed to follow by putting you in more danger." He was right, she wanted to investigate and put an end to the threat, but not by putting him at risk.
Anakin laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm not the little kid from Tatooine anymore. Artoo here will alert you the moment something goes wrong, and between the three of us we should have enough Force powers to recognize when something's going to go wrong."
It took Padmé a lot of effort to respond. "What if we don't?"
"If I die, then we can use it as proof that people are targeting senators opposing the Military Creation Act. Maybe then the Senate will listen to people saying it's a bad idea." Was that the bill Anakin was working so hard against?
"Anakin, your life isn't something you can just throw away like that." She needed him to see reason.
"This bill is wrong. If it takes my life to stop it, then it's a life I'm willing to give. I'm willing to die to stop something I don't believe in."
"You're that against creating a military?" That was...unlike Anakin, to say the least. He wasn't afraid of conflict, at least with what she'd seen. He was the one who freed all the slaves on Tatooine when he was still so young. She wasn't for the creation of one, of course, but it surprised her to hear that he wasn't either.
"Don't get me wrong, a lot of times a fight is the easiest way to handle things, but it's not that simple, not this time." Anakin pulled his data pad, letting Padmé scroll through the files to see the data the Senators had gathered. "A war would take the attention off of what needs fixing in the galaxy, take funds from where they're needed, and most importantly, it won't cause the Separatists to fold back into the Republic. Not fast enough to make it worth forcing thousands of sentients to fight in a war they don't believe in."
Padmé smiled, it made all too much sense that the boy from Tatooine would be against an army formed by a draft. The way he'd thought out his position to come to the conclusion that violence wasn't the answer was a far cry from the boy he had been as well. "You really have grown up, haven't you?"
She noticed Anakin's cheeks turn red, as though he was embarrassed by her comment. "I have. I wanted to become somebody you'd be proud of. Y-you and my mom, of course."
Padmé smiled, and she noticed Anakin's face had turned redder. If she didn't know any better, she'd assume it was the same puppy crush he'd had on her all those years ago. She decided better than to dwell on that, instead returning to the topic at hand. "You have, but that doesn't mean I want you throwing your life away for a cause."
Anakin was snapped out of his embarrassed state. "I won't be. I trust you." He looked at her with the same intense, blue eyes that hadn't changed a bit, and she met his gaze. He believed in her, the least she could do was believe in him and his plan too.
"We'll do it." Padmé relented, and Anakin's face broke into a grin.
"Thank you, Padmé. I knew you'd help me."
What had she signed herself up for.
"You spent an awful lot of time with the Senator." Padmé stepped out of the security room a couple hours later, having listened in on Anakin's plan as best as she could. "Was everything alright?"
"Anakin had...a lot of details to go over." She sat down next to him, hoping Obi-Wan wouldn't ask too much about just what those details entailed.
"I see...so what plan has he come up with this time." So she wouldn't be able to hide the change of plans from Obi-Wan. "I can't imagine it was more dangerous than his last one."
"It's...slightly better." She grimaced at the hesitation in her words, but it was true. Slightly better really was the only way to describe it. "Anakin has Artoo serving as the one in charge of monitoring the cameras, we both figured it'd be a better idea than having somebody watching that the assassin could see."
"Artoo?" Obi-Wan stopped for a moment. "Is he really sure an Astromech, us, and a couple of his normal bodyguards will be enough to deter whoever's after him." She didn't answer, causing Obi-Wan to prod her again. "Padmé?"
"Anakin's insisting that we use him as bait," she admitted to her indulging the Senator in what was a terrible idea. "He wouldn't listen to me when I asked otherwise."
Obi-Wan sighed. "Of course he wouldn't, Anakin is far too impulsive and willing to take risks. I suppose judging by the way you're talking, you agree?"
"The best way to protect him is to ensure that the assassin can't return. We won't be able to get them to make another attempt if they know that the security around him is tighter. It solves the case faster, so we can help try to get peace with the Separatists." She took a deep breath, feeling slightly ill at ease, awaiting the reprimands from Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan, however, simply nodded. "Very well, though I'm disappointed in you for trying to work around our orders, I accept your judgement."
Wait, what? "Master?"
"Padmé, you're a Jedi Knight now. You should be making your own decisions by now, rather than relying on mine. Whether it's the right or wrong one, it's too late to do anything about it now. You have to stay firm in the belief that you chose right" He stood up, walking over to the window to check to see if anything was out of the ordinary. "We can only hope Anakin knows what he's doing."
"I think he does. Otherwise he wouldn't have asked us to do it." She watched Obi-Wan's behavior as he paced around, seemingly anxious. "Everything alright?"
"I'm not sure, something-" They both felt it from Anakin's room. Something different. Something wrong. "Padmé."
"Right!" She ran into the room, shortly after followed by Obi-Wan to see two worm like creatures and a probe droid. Without another thought, she sliced through the worms, unwilling to let them come close to harming the Senator.
"Obi-Wan, Padmé?" Anakin looked at the two of them. But before either of them could say anything, Obi-Wan took matters into his own hands, and jumped right out the window onto the droid just outside, likely the culprit in letting the worms into his room. "What the kriff?"
Padmé sighed. "You were right when you said they'd make another move tonight." She gave him a slightly embarrassed smile. "You wouldn't happen to have a speeder I can borrow, would you?"
"I've got something better."
Better, as it turned out, was Padmé clinging to the seat of a four person speeder as Anakin zoomed through the Coruscanti skies at a speed that had to have been downright illegal for your average person to be going at. "Anakin! I could've driven myself."
"Where's the fun in that?" Anakin gave her a smile, clearly in his element. Despite that, Padmé clung her hands onto the seat. "Besides, you need to keep up with Obi-Wan. I'm the better driver."
"You don't know that?"
"You didn't win a podrace when you were nine." Anakin swerved out of the way of an incoming speeder, keeping an eye on the droid above them and the dangling Obi-Wan. "Somebody fast has to keep up with the droid."
"Somebody safe could have kept up with it too." She wanted Anakin to stop for literally one minute, but she did know he was right. If they didn't keep up, Obi-Wan would fall a lot farther than even a Jedi using the Force could survive. Loathe as she was to admit it, Anakin's help was probably for the best. "Or somebody who doesn't have an assassin after him."
"I'll be fine. The assassin will be too busy running from Obi-Wan to attempt to take me out." Anakin positioned himself underneath Obi-Wan in preparation for the knight to fall. "So, when did Obi-Wan get such a reckless streak?"
"You're one to talk." Padmé huffed, but Anakin just laughed. After a moment, she answered. "Always. He follows the rules, but he's not afraid to take a risk or two if it gets what he needs. But only if it's his own life at stake." If Padmé had decided to jump out of a window attached to a droid, she'd be murdered as soon as she was back on the ground. But Obi-Wan could do it without so much of a reprimand.
She was going to have to lecture her Master on safety, that was for sure.
As though her concern had been enough to will the worst case scenario into existence, the droid Obi-Wan had been clinging to was shot at and destroyed, and he landed in the speeder's back seat. He sat up moments later. "Nice catch Pad--Anakin?"
"Hey Obi-Wan." Anakin waved to him, but didn't look back, thankfully keeping his eyes in front of him. "Hope you don't mind."
Obi-Wan gave Padmé a look, almost as though saying that she should have stopped this. To which she gave a helpless shrug. "Never mind, we'll discuss this later. After that speeder." He pointed to a green speeder ahead of them, likely where the shot that destroyed the droid had come from.
Anakin nodded, and if anything started to move faster, causing both Padmé and Obi-Wan to grip the seats beneath them. "Has anybody ever told you to learn how to fly properly."
"What's wrong with the way I fly?"
"It's not flying, it's suicide." But there was no room for arguing further as Anakin cut around a building, noting the green speeder moving almost constantly at the same speed as him, no matter how much he pushed the speeder.
As if in response, Anakin made a sharp right turn. "Anakin, what are you planning?" Padmé asked. "He's going that way."
"Short cut, don't worry." He grinned at Padmé, and she couldn't help but wonder just how often Anakin had raced around the streets of Coruscant since Tatooine got the seat on the Senate. How much chaos he had caused that had to be cleaned up. "I know what I'm doing..." She heard under his breath a mumbled "I think" as Anakin weaved in and out of the buildings, having a few close calls that she was pretty sure she and Obi-Wan would need therapy for before stopping just outside of an intersection.
"Short cut..." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, though was clearly relieved to not be moving for a moment. "We've lost the assassin."
Anakin had the humility to look embarrassed at least, even if it was clear to anybody with any skill in the Force that he wasn't bothered at all, but before he could say anything, the green speeder had plunged down, going into one of the lower levels of Coruscant's underbelly. "You were saying, Obi-Wan?"
"Anakin. We need to go after him!" Padmé pointed down, and Anakin flew down with them, angling towards the ground and pulling up to a club, several hundred floors lower than the apartment in which they had started their evening.
The two Jedi jumped out, holding their lightsabers in their hands in case they had to stop any more attacks. Anakin jumped out with them, and went to follow, but Padmé stopped him. "No, Anakin. The assassin's after you. You need to stay in the speeder."
"Wouldn't I be safer with my two Jedi protectors than alone?" If he'd hoped that would win them over, he was definitely mistaken.
"In a bar like this, doubtful." Obi-Wan frowned, clearly full of distaste for the location they'd need to enter. "It's more likely we'd be separated. At least here, we know where you are."
Obi-Wan's denial must have gotten through to him, because although Anakin had frowned, he didn't try anything, instead sitting in the driver's seat. "If they escape, I'll try to track them down. Good luck."
With Anakin, for now, deciding not to follow, Padmé and Obi-Wan slipped into the club. Obi-Wan went to the bar while she slipped in with the other patrons, closing her eyes as she attempted to feel for any presence out of place. Something that might have indicated the assassin that had attempted to kill Anakin. She remembered vaguely what they looked like. Feminine in form, and from what little she'd managed to sense their Force presence, they'd felt slippery. Not somebody she'd want to run into without a method to protect herself.
Her eyes opened. In the corner, edging towards the front door. She'd felt their presence. They had to have noticed Anakin. "Obi-Wan!" He looked up at her and nodded, and the two activated their lightsabers, letting the blue plasma beams ignite.
The assassin must have noticed them, for they bolted out the door. "Official Jedi Business, nothing to see here." Obi-Wan covered for them as they ran outside. Obi-Wan reached the assassin, knocking them to the floor before they could make another attack on Anakin, and Padmé fell in behind him.
"Let go of me!" The assassin attempted to fight them off, but Obi-Wan held her down, unwilling to let her up. "It was just a job."
Ah, a bounty hunter. Somebody must have really wanted Anakin dead if they were willing to pay off a bounty hunter to do it. "Do you have any idea who you were trying to kill?"
"Tatooine Senator. Look I'm serious, he was paying me, it's just business.."
Padmé and Obi-Wan shared a look. "What was his name?" Obi-Wan asked. Before the bounty hunter could answer, something flew through the air and hit them, causing the hunter to go slack, their face transforming into that of another, greener face. A species with the ability to shapeshift. Obi-Wan reached into their neck, pulling out a dart before turning to Padmé.
"Looks like we have another mystery to solve." Several, if Padmé could give her opinion based on the events that had just occurred.
Anakin wasn't going to like this.
"Track down this bounty hunter you must," Yoda said. After last night's chase, there had been no more threats on the Senator's life, thankfully, but that didn't change the fact that their assassin had been hired by another to take Anakin's life, leaving them with more questions than answers, and leading to Padmé and Obi-Wan standing before the council, waiting to hear more details on their mission.
"More importantly, find out who he's working for," Master Windu added, waiting to see what the two Jedi Knights would say.
Obi-Wan frowned. "What about Senator Skywalker? He'll still need protecting."
"Investigate the bounty hunter, only one of you will."
Master Windu took over moments later. "Padmé, while Obi-Wan is looking into who hired the bounty hunter, you'll escort the Senator back to his home planet on Tatooine. He'll be safer there. I trust you and Obi-Wan will be able to come up with a plan for this."
"An-Senator Skywalker," she corrected herself moments later. They may have been friends, but it didn't mean she could simply slip up like that, "won't be easy to convince to leave the capital. Not so long as the bill is still up for debate in the Senate."
"Until caught this killer is, our judgement he must respect." There was a finality to Yoda's words. There would be no debating with them.
"See if you can get Chancellor Palpatine to convince him otherwise. He was willing to listen to the Chancellor earlier when accepting your protection. Perhaps he'll be able to get Anakin to leave Coruscant for now." With Master Windu's words, she and Obi-Wan were dismissed.
Anakin was definitely not going to be happy to hear this.
"I will talk with Senator Skywalker. I know he is temperamental, even he won't be able to ignore an executive order if the need arises, not if he wishes to remain the senator for Tatooine." Palpatine smiled at Padmé as she stood next to him. Their shared planet of origin may have been the reason he'd reached out to her, but a mentorship had formed in its own way between her and the kindly old man, and she appreciated his presence.
Padmé bowed to him in respect. "Thank you, Your Excellency."
"None of that Padmé." Palpatine smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "We've been friends for far too long to need that. I'm much more interested in hearing how you're doing. I hear you've finally become a Jedi Knight."
"I have." She smiled back. "I'm sorry I hadn't told you sooner, Chancellor. I finished the trials and then Obi-Wan and I were immediately sent out to negotiate with the Separatists and protect Anakin." She'd known the life of a Jedi would be busy, but before all this started she and Obi-Wan had definitely had more time on Coruscant. So had the rest of the Jedi.
Palpatine simply gave a laugh and another kind smile for her. "It's not a concern, I understand things are busy for the Jedi right now, as they are for us all."
The chancellor's understanding was a relief to her, if she was honest. Though their shared heritage from Naboo had been the starting point for their bond as he told her stories of her home planet, their friendship had been invaluable, and she was worried he'd be offended by her inability to visit lately. "We are. I'm grateful that up until now they've let me stay with Obi-Wan. With things as tense as they are, I don't want to make a mistake that will throw us all into a war."
"Nonsense, my dear. You need not worry about the chances of that, you have all the skills you need to continue to succeed and flourish. You simply need to continue doing what the council asks of you, and have more confidence in your own abilities." Palpatine walked away from the window, prompting Padmé to follow him. "And after that, it won't be long until you've earned the title of Jedi Master, and a seat on the council yourself." She smiled. She knew it was simply a compliment and some advice, but the idea that she could be closer to her aspirations than she'd seemed was a nice thought.
"Thank you, Chancellor." She bowed her head, continuing to follow Palpatine out so she could pass on the message to Anakin.
"Don't thank me, my dear." Palpatine stopped for a moment. "I'm afraid I've left the hardest task, dealing with the Senator, right in your hands. But I trust you'll be able to handle him. He is a close friend of yours, after all."
Padmé sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Anakin packed the last of his senatorial outfits into a suitcase, ready for travel to Tatooine to continue serving as Anakin's bodyguard, as per council mandate. "This is unfair. I've spent weeks going over everything with Bail. Weeks. And I've had to sit and listen to the other senators go on about how important it is to have an army to go against the Separatists like I actually believed what they were saying." Just as she'd expected, he was unhappy, to say the least. Fuming might have been a better way to describe the Senator as he raced from one end of the room to the other.
"As opposed to doing what...?" Padmé asked, more than a little amused at the senator's irritation, but still wanting to know what he would've been doing instead of listening to the other senators. She knew Anakin could be slightly temperamental (another reason he had likely been denied admittance to the Jedi after he'd arrived with them on Coruscant) but watching him upset like this was a new experience for her.
It seemed her asking the question to try to get his mind off of all this seemed to simply irritate Anakin more, as he assumed she wasn't taking him seriously. (Which she wasn't, if she was honest. He was throwing a tantrum.) "I'm serious about not wanting to go back home. I need to be here to try to stop this bill. An army's not an answer, especially not a drafted one like we'd need if we went to war and-"
He stopped his rant as Padmé put a hand on his shoulder. "Anakin, Bail will take care of this. He's a good politician. Obi-Wan and I have worked with him before, and if he's helping you with this, I doubt he'd just let the bill pass when he's been fighting against it too. And your mom will be representing Tatooine. She'll make sure to represent you well." Shmi Skywalker was amazingly strong from the few times that Padmé had worked with her. Anakin's cause was in good hands.
"It's not easy to accept though." He looked up, as though hating to admit it. "I'm not used to having to sit on the side lines." It was why he had decided to organize and lead an entire slave rebellion when he was barely a teenager. It was why he was fighting so hard now.
"I know, but right now you're safest on the sidelines, and you can't just let your pride make you take unnecessary risks. I can't leave you to throw away your life like that." As stressful as his plan had been earlier, there had been at least some kind of reason for it, with a good chance of his survival. What Anakin was planning now would've been suicide with things in Corsuscant as they were. Deep down, he had to know that too.
He looked up at her and smiled, zipping up the suitcase and sitting down on it. "It's a good thing I have somebody as reliable as you serving as my bodyguard, then."
"Obi-Wan would be better at this, he's been a Knight longer." But Obi-Wan would be getting to the bottom of who was hiring a bounty hunter to take down Anakin. And it was a job that needed his talents a lot more than a guard mission.
"Obi-Wan may have been a knight longer, but I wouldn't want anybody else." Just like before, when he'd pulled her aside to talk to her about the security detail in more depth, Anakin's blue eyes met hers, and she found herself unable to look away. He was so...he had so much faith in her despite having only recently been knighted. So much trust she'd had yet to prove she deserved.
But despite that, there was something else in those eyes. A passion, born from the desert, a fight that only Anakin had in him. It drew her in in a way nothing else could, a passion that seemed like it was dedicated to nobody but her. Like she hung the stars in the sky. She didn't want to look away. It was a look like she was the only person that mattered in that moment.
He wanted her, and under the intensity of his gaze, it made it difficult to avoid wanting him just as much.
...she broke his gaze. That was ridiculous. She was a Jedi. She couldn't, not like that, not like what he wanted. "Please, don't look at me like that. It makes me uncomfortable."
Immediately, Anakin looked away. "Sorry." She appreciated the apology, giving him a smile in return.
"Finish packing. I'll check with Obi-Wan to see how we'll be making our travels." She needed to get away from him, at least for now. To get herself under control. He didn't seem to question it, instead nodding and standing out of the way.
"As soon as I'm done, I'll meet you outside." And with that, she was out of the apartment and back in the elevator, trying desperately not to think about what had just happened between them.
She started taking deep breaths, attempting to deal with the knots around her heart from how Anakin made her feel. He was attractive, she could acknowledge that much even as a Jedi. He was also sweet, and gave everything his all. He was caring and she still remembered how brave he was when he'd stood up to Jabba, just before...
No, she'd stopped thinking of that years ago. It was her past, her regret, not for her to think about now. She buried those memories of her second time on Tatooine, choosing instead to return to her current predicament. Anakin was a Senator, and he loved so wholly that there was no way she could even consider a potential relationship with him. He demanded love so completely that she would need to give him everything she was, something she would never be able to do as a Jedi. Rather than continue to think on it, even entertain the possibility of feeling something for him, she chose instead to release those feelings into the Force. The knots in her chest that had begun to form with Anakin's look unraveled, and as she stepped out of the elevator she was able to greet Obi-Wan with a smile.
"Done packing?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised at the appearance of just Padmé.
"I left Anakin to finish alone. He's definitely capable of handling things by himself." She smiled. As a Jedi, she didn't have many belongings to take with her, and she was honestly more useless than not helping Anakin prepare himself for his trip back to Tatooine anyways. "I figured I should get the full briefing."
"Very well." He pulled up a holo-projector after making sure nobody was watching and pulled up a large ship for Padmé to memorize the look of. "A refugee ship will be taking off in about three hours. You and the Anakin will join their numbers as though you're seeking shelter in Tatooine, in disguise. I'm sure the senator will have something in his wardrobe you can hide your Jedi robes under while on the trip."
Padmé looked over the plan. "And we'll take that to Tatooine?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Once you arrive, report in to the council. I'll be unable to do so because I'll be doing some investigations of my own. You'll be required to send in a report daily, but do not mention where on Tatooine you are. The less people who know where you and the senator are, the less likely somebody will be able to launch an attack."
"Understood." Padmé gave a salute and turned off the projection before turning to Obi-Wan. "You're sure this will work?"
"Not at all, but I get the feeling I'm the one with the more challenging mission. Tatooine will be twice as protective of their senator than anybody on Coruscant would be." Obi-Wan smiled a moment later. "I get the feeling that the person who will be the hardest to deal with will be Anakin anyways. You might have your hands full protecting him from himself, rather than more bounty hunters."
He...wasn't wrong, if Anakin's behavior the night before was anything to go by. She let out a small laugh "I'll make sure to keep the senator out of trouble."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Are you sure you'll be the one keeping me out of trouble?" Anakin appeared at the entry of the building, wearing a poncho over his traditional Tatooine outfit. "I'm pretty sure I had to help keep you safe when you first arrived."
"I was fourteen."
"I was nine." Padmé huffed at his response, which caused Anakin's teasing smile to just get bigger. "I'm assuming our chariot awaits, my lady?"
"I'll be with you in a second as your escort." She bowed to Obi-Wan, abandoning the conversation with Anakin for the time being. "May the Force be with you Obi-Wan."
"And with you." He bowed to Padmé, a sign of respect that brought a smile to her face. As she went to turn to lead Anakin away, Obi-Wan grabbed her wrist. "Be careful."
"I will be." She turned to Anakin after Obi-Wan let go, offering him her hand. "Well, Senator, shall we head to the ship?"
"At your command, Master Jedi." Anakin took her hand, and she led the way to their transport.
The shuttle transport to Tatooine was a lot more cramped than Padmé had expected, but she shouldn't have been surprised either. Anakin had mentioned as they were boarding that since being freed from Hutt control, the planet had become a hotspot for refugee activity, protecting them from anybody off planet who might hurt them.
Which left them in cramped spaces, making the most of the small amount of privacy they could find with their single astromech guard and having light and easy conversation.
"So, what's it like being a Jedi?" Anakin asked, having finished a tale of his highly exciting adventures in the Senate, dealing with those who were resistant to change. "I can't imagine there's a dull moment."
"Not with Obi-Wan as a master." Padmé smiled, thinking back to her Padawan days. "But I suppose I didn't help. I was probably a handful for him."
"You, a handful?" Anakin gave a surprised gasp, playing up his overdramatic nature. "I couldn't imagine that, you've always seemed to have everything under control. I would've thought you were the perfect Jedi."
"Unfortunately, although I did learn from one, I made my fair share of mistakes. Like the time I accidentally used my lightsaber to set Master Yoda's robes on fire." She watched as Anakin's face lit up at that information.
"How did you manage that?"
"Jedi secret." Padmé put her finger over her lips, not telling him anything more on it.
"Oh come on Padmé." He pushed for a few more minutes, but she refused to budge. Telling about it happening was one thing, explaining just how she managed to do it was absolutely another. "Okay fine, if you won't tell me that, at least tell me some things about the Jedi."
"I thought you weren't interested in being one anymore." He'd said so much last night at least.
"Maybe not in being a Jedi, but I do want to know more about the world you and Obi-Wan live in." Padmé searched for signs of deception in him, but he was surprisingly being earnest. "I know it's been a while before circumstances forced us to talk again, but I do think of both of you as some of my closest friends. You can't blame me for wanting to know more."
Padmé couldn't, if she was honest. "So long as it's not one of our Jedi secrets, I can answer."
Anakin gave a grin, happy to have gotten some confirmation on getting answers. "What's life like at the temple then?"
Padmé remained silent for a moment. It had been a while since she'd just spent a decent amount of time there. After thinking on it for a minute or two, she answered, "Peaceful. It's a lot like coming home to get to go there. I used to spend a lot of time learning lessons from Obi-Wan, but lately I've been trying to get to know the younglings. I've been thinking of asking for a Padawan, and it wouldn't hurt to get to know them now."
"Planning on teaching another kid how to be a perfect Jedi like Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked. At first she'd thought he was teasing, and refused to answer. "I'm serious, I'm surprised you want a Padawan. I think I'd hate having to teach one."
That was...oh. "It's rewarding. When you get a Padawan, it's like getting to add another member to your family. A sibling or a kid. It's also the only way you can become a master, and get on the Jedi Council." Admittedly, having a seat on the council hadn't always been her dream, but Palpatine had told her that she'd make an excellent Jedi Master if she set her mind to it, and the idea had stuck out in her head ever since as something to aspire to be.
Anakin seemed to latch onto the family bit however, looking at her with confusion. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to have family or love like that?"
An unfortunate misconception. Anakin should have learned based on watching her and Obi-Wan interact, but it wasn't something he internalized. "We love differently. The people we love can never be more important than the galaxy, but we're allowed to love. Obi-Wan's my brother, and Master Qui-Gon was practically his father."
Anakin remained silent after that for a moment, as though taking in what she had said. "Does that include romantic love?"
"It's allowed, but we can't settle down with anybody. Not if we want to stay in the Order." It hadn't bothered her, if she was honest. She knew if she found somebody, they'd understand that. They'd let her go.
Anakin frowned, trying to reconcile that with the information he had. "Because if you have that kind of bond, it'd mean you'd put them before the galaxy, right?" Padmé nodded. "I couldn't imagine living like that. There's very few things I'd put above my mom."
Above his mom? "Like what?" Padmé asked, her face leaning into her hand as she looked at the Senator, who had chosen to lay down on one of the benches.
"You." Anakin's answer was simple, and Padmé swallowed, once more a little uncomfortable as the feelings she'd tried to bury just hours earlier started swimming to the surface. She waited for him to add on.
"Anakin, I'm flattered really, but-"
"Padmé, you're the one who forced Obi-Wan to come back to Tatooine when he couldn't take me as a Padawan." Oh this wasn't about anything like that. "If it wasn't for you, my mom would still be held by Watto, and there'd probably still be slavery on Tatooine. It's a life debt I can't repay."
Subconsciously, Padmé found her free hand had grabbed one of Anakin's, and at that moment, she didn't care about appearances, or anything else. "I didn't realize I meant that much to you."
"You always will." Whether it was platonic or romantic, Padmé wasn't quite sure what Anakin's intent was. Before she could ask, he changed the subject. "So what was that about burning Master Yoda's Jedi Robes?"
"Anakin!"
As they disembarked from the ship, Anakin offered his hand, allowing for Padmé to take it as she left the ship, smiling at him. It had only been a few years since she'd arrived last on Tatooine, but in spite of that, the desert planet had a different, less oppressive feel to it. The two suns still beat down on the harsh sand, but it felt cleaner in the hanger, less dangerous.
"Come on." Anakin turned to Padmé. "I have one stop for work, then afterwards we can focus on lying low."
It took Padmé a moment to process what he said. "Anakin what?"
"My step brother's girlfriend will have a comm I can use to reach my mom. If nothing else, she should know we got here safely." Padmé hesitated at that for a moment, but realized she had to relent. Making Shmi worry for the sake of Anakin's safety did seem wrong.
"Wait a second, step brother?" Since when did Anakin have any other family?
"My mom married a moisture farmer a few years ago. They live in Anchorhead now with her when she's on planet. He had a son, Owen, who has a girlfriend." Seems like things had changed a lot since Padmé had last been on Tatooine. "Beru's nice. She was very involved in helping get slaves away from their owners and removing their chips. She helped remove my mom's."
Right, that made sense. Padmé struggled to determine if there was any occasion where she might have met the girl. "And that's all you're going for?"
"I might also be hoping to check in on the Military Creation Act," he admitted, albeit with some reluctance.
"Anakin!"
"I'm not going to be there to do anything bad, just give her some thoughts I've had that she can pass onto my mom."
Padmé sighed. "You're determined."
"I have to be." Anakin smiled, although it was clear it wasn't easy for him to admit. "Somebody has to make this galaxy a better place, so slavery doesn't slip through the cracks again on another planet. If I don't stand up for people, who will."
"Is that why your people were so eager to have you take over for your mom as Senator once you turned eighteen?" Anakin looked at her, more than a little confused. "I kept my eye out for you on the holonews and the holonet."
His face lit up at that, like he hadn't expected it. "They wanted me to take up the seat sooner, it's why I did so much in the Senate. But my mom insisted that I was too young and they could take her if they wanted a Skywalker in office."
"And so you can't let them down." She saw where this was going, and smiled.
"Not if I want to keep the faith of everybody on Tatooine." Anakin pulled her away, leading her into one of the newer buildings of Mos Espa, or at least one that had recently been cleaned up, judging by the significantly cleaner buildings.
As they stepped inside, it was clear to see just how busy Anakin's team was with getting everything working. Each of the desks held a different resident of Tatooine, with refugees and others scattered around in a panic. Sentients of a million different species seemed to scatter about from place to place, and the building was a madhouse of people. Anakin led her right through the lobby and up to the second floor, opening it up to a wide, less chaotic office with a young blonde girl doing some paperwork. She looked up at the door in surprise. "Anakin?"
"Hey Beru." He waved and fell back in surprise as the girl gave him a hug, one he quickly returned.
"I didn't expect you to come back so soon to Tatooine." She smiled before turning towards Padmé. "Who's this?"
"This is Jedi Knight Padmé Naberrie, the Jedi who helped free my mom." Anakin introduced her. "She's serving as my protector until the threat on my life has passed."
Before Padmé could say anything more, she found herself also pulled into a hug. "Thank you, for helping free Shmi, and helping keep Anakin safe. I don't know what any of us would do if it wasn't for you."
Padmé smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad Ani managed to find people like you to be a part of his family."
"Family that includes you now, too." Having addressed the Jedi protector, who was surprised at the inclusion in Anakin's family so easily, Beru turned her attention back towards Anakin. "Why are you back here?"
"Sa-"
"Safety. It's not safe for Anakin on Coruscant so long as people are still after him, so Shmi is filling in on the Senate and Anakin is staying here until it's safe for him to return."
"I can answer for myself." Anakin was indignant for the interruption, but seemed to let it go. "I was hoping you could pass on a few messages for my mother before we head out to the farm."
Beru looked at him in surprise. "You want to hide out there?"
"It's far out of the way, and nobody's likely to catch me on camera there." Anakin grimaced moments later though. "It's not the best or biggest place to be, but if I'm going to hide out it's probably one of the safest. I can always help with the vaporators too, make sure they're ready for the next harvest."
"I'll let Owen and Cliegg know. They left for Coruscant a few hours ago with Threepio." Beru paused, as though something had sunk in while talking. "That must have been why they left. They're going to keep Shmi company."
Anakin nodded. "Probably. So you agree it's a good idea?"
"Of course." Beru smiled. "Nobody associates the Whitesuns or Skywalkers with the Lars family. Nobody will think to look there." Padmé nodded in agreement. "Now then, what messages did you have for your mom? I'm assuming it's not just to tell her you both arrived here safely"
Anakin chuckled. "Of course not. You always were able to see right through me better than anyone." He turned to Padmé. "Do you want to stay for this?"
"I believe the council told me not to let you out of my sights." Padmé smiled. "I suppose I'll have to though for this, since I have to call the council. I'm sure you can take care of yourself for a half hour?"
"If not, then you can kill my dead body, Master Jedi."
Padmé laughed. "I'll be back." And with that, she left the room for a small hallway nearby, pulling out her comm once more.
"Master Windu. Master Yoda." She bowed as the two Jedi appeared. Though she couldn't see them, she assumed most of the council was present as well.
"Knight Naberrie. I'm assuming you and Senator Skywalker have arrived on Tatooine?" Mace asked, looking at her.
Padmé nodded. "The Senator's talking with a relative. After he's finished, we'll be going into hiding, just as planned."
"Done well, you have." Yoda's praise made Padmé smile as she realized that she'd at least so far been successful. "Senator Skyawlker's safety insured will be."
"How's Obi-Wan's investigation going?" Padmé asked. Perhaps it was too soon for him to have found anything, but it'd be nice if she had some good news for Anakin.
"Found a lead, Knight Kenobi has," Yoda answered. "Left for another planet, he did."
"We'll let you know as soon as developments are found." Mace nodded. "For now, your objective remains the same as it has."
"I'll let you know if my situation changes then." Padmé smiled, hanging up on the two council members. If Obi-Wan had a lead, perhaps they wouldn't be in hiding out on Tatooine for as long as she thought.
With Padmé and Anakin having left Coruscant for Tatooine a few hours prior, it was now time for Obi-Wan to get to work so he could help the Senator return to his job of stopping the war before it got too far out of hand. The temple archives had little information on the poison dart, and so he was forced to find information somewhere else. His first stop was a small diner in the middle of Coruscant, to visit an old friend. He stepped in, and bowed to the droid that was taking the information. "I'm here to see Dex."
"Someone to see ya, honey! Jedi, by the looks of him," The droid called in the back, and before long a besalisk emerged from the kitchen, a huge grin on his face.
"Obi-Wan!"
"Hello, Dex." Obi-Wan smiled. The visit may not have been a social visit, but it had been far too long since they'd last spoken anyways.
"Take a seat. I'll be right with ya." Dex indicated the booth by the door, and Obi-Wan sat down, accepting the droid's offer of jawa juice while he waited for his friend to re-emerge from the back of the diner.
It wasn't long before Dex finished his prep work and sat across from Obi-Wan. "Hey, old buddy! So, my friend, what can I do for ya?"
Obi-Wan pulled out the white dart, placing it in Dex's hand, watching as he looked at it with interest. "You can tell me what this is."
Thankfully, it didn't take long for recognition to form on Dex's face. "Well, whattaya know! I ain't seen one of these since I was prospectin' on Subterrel, beyond the outer rim." Beyond the Outer Rim? Just where had the bounty hunter after Anakin even come from?
"Can you tell me where it came from?" An answer of the system or planet would help greatly narrow down the search, perhaps he could find who was after Senator Skywalker long before the vote he was partaking in was decided.
"This baby belongs to them cloners. What you got here is a Kamino saberdart."
Obi-Wan frowned. Dex knew that so easily... "I wonder why it didn't show up in the analysis archives."
"It's these funny little cuts on the side that give it away. Those analysis droids only focus on symbols. Huh! I should think that you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom." Dex let out a laugh, and for a moment Obi-Wan let himself get caught up in joking with an old friend.
"Well, if droids could think, there'd be none of us here, would there?" He frowned moments later, trying to figure that out. Kamino? Cloners? "Kamino. I'm not familiar with it. Is it in the Republic?"
"No, no. It's beyond the outer rim. I'd say about, uh, twelve parsecs outside the Rishi Maze. Should be easy to find, even for those droids in your archives." That's right, Dex had mentioned that Kamino was outside the Outer Rim earlier, hadn't he? Either way, the knowledge that it was in the Rishi Maze greatly helped him reduce the search radius he'd need to check.
"These Kaminoans keep to themselves."
Dex nodded. "They're cloners. Damn good ones too."
There was the mention of the word again. Was there really an entire group of people who could clone others easily. "Cloners. Are they friendly?"
"Oh, depends." The way Dex said that made Obi-Wan feel ill at ease.
"Depends on what, Dex?" he asked, the way Dex leaned back with a smile made him feel a bit more like it was a joke, at least.
"On how good your manners are, and how big your pocketbook is." Well given how Obi-Wan had no intention of purchasing any clones, that second wasn't a matter of concern, and the first...well, Obi-Wan was rather popular. He was sure he could win the Kaminoans over without issue.
"That was quite informative, Dex." Obi-Wan smiled, thanking his friend. "I believe you've helped me tremendously with my search." Given him a starting point, if nothing else.
Dex simply laughed. "Always a pleasure Obi-Wan. Whatever mystery you Jedi are working on, I hope you manage to solve it soon." So did Obi-Wan, he could only imagine what Anakin was putting his poor Padawan through alone, given the reputation he had.
Having a place to start was helpful, at least in Obi-Wan's mind, as he searched through the Jedi archives with new energy and attention. Before, he'd relied exclusively on the Droid's intel, but with Dex's direction. It wasn't long before he'd gone over all the information on Kamino that the Jedi had.
Mostly because, he realized with a frown, there was no info to be had. Which was a problem. How did Dex know about this system but not the Jedi? Evidently, he'd been radiating his displeasure enough for it to be sensed in the temple, because moments later the main Jedi archivist, Jocasta, arrived. "Are you having a problem, Master Kenobi?"
Well, if he couldn't find it, then perhaps she would be able to help him locate the hidden planet. "Yes, I'm looking for a planetary system called Kamino."
"Kamino?" The fact that it wasn't even recognizable to Jocasta, that she'd never even heard of it, was concerning. Did that mean that it didn't exist? But that still didn't make sense if Dex recognized it.
"It doesn't show up on the archive charts." Obi-Wan attempted to explain his problem, which in turn caused Jocasta to frown.
"It's not a system I'm familiar with. Are you sure you have the right coordinates?"
"According to my information, it should appear in this quadrant here... just south of the Rishi Maze." She stepped in afterwards, looking at the archives and starting to search for information. Something that never ceased to amaze Obi-Wan was just how well Jocasta knew them. He wouldn't be surprised if she was the only person who knew the entire system and how to work it best.
After a few moments of her search, she ceased, the frown growing deeper as her forehead creased, showing her displeasure. "I hate to say it, but it looks like the system you're searching for doesn't exist."
Didn't exist? But then how could Dex have been there? How could the dart have come from there? How could a bounty hunter be targeting Senator Skywalker from a place that simply didn't exist. It didn't make any sense. "Impossible. Perhaps the archives are incomplete." That had to be the explanation.
"If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist." Jocasta left the computer to allow Obi-Wan to continue his research. "I apologize, Master Kenobi, there's nothing more I can do to help.
"Thank you for your time then, Master Nu." He bowed his head and stood up, leaving the archives behind. He needed help from somebody older and wiser, perhaps somebody on the council could fit the bill. Mace was currently in the Senate, attempting to help navigate things and stall the vote as a favor to Anakin, and at the current moment hardly anybody else on the council was even on Coruscant, the efforts to delay the war and find peace having spread the Order out to barebones.
That left him with one option. He hoped Yoda wouldn't mind the interruption as he approached the creche, looking at the younglings as they learned the same lessons he had once been taught. There were several, most of them growing near the age where they could be considered to start becoming Padawans. He smiled, perhaps one of the faces here could end up under his tutelage, or the tutelage of Padmé should she so choose.
"Younglings! A visitor we have." It appeared he was unable to hide his presence for long, as the moment he entered the room, Yoda ceased his teaching and brought the attention of each of the kids to his presence. They greeted him in echo, each looking at him with wide eyes. The tales of him managing to kill a Sith had brought attention to him by these kids who thought of Sith as nothing more than nightmares and monsters in bedtime stories.
He waved to the younglings. "Hello. I'm sorry to disturb you, Master."
"What help can I be, Obi-Wan? Hmm?" Thankfully, the old master seemed unfazed, merely greeting Obi-Wan with a twinkle in his eye and a smile, which helped to alleviate some of the guilt he felt at interrupting the lesson.
"I'm looking for a planet described to me by an old friend." Obi-Wan explained, catching the look Yoda gave him as he attempted to continue his explanation. "I trust him, but the systems don't show on the archive maps."
"Lost a planet Master Obi-Wan has. How embarrassing." Yoda laughed, and so did many of the younglings watching him. Perhaps had Obi-Wan been less affected by the situation, he might have found it funny as well, if he was honest. Still, moments later, the laughter died down, and Yoda turned serious again. "Liam, the shades. Gather round the map reader. Clear your minds and find Obi-Wan's wayward planet we will." The room turned dark as one of the human Younglings, Obi-Wan assumed Liam, closed the window, reducing the light in the area.
Sensing that was his cue, Obi-Wan pulled out a holoprojector of the space around the area, what little information he had managed to find based on what Dex had said. "It ought to be here, but it isn't." He indicated a dark spot with nothing there. "Gravity is pulling all the stars in the area towards this spot."
Yoda looked over the map as though he was solving the puzzle as he looked at it. "Gravity's silhouette remains, but the star and all the planets, disappeared they have." He turned to the younglings, waiting for an answer. "How can this be? Hmm? A thought? Anyone?"
One of the initiates, a girl with dark hair and eyes raised her hand. "Because someone erased it from the archive memory." The answer was the most simple and obvious of the explanations, and yet...
"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is." Yoda smiled, proud of the girl. "The youngling is right. Go to the center of gravity's pull... and find your planet you will." Moments later, he stopped, as though realizing exactly what he had said. "The data must have been erased."
"But, Master Yoda, who could empty information from the archives? That's impossible, isn't it?" It didn't make sense. None of them would have had motive to remove Kamino from the archives entirely, it seemed that none of them had even heard of the system before. If that was the case, then why had it been removed?
Yoda remained silent for a moment before finally responding, "Dangerous and disturbing this puzzle is. Only a Jedi could have erased those files." Yoda had come up to the same conclusion he had, that the removal of the files was an inside job. "But who and why, harder to answer. Meditate on this I will."
"Thank you, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan bowed to the Grandmaster, grateful for his help, and turned to leave.
"Wait! Master Kenobi!" Before he could step out, another young girl, a Togruta, smiled at him. "Why do you need to find this planet anyways? I know if it was deleted it had to be important at some point, but that doesn't explain why you're looking for it now."
Obi-Wan hesitated. "What is your name?"
"Ahsoka Tano," she answered with no hesitation.
"Well, Ahsoka, I'll tell you what. Once I return from my mission, come look for me. I'll be happy to answer that question when somebody's life is no longer in jeopardy should people find out I'm searching."
Ahsoka's eyes shined. "I'll hold you to it."
It had taken a few days to make it outside of the Outer Rim to the dead space where Kamino lay. Obi-Wan had expected it to be empty. If he was honest, a part of him couldn't wrap his head around the fact that a Jedi had willingly erased an entire system from the archives, yet the evidence was right in front of him as he came across a storm covered planet. It was raining, but R4 was a good copilot and a reliable astromech, he could rely on the droid to get him down with ease, and it wasn't long before he was stepping out of his ship and onto the only building in what had appeared otherwise as a giant ocean.
He entered, expecting a cold welcome from what appeared to be a strange species of sentients. They were tall, taller than most other sentient species he had met though most of their height came from their necks, and a sickly shade of white, the same colors as the walls and floors they favored. They were harsh looking creatures, and a part of Obi-Wan couldn't help but worry for his safety as was noticed by one. "Master Jedi. The prime minister is expecting you."
What? "I'm expected?" That had been about as far from what Obi-Wan had been planning for when he set foot on the strange planet as this could get. His hand went to his lightsaber, just in case he needed to make a quick escape.
"Of course. He is anxious to meet you." The Kaminoan smiled at Obi-Wan, an expression that left him uncomfortable, as though it was an appearance for his sake over genuine happiness at the Jedi's arrival. "After all these years we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now, please, this way." She led the way deeper into the facility, and Obi-Wan tried to take in as much as he could, keeping his eye out for the potential assassins or bounty hunters. "May I present Lama Su, prime minister of Kamino. And this is MasterJedi..." She indicated Obi-Wan, who bowed out of respect.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Lama Su nodded, showing acknowledgement of the introduction. "I trust you're going to enjoy your stay." He continued immediately, not giving Obi-Wan a chance to respond. "And now to business. You will be delighted to hear that we are on schedule. Two hundred thousand units are ready with a million more well on the way."
It took all of his energy to keep the surprise out of his voice. "That's good news." Two hundred thousand units of what? He remembered what Dex had told him of the Kaminoans. They couldn't mean...
"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that his order will be met on time." Lama Su's voice pulled him out from his thoughts, reminding him he couldn't linger on what exactly this meant right now if he wanted to know more.
Speaking of, that was another surprise to hear. "I'm sorry. Master-"
"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas is still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?" If they were waiting on Sifo-Dyas, that explained a fair amount of just what was going on, and why they had waited so long.
"Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago."
Lama Su frowned, though he didn't seem all that bothered. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. But I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've built for him."
"The army?" For the third time today, Obi-Wan was thrown off balance by information from the Kaminoans, and he'd only been there ten minutes.
"Yes. A clone army, and I must say, one of the finest we've ever created." There was pride in his voice. Pride at the clones, and at the army he had made, yet Obi-Wan was bothered. An army of people specifically crafted for war showing up now of all times. It seemed almost...too perfect. He thought back to Senator Skywalker's concerns about the bill that would be coming up soon. Could it all be connected?
"Tell me, Prime Minister, when my master first contacted you about the army, did he say who it was for?" There was only one way for Obi-Wan to confirm his theory, at least.
"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic." Obi-Wan felt his blood run cold at the answer. "But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself."
He put on a fake smile. "That's why I'm here."
"Then in that case, let us begin the tour." Lama Su placed his hands on a scanner, and within moments they were allowed inside the clone facility. It was, in its own way, a feat of ingenuity, and an impressive sight to see. On either side of them as they walked, hundreds of individual clones, most with a Mandalorian esque white armor on though some with their helmets off, wandered the floors of the facility. Some were practicing using blasters, others were simply conversing, and others studying in a classroom. It was...a lot to take in, to say the least.
The Kaminoan, who had left him with Lama Su, had briefly left, but returned moments later with one of the many clones, though this one slightly different due to his blond hair. "Sir."
"Jedi Master Kenobi, might I introduce you to CT-7567." She indicated the clone, who was standing rigidly at attention waiting for orders. It was...uncomfortable.
"At ease." Obi-Wan watched as the clone relaxed moments later, and stuck out his hand, which the clone looked at warily. "Don't worry, my friend, I have no intentions of harming you with it, just introductions."
"Of course." The clone grabbed his hand to shake it, but was still clearly ill at ease in all of this. "As you've already been told I'm CT-7567. I was a part of the first batch, sir."
Obi-Wan frowned slightly. "Yes, so I can assume. Tell me, do you have a name besides these designation numbers?"
"Rex, sir." If he was going to end up working with these clones at some point, Obi-Wan was definitely going to make sure that the numbers first introduction was long gone. That was one thing he'd work on.
"Very well, Rex." He smiled, and Rex further relaxed, as though sensing that Obi-Wan meant him no harm. Deciding he could use this as a moment to ask questions without seeming clueless as to what was happening, Obi-Wan decided to take advantage of it. "Rex, can you tell me why you and the other clones were created?"
"My brothers and I were created to serve the Republic if there was ever a need." They were on the Republic's side, though the answer told Obi-Wan little. "I'm assuming there's a need for us now?" He almost seemed...eager, as though he was dying to get out and see the world outside the cloning facilities. His desire to explore almost reminded Obi-Wan of a young initiate who had stolen away on the ship of another Jedi to prove that she could handle the outside world. If this army was ever needed, he'd have to do his best to ensure that Padmé was the one who got a chance to work with Rex. The two would work well together.
"Not quite, a war hasn't broken out-" yet "-but there may be one on the horizon. Perhaps you and your brothers will be out in the real world sooner than you think." He purposefully used the term brothers. The clone's terms for how they define themselves were more important than anything else.
"Understood." Rex nodded, before the Kaminoan left to return him to the rest of the clones, leaving Obi-Wan once more alone with Lama Su.
"Very impressive."
"I'd hoped you would be pleased." Lama Su certainly seemed happy with the fact that Obi-Wan was impressed, at least. "Clones can think creatively. You will find that they are immensely superior to droids. We take great pride in our combat education and training programs. It's important to prepare them as quickly as possible, so they'll be prepared for any situation they might encounter."
Obi-Wan frowned at the sound of that. Something about the way Lama Su mentioned speed. "You mentioned that they need to be prepared as quickly as possible. Is there a reason for that?"
"Of course. The clones are genetically modified to age at an accelerated rate for quick production and results. If they weren't, a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now we can do it in half the time."
He could understand why, disturbing implications into what that meant for the clones aside. "I see."
"They are totally obedient, taking any order without question." Lama Su continued on as though nothing out of the ordinary had been said, Obi-Wan felt his skin crawl. That wasn't like an army. That was like a slave. "We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host."
Had he not been looking for somebody clearly not Kaminoan, he might have focused on that detail in particular, but right now, his mission for Anakin took precedence. He could worry about the clones later. "And who was the original host?"
"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett."
"And where is this bounty hunter now?" This might be the lead Obi-Wan was looking for, and if not, it might have enough info to allow for him to ascertain whether or not at least there was something more disturbing at the center of this mystery.
"Oh, we keep him here." That made his life significantly easier. "Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing: an unaltered clone for himself. Curious, isn't it?"
"Unaltered?"
Lama Su nodded, confirming that Obi-Wan had heard correct. "Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile and no growth acceleration." So the clone with him wouldn't be an older man, but a younger boy.
"I should very much like to meet this Jango Fett." He supposed it didn't matter.
"I will talk to Tuan We about introducing you when she returns." Lama Su turned back to the facility, looking over the clones. "For now, I will continue our tour."
Not longer after, the Kaminoan, Tuan We, returned from taking Rex back to his fellow and Obi-Wan was following her through pristine white halls. Despite that no clones would be here aside from the single, unaltered one that Tuan We mentioned, the facility had not felt anymore welcome in what were clearly its living areas. She stopped at a door and knocked, and a young boy opened the door. "Boba, is your father here?"
"Yep." Boba gave a short answer, and a glare at Obi-Wan.
"May we see him?"
"Sure." After a moment more of uncomfortable staring, Boba stepped out of the way of the door to let Obi-Wan in. "Dad, Taun We's here."
Tuan We entered and smiled at the bounty hunter, although Obi-Wan doubted she cared one way or the other about how he was doing. "Jango, welcome back. Was your trip productive?"
"Fairly." A Mandalorian man stood off to the side of the room, clearly the bounty hunter template for the clones. Obi-Wan however frowned. If Jango had recently left the world, then it was possible that...
"This is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's come to check on our progress." Tuan We's introduction forced Obi-Wan to move on from his train of thought for now, and he put on an attempt at a pleasant grin, likely only succeeding due to his ability to keep a facade in the most trying of circumstances.
"Your clones are very impressive. You must be very proud."
"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe." Jango's answer was evasive, a bad sign if Obi-Wan had ever seen one.
He decided to press him for more answers. "Ever made your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?"
"Once or twice."
"Recently?"
"Possibly."
"Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas." Obi-Wan watched as Jango stiffened slightly, it was for but a moment, and something somebody who wasn't trained as a Jedi would be unlikely to catch, but the change in body language was all Obi-Wan needed to know that Jango was hiding something.
Jango said something to Boba in another language, possibly two seeing as he recognized some of it as Mando'a from his time guarding the Duchess from harm. "Master who?" he asked.
"Sifo-Dyas. Is he not the Jedi who hired you for this job?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Never heard of him," Jango said.
"Really?"
"I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden." The answer to Obi-Wan's question could not have possibly been worse, if he was honest. There were no Jedi he'd even heard of named Tyranus.
"Curious." And leading to so many more questions. If Sifo-Dyas commissioned the army, then why hadn't he found Jango for this.
"Do you like your army?" Jango took back control of the conversation, making it relatively clear that this line of questioning was over, or at least it was for now.
"I look forward to seeing them in action." Obi-Wan bowed, making it clear that he was ending the conversation as well. Besides, he'd gotten the information he'd needed, or at least a new lead to explore. "They'll do their job well. I'll guarantee that. Thank you for your time, Jango."
"Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi." From Jango's remarks, it was clear to Obi-Wan that he was being dismissed. So he left. Besides, he was sure he'd need to contact the council on these matters. It was urgent that they be kept in the loop of what was going on.
As soon as he left the facility and the Kaminoans behind, Obi-Wan pulled up his comm unit, and within moments, a holographic version of Yoda and Master Windu appeared in front of him. "I have successfully made contact with the prime minister of Kamino." He reported, not wanting to waste any time. "They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army. I have a strong feeling that this bounty hunter is the assassin we are looking for."
Mace frowned, and Obi-Wan couldn't blame him. The whole situation reeked of suspicious circumstances. "Do you think these cloners are involved in the plot to assassinate Senator Skywalker?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. As far as he could tell, the clones were unrelated. Or he wanted to believe they were, at least. Rex had left a good impression on him, after all. "No, Master. There appears to be no connection between them."
"Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan. Clear your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind this plot." Yoda was right, even if Rex and as a result, his brothers, seemed like they were good. He had to try to look at this objectively. Anything involved with Kamino was suspicious.
"Yes, Master." For now though, Obi-Wan decided not to linger. "They say Master Sifo-Dyas placed an order for a clone army at the request of the senate almost ten years ago. I was under the impression he was killed before that. Did the council ever authorize the creation of a clone army?"
There was a look of surprise on both Mace's and Yoda's faces, as though they had not expected this. Their reaction was enough that no answer would be necessary, but Mace still gave him one anyways. "No. Whoever placed that order did not have the authorization of the Jedi Council."
"Bring him here. Question him we will." It made the most sense. Jango was the most suspicious figure here. Perhaps he could shed some light on the mysterious events.
"Yes, Master. I will report back when I have him." Obi-Wan hung up for now, and looked to the corner of the building to see Jango preparing to escape.
That was going to make his job a lot harder.
Obi-Wan had planted a tracker on the Fetts' ship, and fortunately for him, it seemed to have paid off as he piloted himself down towards the desert planet of Geonosis. He landed the ship down on a plateau, and entered one of the caves. He needed to avoid being seen if he wanted to gather as much information as he could. He extended his senses using the Force, careful of any other beings he ran into as he went deeper in.
Slowly, his footsteps started getting louder, despite attempts to silence them, and he looked down to see that the floor had become metal. Geonosis wasn't known for an industrial sector, and he felt ill at ease. As he continued down the hallway, everything felt more and more wrong, the stalactites replaced by metal columns, and the cave walls smoothed down. At the sight of a window, Obi-Wan looked down to see thousands of droids being manufactured. Battle droids, similar to those they had faced on Naboo a little over ten years ago.
He continued down the hallway, only to freeze as he heard voices.
"We must persuade the Commerce Guild and Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty."
"What about the senator from Tatooine." Obi-Wan froze at that statement. These people...they were the ones who hired the assassins to go after Anakin. "Is he dead yet? I'm not signing your treaty until I have his head on my desk. Every policy he pitches for the 'good' of his people is making it harder and harder for us to make a profit."
He thought back to the bills Anakin had been working on recently. He hadn't been following the young Senator closely (that had been Padmé who'd kept tabs on what he was doing in the political sphere) but it was clear that within the year he had been working in the Senate, he'd managed to find quite a few enemies.
"I am a man of my word, viceroy." Obi-Wan frowned. Viceroy. There were dozens of viceroys in the galaxy, but only one who was invested in profit to the point that what Anakin was doing was likely a detriment. He heard more voices further down, likely the Commerce Guild and Corporate Alliance signing an agreement to join this cause, but Obi-Wan didn't have time to listen in.
The Viceroy of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray, was the one behind the assassination attempts.
He had to tell the council.
Having left Mos Espa and Beru behind, Anakin had taken Padmé to the small moisture farm that the Lars family stayed at. It was a small underground building in the middle of the desert, surrounded by multiple machines. Anakin was certainly right about one thing. Nobody would be looking for them here. "I know it's not much, but I figured it'd be as good a place to hide out as any."
"Don't worry, Ani, it doesn't have to be much. It's your home." She knew that much. She'd only briefly looked around, but there were all sorts of holos of Anakin, Shmi, and their step family on the walls.
"I don't know if I'd say that." He rubbed the back of his head. "I don't have a problem with my step family, but it doesn't really feel like home." Padmé waited for him to elaborate. He didn't.
"What's stopping it?" Padmé asked after a moment more of silence. "Everywhere you look, there are tiny hints of you everywhere."
"We've only lived with them a couple of years, even if we've known Cliegg and Owen for a lot longer," Anakin answered, though it was clear it was at least a bit of a deflection from what he really wanted to say. "It makes it hard to adjust at times."
"Where did you stay then?" Padmé asked.
"On Coruscant. Sometimes with my mom, sometimes with whatever Senator was supposed to be watching over and teaching me." Anakin gave a weak laugh. "I'm amazed Bail still tolerates me. We didn't have the best of starts."
"You didn't? What happened?"
"I'm not telling you anything about that unless you tell me about Yoda's robes." It was clear Anakin was teasing, but Padmé pouted.
"Senator Skywalker-"
"I only deal in even exchanges, Knight Naberrie." Anakin smiled. But she still wasn't ready to embarrass herself in front of Anakin quite like that yet. "Thought so. What do I have to do to get that story out of you?"
"You can't." Padmé crossed her arms smugly. "No story is worth trading that knowledge for."
"Can't blame a guy for trying?"
Padmé laughed. "I absolutely can, Senator." She watched as Anakin stood up, walking over to a small fridge in the corner. "Looking for something?"
"I figure we should have something to drink while we're catching up, officially this time." Anakin brought over two cups of some kind of blue liquid. "Blue milk, it's popular on Tatooine since water can be hard to come by."
Padmé smiled, taking the glass. "Thank you." She took a sip, enjoying the refreshing, light, sweet flavor of the milk. Different than she was used to, but far from bad. "I'd imagine that's what the water farms are for?"
Anakin nodded. "They produce water for the people who can't afford it. We're looking to set up moisture farms much more widespread, as part of an effort to clean up Tatooine. It won't be easy, but certainly worthwhile."
She nodded. "It sounds like you've got a lot of plans."
"Somebody has to make life better around this dust bowl. Freeing the slaves and removing Hutt control was just the first step of many, and hopefully if a war does start, it won't stop us from continuing our efforts to improve the planet." He pulled up a chair next to her, facing her rather than the table. "But that's not the only thing I have plans for?"
"Oh?" Padmé asked, more than a little curious at where the Senator was going with this.
Anakin smiled. "I've been making plans for years for exactly what I want for my life after I'm done as Senator. Ever since I was a kid if I'm honest." His hand found hers, and Padmé closed hers around it in a squeeze, hoping he'd take it as an invitation to continue. "I want to do what I can to help clean the planet, but then once Tatooine is fixed, I want to retire with the people I love most, so I can always be with them."
Padmé found herself smiling. "A noble goal, Ani." His nickname fell from her tongue easily. "Who are these people you want to retire with?"
"My mom, Cliegg, Owen, Beru, Obi-Wan if he can be persuaded to ever leave the Jedi." He named her master so casually, it shocked her. She hadn't realized they were that close. "There's one more person who's more important than all of them though, who I'd give anything for if she chose to join me." His hand danced along her arm, taunting her with the answer that a part of her wanted more than anything and a part of her did not want to hear.
Padmé watched waiting for him to elaborate, to tell her it was somebody from Tatooine, Coruscant, anybody really besides his true answer. When he didn't continue, she asked. "Who?"
Rather than answer, Anakin leaned in, hesitant and unsure, and for a moment, Padmé found that same, uncomfortable tension building in her heart, urging her forward. She leaned in on instinct, following his lead as her eyes closed and their lips met. Her heart beat rapidly, and she felt nothing short of elated at the kiss. It was chaste, sweet, and so very Anakin that she couldn't help but be lost in the sensation for a moment.
But the world kept turning, and it wasn't long before her sense returned and she turned away, unable to look at Anakin. "I shouldn't have done that." She was a Jedi. Returning his kiss, his affections, it was doing nothing more than leading him on. Anakin deserved better than that.
"Sorry." She looked up to see the torn, yet sad look on Anakin's face. There were no signs of regret, but at the fact that he'd been kissed and then rejected, he did look pretty embarrassed. "I'll uh...take you to your room, so you can settle in. Assuming you don't have to look after me the entire time."
"I-I don't, no." She couldn't believe herself. Except she absolutely could. This was Anakin she was talking about. He was so easy to let herself go with, to love.
He led the way out of the room and down to another one, opening the door. "Maybe we can find something to do tomorrow?"
"Yeah. We'll figure it out." Whereas conversation both on the trip and earlier had gone so easily between them, now it was hesitant and uncomfortable. Padmé definitely wasn't happy with herself for causing that. "Good night, Anakin."
"I'll see you tomorrow." He closed the door, leaving Padmé to settle in as she buried her face in the pillow.
That night, she dreamed of Anakin, and the kiss they shared.
"You want to hear about the inner workings of the Senate?" Anakin asked. He set down the tools he'd been using to work on the vaporator to the side as he turned to look at her. "Why?"
Anakin's confusion didn't surprise her. To most people, the inner workings of the Senate and its politics would be far from exciting, and while she was interested in politics, normally Anakin would not have been her first choice for a bit of insight, but she needed to keep the conversation going, needed to avoid the awkwardness and thoughts of the kiss they had shared the night before. "I suppose I'm just curious. I've always wanted to know, and while the Chancellor teaches me some things, having different perspectives is always helpful."
Anakin smiled, with his curiosity satisfied, he seemed eager to tell her, to let her into a small portion of his life. "Well, as Senator of Tatooine, I have to make sure that the Senate attempts to listen to what would be best for us here." His smile changed into a smirk quickly. "Sometimes it's easy, sometimes I have to use...aggressive negotiations to get what I want."
"Anakin!"
"None of the Senators have been seriously injured...I have been arrested twice though over it."
Padmé stared at him for a moment, trying to take in that last bit. "You what?"
"I'm joking, I promise." Anakin's grin got wider. "Well...about the arrested part."
"Has anybody told you you make a terrible senator?" Padmé couldn't help but laugh. He may not have gotten arrested, but fighting people head on in the Senate was still a terrible idea.
"It's hard to imagine a senator from somebody as rash as me, right?" He was taking her poking fun in good humor, as the smile still hadn't left Anakin's face. However not long after he sobered up, growing serious once more as it finally fell. "Truth be told, if I was from anywhere other than Tatooine, somebody probably would have voted me out, or at least insisted that my mom take back over. But the people here love that about me, no matter what, I'll get results."
"That's not how it's supposed to work." Padmé wasn't that experienced in politics, working only off of what Palpatine had told her and what she'd picked up guarding the Senate with Obi-Wan, but she knew that democracy was a majority vote, based on the compromise the Senate came to and not any one person's will.
"It doesn't matter if it's not how it's supposed to work, what matters is that Tatooine's a better place because of it. I'm sure the Republic is too." He picked up his tools once more, resuming his work as though trying to avoid the conversation. "I'm sure you've heard all about my antics from the Chancellor. He probably regrets the fact that I refused to take advice from him given all the problems I'm constantly causing now."
Padmé frowned slightly. "He hasn't." And it bothered her that Palpatine would hide something like that from her. He had to have some kind of reason for it. "But it was probably out of respect, he knows I care about you, and he didn't want to put a strain on our relationship. He is the one who told me about your request for Jedi help after all."
"Guess I owe the old man some thanks," Anakin said. "Even if he and I don't always get along."
"Of course."
They fell silent, enjoying the other's company as Anakin continued his work. She found her eyes occasionally straying towards him, finding it difficult to look away despite knowing she should stop.
She was a Jedi. She couldn't afford these kinds of feelings for him.
"Can you tell me about your missions?"
"Huh?" It took Padmé a moment to process Anakin's request, caught off guard by the way he broke the silence and her concentration from watching him.
"Not all your missions are spent protecting cranky senators who want to be left alone to do their job, right?" Anakin indicated himself in regards to that one. "I'm not saying you have to tell me the specifics, just give me an idea of what they're like."
"Keeping cranky Senators calm is actually what Obi-Wan and I are best at. A lot of times we'll be sent to various planets just to do what we can to keep the peace. Most of our missions are less about pulling out Lightsabers and more about trying to keep everybody from grabbing their blasters in the first place." She thought back to her last few missions, the negotiations they'd been having with the Separatists to try to keep the galaxy from war.
"You mean you don't just whip out your lightsabers whenever you want something?"
"Of course not, we're peacekeepers, lightsabers aren't f-" She watched him smirk and stopped, realizing he was simply poking fun. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"
"Me? Never. If you were to ever find out I was teasing you, I'd end up much better acquainted with the sword end of a lightsaber than I'd ever asked to be." Anakin laughed, unable to take the conversation seriously any longer.
"I can't believe you." Despite the fact that she should've been annoyed by his teasing, it was charming in its own, silly way and Padmé couldn't stop the grin that started to form on her face no matter how hard she tried. Still wanting to play at mock offense at least, she threw her Lightsaber at him.
Anakin caught the Lightsaber as it flew at him, still laughing as he barely avoided getting hit. "I was right, you tried to kill me."
"It wasn't even on, Anakin. The worst that could've happened is a bruise."
"I'll remember that before I tell Obi-Wan that you almost failed the mission by killing me yourself."
"Keep making fun of me Senator and I might."
Padmé waited for another come back from him and for their light banter to continue, but instead, Anakin's attention was now exclusively on the hilt in his hands as he turned over the saber with interest. His fingers found the switch that turned it on, and he pushed lightly, watching as the blade came to life, casting the room in a pale blue glow. He waved it around carefully, as though testing the saber, and Padmé found herself transfixed, unable to look away at his unpracticed movements, smooth through the Force's guidance.
He turned off the saber, tossing it back to Padmé, who came back to herself to catch it just in time before the hilt hit her.
"I know I don't know a lot about Lightsabers, but from what I do know about them, it's perfect, just like you." Anakin once more returned to his task, leaving Padmé to sit there dumbfounded, with no idea how to respond.
"I've been thinking about what you said earlier," Anakin said, interrupting the quiet that had fallen over them as Anakin finished his work on the vaporator and Padmé had taken to meditating. "About you and Obi-Wan."
Padmé shifted positions, leaving her meditative state to give Anakin her attention. "About us being good at negotiation?"
Anakin nodded, but frowned. "You don't think something like having you guys out of the way could help the war start sooner?"
Padmé paused. It...was a possibility, even if it wasn't one she'd want to acknowledge, but no. That couldn't be right. The Chancellor chose her and Obi-Wan because they already had a relationship with Anakin, not because they were trying to stop the war from starting. "I don't think so. The Senate should still be in negotiations on their own right now, and we don't have an army. The other Jedi should be enough to keep everything under control until we get back. Obi-Wan and I might be the best, but we're not the only ones."
"Right, of course." Anakin sighed, but she wasn't sure if he was reassured.
"Ani..."
"I know, everything will be fine. I should have more faith in Mon and Bail and my mom. It's just...hard not being there." He shook his head, as though trying to shake the very worries he was afraid of out of his head. "I'll try not to think about it."
Padmé looked at him, doubtful that he'd be able to get his mind off of the happenings of the greater galaxy right now.
"Care to be my distraction for now?" Anakin asked, trying to stick to his resolution. "Teach me how to use a Lightsaber."
"Anakin, they're sacred weapons to the Jedi, not toys." She shook her head. Sure, when they were all Younglings and Padawans doing exercises there would be competitions for fun, but those were a part of training. It didn't make her weapon a tool for a game.
Anakin crossed his arms and pouted. "I'm not treating it like one. I'm not asking you to give me your lightsaber, I'm asking to know how to use the basic forms. They can be applied to other weapons with a similar structure. It wouldn't hurt for me to know."
He had a point, and it was likely to keep his mind off of the goings of the Senate if he was exhausted from running through different katas. "We'll start with Form I." Padmé said and looked around for anything that could be used as a substitute Lightsaber for their lessons. She found a walking stick and tossed it to him, which Anakin barely caught, surprised by the action and her going along with his suggestion.
"You're willing to teach me?" Anakin asked.
"You're right, you need a distraction. This is the best way to do it." Padmé smiiled before returning to her instructions. "The first form is simple, and almost all others are based on it. If you can't learn this, you won't be able to learn the others."
"And you use it?" Anakin asked.
"Very few Jedi do in actual combat. I favor Forms III and IV." She entered the starting pose for Ataru with her Lightsaber before returning to a neutral position. "Something that we won't be going over today."
Anakin laughed. "I get the idea, too advanced. So, Master Naberrie, show me the basics." And she did, running through the poses and positions, watching Anakin try to emulate them himself and move fluidly beneath each position.
If she was honest, he wasn't bad. Considering it was his first time learning any of the forms, he was picking up on it with an unexpected ease. She made note of any mistakes before stepping up to him. "Your third pose has your ‘lightsaber' pointed too low." She had him re-enter the pose and stood behind him, before she got to work at adjusting the pose. When she touched him the first time, Anakin stiffened at the contact, and though she went to pull his shoulders back, she couldn't find it in her to move. The world was still, and for a moment it felt like nothing mattered besides the brief point where they touched. The staff she'd found dropped from his hands, and the clatter it made as it hit the floor pulled her out of the moment, and away from whatever she and Anakin both had been planning to do. She backed away, unable to face him after their moment.
"Padmé, I can't..." He seemed frustrated with his wording. "I can't keep dancing around what I feel like this."
She looked up at him, startled, but unable to say anything else. Anakin took advantage of her silence to continue.
"We have a connection, and I know you feel it too. Whenever I see you it's...it's difficult to even breathe. I can't stop thinking about you, or the kiss we've shared.... You're the only person I have ever loved in this way."
"Ani...Anakin." She amended herself from the nickname to his full name. "I can't...you're a Senator, and I'm a Jedi..."
"That doesn't matter." Anakin looked at her, his face neutral, but his eyes intense and full of a longing for what they both couldn't have. "I don't care that you're a Jedi or anything else. I don't care what we have to do, if I have to spend the rest of my life loving you in shadows, I would do it. I know you feel the same way..."
But Padmé couldn't let him. She had to stop this, before it went too far. "Senator Skywalker, what I feel in this case doesn't matter. I have duties. So do you." She watched him for a moment, and the burst of courage he'd seemingly had earlier died down. Her heart hurt. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her, and both of them knew it. "If we admitted our feelings, fell in love...We'd be living a lie, and it would destroy us both."
"...I know." He finally relented, looking away and giving up in a way he hadn't earlier. "I know that more than anybody, but Padmé--."
"I'm sorry Anakin." Her hand grabbed his, and he winced, though didn't make a move to pull his away. "Maybe in another life, we'd have a chance to be together, but as it stands, we can't. Not in this one."
He remained silent, and so did she. "I'm going to clear my head." The Senator stood up, leaving Padmé there to watch after him, her heart aching just as much as his was.
She buried her face in her hands. Why did she have to be a Jedi, and why did Anakin have to make all of this so difficult?
She hadn't seen Anakin for the rest of the night, and had found him gone for most of the morning. Fearing the worst, she had been about to sound some alarms and call in the other Jedi when she watched the senator appear at the entrance to the small house. "Anakin?"
Had this been before yesterday, she would've run to hug him. Right now, she knew that would just make things worse for him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." His voice was tired, it was clear he hadn't slept. "I'm..." He rubbed his hand through his hair, unsure of himself. "I'm sorry for running off last night, I just needed some time. Not everyday your crush for ten years turns you down."
She understood all too well, maybe not the ten year long crush part, but the idea that after what had happened, he needed some space. "It's alright, you don't have to apologize. Just please don't do it again, I thought that all those assassination attempts might have finally succeeded."
Anakin nodded. "They won't, I'm not that easy to get rid of." A fact that she was thankful for. He sat down on the couch for a moment, looking at her as though trying to figure out what he was trying to say. "I think we need to get off of Tatooine."
Padmé looked at Anakin in confusion. "What?"
"We can't stay trapped on this world alone, doing nothing." Anakin explained. "You're..." He sighed. "Look, we both agreed we're not falling in love, right? Well staying here on a small farm where we're the only company the other has besides a couple of droids and all we're doing is finding ways to kill time together isn't going to help. I know it's for my protection, but we can't keep staying."
"We're not going back to Coruscant Anakin. You'll be in danger."
"It doesn't have to be Coruscant. Just...not here."
As much as she hated to admit it, Anakin was right. It couldn't be easy for him, staying trapped on the planet with just her while he was dealing with her rejection. She could understand his desire to get away as well. "I can call for another Jedi to take my place."
"No!" Anakin protested almost immediately too fast. "No, sorry, I just..."
It was frustrating to say the least for both of them. She knew there was nobody Anakin would trust more with the job aside from Obi-Wan (truthfully she wasn't sure she trusted anybody else with Anakin's safety besides herself and him either) yet so long as they stayed like this, it wouldn't be easy for either of them to continue to dodge and ignore any feelings they'd managed to catch.
"I'll..." Padmé frowned. There had to be something she could come up with. Some way to manage this and keep Anakin on the world without... "Get some rest. I'll come up with something."
Anakin nodded, and went towards his room. "At least consider the idea."
Truthfully, there wasn't a lot else she could do.
The sound of a door opening pulled Padmé out of her meditation, and she turned to see Anakin. "Thinking on ideas looks like sleeping?"
"Meditating Anakin." Padmé smiled. Anakin tilted his head, as though asking for elaboration. "It's something all Jedi do to help them feel more balanced in the Force, more connected. Obi-Wan and I tried to teach it to you, remember?"
"Nope." Anakin sat down next to her. "I remember how to use the Force, how to make shields to keep any Sith from detecting me, but meditation? Don't seem to recall that one at all."
Padmé rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn't. Trying to get Anakin to sit down for ten seconds to meditate was a harder ordeal than anything else they'd had to try. She couldn't be surprised that he didn't remember when he'd probably purposefully tried to forget. "It's meant to help me figure out what's the best way to go about things."
"What did it help you figure out, Master Jedi?" Anakin smiled, and Padmé couldn't help but be relieved that they'd found a return to the easy conversation from before.
Padmé shook her head. "It didn't, but I could show you how to do it, if you'd like."
Anakin seemed to be taking that under consideration. "You sure it'll stick this time?"
"Well, my Padawan," she teased, chastising herself moments later in case he took it as flirting after they had just resolved not to do so. "You'll be the judge of that."
Following her lead, Anakin sat down on his knees and closed his eyes, looking over to Padmé as he closed his eyes. She watched him, interested in how he took it, though unsurprised when he started to wiggle, unable to sit skill. "You need to focus on your breathing, just keep your mind clear and reach out. Stretch out your senses until you can feel the Force around you."
"That's...vague."
Padmé laughed. "It is, but I trust you to figure it out."
"You'd make a terrible master if that's how you plan on training any padawans you get."
"I thought you were done making fun of me."
"You won't kill me, I'll be fine." Anakin opened one eye, giving her a smirk.
"I could take you out and blame it on whoever's after you."
"Would you though?"
She wouldn't, but Anakin didn't need to know that. "Are you questioning me, Padawan?"
At that, he sighed. "No Master Jedi, I'm not." And he closed his eyes, taking deep breaths in and out, although still clearly struggling with staying focused entirely on the meditation. Deciding it would keep Anakin out of her hair at least for a few more minutes, Padmé closed her eyes, hoping the Force would send her a clear answer. What could she do to keep Anakin entertained until they were able to leave this desert planet behind.
Before she could continue meditating, a loud beep grabbed both hers and Anakin's attention. "Artoo?"
"What is it buddy?" Anakin asked, patting the droid on his blue domed head. The droid beeped at them a few more times, causing Anakin's face to darken as he looked towards Padmé. "Meditation practice is going to have to wait."
"I'm guessing he didn't come with good news?" Padmé asked. Anakin shook his head.
"It's Obi-Wan. He left a message for you." Padmé felt her heart drop almost immediately, as though it plummeted right to her stomach the moment Anakin spoke again. "He's in trouble."
"Artoo, relay the message." The droid let out a few more beeps before running out of the room to lead them to the comms.
Looked like their vacation away from the world was over.
Padmé sat down at the comm system and immediately entered a few commands, faster than Anakin could follow as he watched her input the information. Seconds later, a blue hologram of Obi-Wan appeared. "Padmé. I need you to transfer this message to the Jedi Council immediately." She didn't hesitate, immediately putting in more information to have it play to the council. Who was seeing it, neither of them were sure. "I have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett-" Was that the name of the one who was trying to have him killed? "-to the droid factory at Geonosis. The Trade Federation has started production of the Droid Army here."
"Droid Army?" Anakin felt his stomach drop, but Padmé shushed him before he could say anything more, clearly intent on hanging onto her master's words.
"It is likely that the viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Skywalker. The commerce guilds and the corporate alliance have pledged their armies to Count Dooku. And are forming a-" Obi-Wan cut off, pulling out his lightsaber in defense. "Wait-" He vanished from the projection moments later, a Droid appearing in his place before the message stopped.
Anakin looked over to Padmé, who was looking at the projection in a numb state of shock.
"Knight Naberrie, are you alright?" The voice of Master Windu seemed to shake her out of frozen state, as she focused on the council rather than her own worries.
"I'm fine, Master Windu." She smiled, although it was clearly tense judging by the way the corners of her smile pulled, almost like she was trying too hard. Anakin wasn't much better, if he was being honest. Obi-Wan was practically his hero, and the man was clearly in trouble. "We need to get going, we can't leave Obi-Wan like that."
"Wrong you are not." Yoda agreed. "In danger, Knight Kenobi is."
"What do we do?" Padmé asked, looking to the two Jedi Masters for guidance.
"Stay with the Senator, do not let him out of your sight for any reason. Now that they know we're looking into them, the Separatists might become much more bold in their attempts to take him out," Master Windu answered, Anakin frowned and felt Padmé tense beside him.
"Master Jedi, with all do respect I can take care of myself, Obi-Wan is-"
"Senator Skywalker." Master Windu turned his attention to Anakin, much to his discomfort. "I understand that you and Padmé both may want to help, but as of right now you're too much of a target. We can't leave you alone. It's likely Jango Fett may attempt to strike at you, not to mention while you may have some skills, you aren't trained." He shut down any discussion.
"I understand." Padmé nodded.
Normally, Anakin would be thrilled for his time alone with Padmé to be extended once more. Right now, it was the last thing he wanted if it came at the expense of their friend. "Padmé, you can't let them-"
"Anakin, please." Begrudgingly, Anakin backed down at Padmé's plea for him to be quiet. "Please keep us in the loop, Mace."
"We will. May the Force be with you both." With that, the communication between the Jedi Council and the two came to an end.
For a moment, they were silent, neither of them speaking. "So that's it? Because of me you're just going to let Obi-Wan die!" This was the woman he was in love with? He'd thought she was a brave Jedi Knight, not some coward who chose the safe option when her closest friend was at risk.
"Anakin-"
"No, I get it. The Council is in charge and I get that, but that doesn't mean we can just leave him there. You can't actually-"
"Anakin! I'm not leaving Obi-Wan to die."
Anakin shook his head. "You aren't? What if the Council doesn't get there in time. He'll be as good as dead. You're the only Jedi who can get there in time for sure!"
"I know." Padmé was so calm, which threw Anakin off. How could she be so calm when Obi-Wan's life was in danger. This wasn't a time to be calm. This was a time to be trying to save him. "Anakin, what did they tell me to do?"
Anakin paused, trying to remember what Master Windu had said. "He told you to stay here with me?"
"He told me not to let you out of my sight." Anakin caught onto what Padmé was saying with a grin. "So if you choose to go to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan..."
"You have to follow me." It was a shortcut around their orders, around the rules Master Windu had set. If it wasn't for the boundaries that Padmé had decided they needed to set last night, if they hadn't agreed not to fall in love, he might have kissed her right then and there.
Padmé smiled, although it still seemed less genuine than her smiles over the week had been. "So Anakin, how do you feel about saving a Jedi?"
Anakin turned to R2, the little blue droid having faithfully waited while they retransmitted the message to the council. "Artoo, ready one of my ships." The two of them would get there faster, if he flew after all.
They had a rescue mission to get started.
Three hours had passed since they'd left Tatooine to rescue Obi-Wan, and Anakin hadn't seen anything of Padmé since they'd left the planet behind for their mission. She'd stated she'd needed to meditate, to release her emotions into the Force, and he was happy to respect that, but admittedly even Anakin was starting to get bored piloting a ship through hyperspace. There wasn't a lot to do while the ship travelled to Geonosis, and he could only lose games to R2 so many times before it started to get old.
"I'm going to go check on Padmé." He stood up from the game table.
The Astromech beeped at him, reminding him that Padmé had asked for space during the trip. "I know Artoo, but I can't just leave her there. I'm not Obi-Wan's former Padawan and I'm worried, she only became a knight about a month ago. She can't be happy to just sit there alone." His mom had taught him that emotions were easier to process if you had somebody to confide in about them. Right now, Padmé had nobody, or at least she was acting like she had nobody. But even if they weren't together, they were still friends. "Just watch the ship." He ignored the droid's further protests, stepping into the bed chambers built into the ship that Padmé had made her temporary meditation space.
Anakin couldn't bring himself to regret his decision as he stepped into the room. It was clear Padmé had given up on meditating, and was instead sitting on the bed, playing with something in her hands and looking rather dejected and alone. She jumped as he sat down next to her, startled. He put one hand on her leg. "Credit for your thoughts?"
Padmé frowned. "What are you doing back here?"
"Artoo can watch the ship in case of an emergency." He smiled, hoping he came off as more reassuring than he was. "I figured right now, you've done enough meditating, and anymore would do more harm than good."
"I haven't done enough." Anakin was surprised at her admission. "Not until I've managed to work through all of my fear for Obi-Wan."
"Work through?"
"It's how we deal with our emotions. We're supposed to figure them out and understand them, and then release them into the Force." Padmé smiled.
Another time, Anakin might have asked for a lesson, but this wasn't about him learning about the Jedi. It was about giving Padmé an outlet to talk about it. "And you haven't done that?"
"I'm...struggling with the working through them part." The fact that she admitted it probably meant that she was more worried than he'd thought. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose Obi-Wan, and every time I think I've finally worked through it, I just keep getting worried all over again."
How he'd thought only hours earlier Padmé could've left Obi-Wan to die on Geonosis, Anakin wasn't sure. He pulled her into a hug, knowing he was probably ignoring her request for space to some degree, but also knowing right now she needed some kind of steadying force more than either of them needed space to get over their crushes. (His crush? He still wasn't one hundred percent sure if it went both ways.) "We'll make it in time. Count Dooku can't do anything to Obi-Wan without sparking an intergalactic war, and right now, the Separatists want peace as much as we do." He hoped they did anyways, but now wasn't the time to doubt it.
Padmé nodded, hugging him in return. "Thank you, Anakin." The more realistic, but less positive outcome and suspicions remained unsaid between them, and he continued to hold her, hoping to provide any reassurance she needed. "I hope you're right."
"I will be. Obi-Wan isn't dying, not today." Neither of them could afford to lose the Jedi Knight right now, so they wouldn't. It was that simple.
For a few more moments, they held onto each other, not saying anything as Padmé simply breathed in the comfort, and Anakin enjoyed her presence in his arms, but they had to return to the very real reality at some point, and so Anakin let go, and Padmé followed, a shaky smile on her face. Anakin couldn't help but feel proud that he'd managed to provide her with a stability her meditation had failed to give. Or at least he hoped it was stability.
"So, what were you looking at anyways?" he asked. Padmé looked up at Anakin, startled. "You were playing with something when I came in, remember?"
"That's...not important." She put her hand into her pocket, and Anakin noticed a chain in her hand as she put it away before taking her hand out of her robe.
"Sure it's not, so that's why you're hiding it."
Padmé sighed, realizing she wouldn't be able to get away with it. "It's the necklace you gave me."
"You still have it?" It was a gift from a nine year old to the girl he was crushing on, and Jedi weren't supposed to have a lot of personal belongings. If he was honest, Anakin was surprised she still had the Japor Snippet.
Padmé nodded. "The Jedi don't believe in luck, but I wanted to have it on me anyways, just in case." It took all of Anakin's power to not try to kiss her again, but she'd asked, and they'd both agreed that love wasn't on the table. "I can't wear it in case it gets damaged, but I can always keep it near me."
"I'm glad." And he meant it. It was something that kept them together, even when everything else wasn't so fortunate. "Why don't you come with me for a bit? I could use the company, and I don't think you'll get any farther in your meditation while you're here."
"I might, you wouldn't know." Padmé stood up anyways, following the same logic as him in that her meditation was done anyways, and Anakin led the way to the cockpit, hoping to continue to provide a distraction the rest of the way there.
Three games of Dejarik, a round of Sabbac, and a still victorious Astromech later, the ship's navigation systems went off, signifying a return to the real space around them. Anakin took up the controls of the ship, leaving Padmé to check the rest of the systems as he grabbed the wheel, navigating them to the surface of Geonosis.
"We need to be careful where we land," Padmé suggested. "Somewhere out of the way and in cover, so the Geonosians and droids don't notice us."
"They won't." Anakin smirked. "You know I'm better at flying than to get us caught."
Padmé laughed. "It doesn't matter if we get shot down, we don't want to be the reason a war breaks out between the Separatists and Republic, or do your words against creating an army mean nothing?"
"No, I mean them." Anakin turned to him. "But you do know the reputation I have."
"I guess we'd better be ready for a war by the end of the night." Anakin went to defend himself, but stopped, realizing she was teasing him.
He was definitely going to need a lot of time away from her after they rescued Obi-Wan if he wanted to get over the crush he'd had on her since he was nine, that was for sure.
"Do you have a weapon?" she asked, turning serious. Anakin nodded, pulling out a blaster. "Good. Stay close to me, and if we get separated, find some place to hide. I'll find you once Obi-Wan is safe." And with that, the ship touched the ground and the dock extended, and it was time to get moving onto the surface of the planet.
Padmé took lead, her blue lightsaber in her hands and Anakin followed after her, happy to do so and finally get a chance to see her fight now that she'd finished her Jedi training, if it came down to it at least.
She led them between the rocks, indicating to him when they'd need to hide and when they'd need to keep moving as droid sentries passed them by, using the Force to sense when they were getting close to keep them safe. Not that he needed the signals. Anakin may not have been nearly as well trained as Padmé, but he was strong, and able to tell what was going on around him with little effort when needed.
It wasn't long before they got into the factory itself, made obvious by the less natural walls and metal floors, and the oppressive feeling surrounding them that something was very wrong, that they were on the precipice of an inevitability, of something dark. They kept moving, hoping to avoid detection or trouble from anything that might be around.
"Wait." Padmé put her hand out, and Anakin sensed it too, a change in their surroundings, and before either could react two Geonosians jumped out of the shadows, flying at the two of them. Padmé turned on her lightsaber and immediately swung it, cutting the Geonosians in two before either of them could get hurt, and Anakin shot the other, not checking to see if he'd simply left it unconscious or dead.
"We need to go, now." Padmé didn't disagree with him, and the two started running down the hallway, Padmé's speed more than making up for the edge his height gave him as the two managed to keep pace with each other before reaching what looked like a doorway.
Anakin stopped short on the edge of an incomplete bridge, followed by Padmé as they looked down into the depths of the factory below. "We need to go back."
"There's no other choice." And before either of them could process anything, Padmé jumped, landing on a conveyor belt on the ground below her. "Anakin, come on!" He closed his eyes and put his faith in her before making the same jump, feeling the Force catch him as Padmé gently lowered him down safely.
"Are you okay?" she asked, and for a moment, her brown eyes softened as she looked him over, checking to make sure he was alright. They stood there unmoving, and though Anakin was desperately trying, he still found himself drawn in.
The crashing sound of the machinery surrounding them pulled both of them outside of the spell that was seemingly cast around them, bringing them back to reality once more. A large metal arm crashed into the treadmill, crushing whatever metal was surrounding it into a thin plate. "I'm fine, we gotta get off this thing."
Padmé nodded, but before either of them could do anything more, Anakin found himself pushed off the platform and into a vat beneath the treadmill, and he watched as Padmé helplessly got stuck on the treadmill. "No! Padmé!"
"Anakin! You have to get out of there?" The fear in her voice spoke volumes to say that whatever was possibly coming for him if he didn't get out of the empty trap might have been worse than it was for her.
He tried climbing up the walls of the vat, attempting to pull himself out of there, but there were no footholes or small ledges he could use to get a grip, just smooth metal. "I can't get out! There's no grip."
He looked over in her direction to see Padmé, hoping she would be doing better, but from what he could see, she appeared to be struggling with her casings, even with her lightsaber, unable to get out of them. There was no time. They had to think of something. A way out, where they could both survive. It had to be possible, it had.
A beeping noise overhead clued Anakin into a single idea as a familiar astromech droid appeared overhead above the vat. "Artoo?" The droid lowered down, allowing Anakin to climb on before he used his boosters to get Anakin out, evidently just in time as not moments later was the vat he was trapped in filled with some kind of molten metal, hot and likely to kill him had he let it. R2 let out a sarcastic comment, and Anakin smiled. "I know, thank you for saving my life bud. Now come on, we have to go help Padmé."
The droid dropped him off by the control panel, and Anakin removed his blaster to shoot at any droid's that came near, while the data probe extended into the panel. He just needed to provide cover until the droid could slice into the system and gain control. Thankfully, It wasn't long before the treadmill stopped. Padmé, no longer in danger from the risk of having her body crushed by metal, turned to encasing around her arm and began trying to pull free.
"Come on, let's go." Artoo flew over to where Padmé was, and Anakin jumped right over the control panel, quickly following in the droid's path as he ran over to the Jedi. R2 began working on the panel, and it wasn't long before Padmé's hand was free after the droid managed to melt through the metal holding her arm down.
"Ani." She looked like she wanted to say more, but held back anything more than her appreciative thanks. "I was worried you wouldn't get out in time."
"I'm fine and you're fine. Where's your lightsaber?" Padmé indicated the crushed pile of metal on the ground, a frown on her face as she did so. She used the Force to grab the small blue crystal within the wreckage. It seemed as though the power source to her weapon survived, even if the metal shell didn't. "I guess it doesn't matter. Come on, we have to get going."
"I know." She was the defenseless one now, but that didn't matter. The two were smart. They could make it through, so long as they didn't get spotted. Maybe not the easiest task, but far from the hardest they'd face. "We've got to be in the center of the Droid Factory...we have to be close to where they're hiding Obi-Wan."
Anakin nodded. "Then let's keep moving."
"Not another step." The two turned around to find themselves face to face with a Mandalorian man, surrounded by a few dozen battle droids. He had a blaster pointed at the two of them, and had Padmé still had her lightsaber, they might have been able to fight their way out of it, but without it, they were both powerless. He kept the blaster aimed at Padmé, but despite that he appeared to be more focused on Anakin. "Well, I suppose I owe you my gratitude, Jedi. You just made my life that much easier."
The rescue attempt was a complete failure, but the fact that he and Padmé had gotten themselves captured made Anakin feel arguably worse, given he'd been as insistent on going as Padmé had. Now he'd arguably caused her to fail her mission, and gotten themselves both killed in the process. A fantastic job, if he was honest with himself.
He glanced over at Padmé as she stepped in the chariot. Despite the fact that she was so small, she stood defiant. She looked every bit the Jedi she was, and he couldn't help but feel a flash of pride at how even a death sentence like the one they were facing couldn't bring her down, wouldn't stop her. He beat down the affection with everything he had, instead focusing on what was going on now. "I guess this is it." He let out an over dramatic sigh, noticing the slight twitch of a smile on her determined face.
"So it is." Padmé's response was so quiet, Anakin had to struggle to even hear it. "I'm sorry, Anakin."
"You did your best." Anakin wished more than anything else he could touch her, give her some amount of reassurances to go with his words, but with his hands bound together, there was little he could do. "Even Jedi have their limits to what they can do."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what is?" He looked at her, and the moment before she answered stretched to what felt like an eternity.
"I lied. What I told you earlier, it was wrong. I love you." Of all the things that could have been said, that was probably the only one he'd never imagined, never even thought to imagine.
Without realizing it, the words that plagued Anakin's thoughts escaped him. "You love me?" He looked away, unable to see her response. "I thought we'd decided not to fall in love. That the lies we'd have to tell, have to live through, that they'd destroy us."
"I think we're about to be destroyed anyways." He looked up at Padmé, startled, but unable to refute anything she'd said. The chances of them surviving the arena were low, almost nonexistent. She was right. If they were going to die anyways, then there wasn't a point in pretending anymore. It didn't matter if they were caught. Nobody in the Senate would hear about it, and the only Jedi who might likely wouldn't survive the night. No one left to find out. No one left to use it to ruin their lives. Their eyes met, and suddenly neither Senator nor Jedi wanted to look away from each other. To break the moment. "I truly, deeply, love you. Before we die, I wanted you to know."
Anakin wasn't sure whether it was Padmé or himself that first moved to close the distance, but it wasn't long before their lips met. Despite coming from a dire situation, the kiss was soft, hardly more intense than the one they had shared on Tatooine, but much more meaningful. Because more than anything, Anakin loved her, and that was all he wanted her to know.
They pulled away, and Anakin rested his forehead on Padmé's, not wanting to let the moment between them end. Neither said anything, instead simply holding on to what was likely the last chance they would have to be together. So much they both wanted to say despite knowing they would never get the chance.
The chariot began moving, causing them to pull away from each other.
Their execution had finally begun.
The chariot carried Anakin and Padmé into the arena, set up to allow the thousands of Geonosians and the Separatists leaders to watch the execution that would be coming, the battle between Anakin, Padmé, and whatever threats they might be forced to face. Her death was coming, it wasn't hard for her to believe that, but in spite of that, she wasn't quite bothered, almost feeling like she was floating as Anakin held her hand clasped in his.
A soft smile formed on her face as she thought back to it, even if they were being carted to their deaths. They were going to die anyways, there was no point in not indulging in this tiny, little thing that she could.
Besides, she had one more idea. As they arrived into the center of the arena, Padmé dropped Anakin's hand and reached into her hair, pulling at one of the pins she used to keep it from falling into her face to attempt to open the handcuffs binding her hands. It was her only idea really, otherwise there would be no survival.
...If she was honest, the chances of her survival were low anyways, but if she could do anything to improve those odds, she would. Anakin spared her a confused glance, but she refused to elaborate out of fear that the guards might notice. If they took the pin from her, she'd be as good as dead anyways. Rather than state the true reason she'd hidden her pin, she instead tilted her head towards the pillars in the area, which held Obi-Wan in an attempt to keep him from escaping his pending execution. He was probably having about as much fun as they were.
"I was beginning to wonder if you got my message." Their rescue hadn't taken that long, had it? Padmé rolled her eyes at Obi-Wan.
"We got it, and so did the Jedi Council." Padmé smiled.
"And they let you come to rescue me with the Senator?" Obi-Wan asked, his glance at Anakin as he got chained to his pillar as well.
"No, but I wasn't about to hang around on Tatooine while you were in danger." Anakin gave the two of them a grin, and it took everything in Padmé's power not to hit the back of her head on the pillar she was being chained to.
"The Senator and I decided to try to rescue you, without the council's full permission." She smiled.
Obi-Wan appraised the situation for a moment, before offering a sarcastic, "Good job." To the two of them.
"Don't worry, I have a plan." It was a half baked plan, not her best nor favorite move, but nobody could say that she wasn't good at improvising, at least. They hadn't noticed the pin. Which was all she'd needed.
"I hope it's a good one." Before she could reply to Obi-Wan more, she heard the distinctive sound of the Geonosian language echoing throughout the arena, followed by cheering. While she, admittedly, didn't speak it, she had a feeling it was a welcome to the execution they were watching.
She got her answer moments later as three creatures entered the arena. She didn't really have a full idea of what they were, just that they were not something she wanted to mess with, that much was certain. One of them, a large horned beast, turned its attention towards Anakin. A second, one that looked almost insect-like, approached Obi-Wan, and that left the third for herself. Not wanting to get acquainted with these creatures, Padmé dropped the pin into her mouth, and started using it to pick at the lock connected to her left hand. She only needed one. Her creature started prowling towards her, like a Loth Cat stalking its prey, but she didn't have time to contemplate that. She focused just a little more on the handcuff around her and...
Click
The handcuff released her left hand, and she grabbed the pin from her mouth. She could worry about the second one later. "I see, so that was your plan."
"The start of my plan." Padmé smiled at Obi-Wan, and worked at pulling herself up to the top of the pillar. She needed to get away, and get a better vantage of the battle that would occur so she could plan how to defend herself until she could get a weapon. And then she'd have a much easier time fighting them off. The creature that was chasing her, some kind of spiked, feline beast, clawed at the pillar, but was unable to climb it easily, buying Padmé a fair bit of time to take in the struggles of her fellow captives and work at her second hand cuff.
Obi-Wan was doing alright so far. The strange insectoid creature he was facing off against had sliced through the chain holding him to the pillar and he was ducking around to avoid being sliced by the sharp blades that made up its front two legs. Anakin was ducking around his creature, but aside from that had little luck. She cursed herself for not trying to take advantage of their week alone to teach him more than the half baked lightsaber lesson and meditation session, but she had been trying to avoid falling in love with him, so she gave herself credit for even that. As the horned creature ran towards him, Padmé used the Force to give him an edge, levitating him above it and dropping him on the thing. As it ran, it pulled Anakin's cuffs out of the pillar, likely buying him some time, at least for now.
She returned to her own cuffs, now noting that Anakin was doing alright and continued working at the second one. Seconds later, the cuff was off, and she was free, and not a moment too soon. The Force gave her a warning and she shifted as a sharp pain spread across her back. Her feline foe had managed to scratch her, and had she moved seconds later, it was likely the attack would have been more severe. Before it could attack again, she swung her cuffs at it, knocking it back onto the ground and buying her a bit more time.
There had to be some way off of this pillar. She glanced around. The guards had weapons. If she made the jump, she could outsmart one of them and steal it, and then use that to her advantage to keep the creature away until she could secure some form of path to the exit. Then once the exit was made available, the three of them could fight their way out of the arena.
It was a slim chance, a stupid plan if she was honest, but there wasn't any better options for her to take. Besides, Obi-Wan seemed to have the same idea as he ran at the Geonosians for a weapon.
She kneeled down, readying herself to jump and launch as far as she could, when the pillar shook. She looked down to see Anakin grinning as he'd used his creature to knock her own to the side. "Need a ride?"
She jumped down, pressing a small kiss to his cheek. "Perfect timing, Ani."
"I try my best." He smirked, turning to Padmé. "You have a plan?"
"Get me one of their weapons. Then I can fight my way out." He nodded, and used the chains around his arms to spur the beast onward. Before they could get far, Padmé felt a wave of distress ripple through the Force, the source of which being her master, who was now once more weaponless, the remains of the spear he had stolen lay in pieces at the insectoid creature's feet. If Padmé had to guess, the thing was stronger than it looked.
"Anakin." She pulled at Anakin's sleeve, getting his attention. "Obi-Wan needs our help."
Anakin smirked. "Looks like I'm just saving everybody today." She rolled her eyes at the cocky comment, but said nothing so he could focus on the rescue for now. He steered their ride into Obi-Wan's direction, and Obi-Wan jumped on behind her so the three of them were all together to get an escape.
Anakin turned towards the entrance. "Do you still need a weapon, or is this guy enough?" He pet the creature gently, surprising Padmé.
"Go. Just go." She had a new plan, a better one as she saw that the creature was one hundred percent listening to Anakin. If they could ride it out of the arena, they could escape that way. It was a better plan than using a wooden weapon, and they could probably get to the ship with no issues so long as they made it...
Unfortunately, things never really went as planned. Rather than ride out of the arena, they were stopped, not by Geonosians who they could scare out of the way, but by battle droids, an army of them surrounded them and the beast, halting them in their tracks and keeping them from finding a way out. Anakin cursed, likely something in Huttese, and Padmé was tempted to as well. They wouldn't be escaping this, not easily, anyways.
"Any more ideas?" Padmé shook her head and deferred to Obi-Wan, who seemed to be at about as much of a loss as he was.
"I am impressed with your tenacity thus far." Dooku's voice boomed over the arena. "But I'm afraid your escape ends here."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." If Padmé didn't know any better, she'd swear the second voice that appeared was Master Windu.
For a moment, things were tense, and into the arena from the walls and all exits was a group of Jedi, quite possible, the largest amount Padmé had seen since exiting the temple. Almost every member of the council, and most of the knights she had encountered in her time in the temple were there, and a mass of blue and green lights, each from a lightsaber, surrounded them.
A tension pervaded the arena, and it felt like everybody was waiting with baited breath for the conversation between Master Windu and Count Dooku. As though a treaty of some form could be reached between the Jedi Master and the former Jedi, the Republic and the Separatists. One final chance to turn back from the precipice they were on and stop this war.
Peace didn't come. Master Windu jumped off the ledge of the balcony he had been on, the Geonosians began flying around the arena in a frenzy to escape, and the gathered Jedi started running, lightsabers in hand as they charged against the arriving battle droids, thousands of identical, copper, droids swarmed, firing their blasters at every angle.
Somebody in the mess threw lightsabers at Padmé and Obi-Wan, and the two caught them, freeing Anakin and Obi-Wan both from their restraints using the new lightsabers, Padmé's now a brilliant green, and Obi-Wan's now a bright blue. They jumped off of the horned creature and were off, falling into familiar patterns with one another as they alternated between protecting the other from the droid's blaster fire and slashing through them, cutting them down as droid after droid came filing into the arena. For every one they cut down, another two would take its place, leading to what felt like a battle of crazy striking with no real rhyme or reason to any of it. There was no time to take a breath, no time to even think. She just had to rely on the Force and follow its lead to keep them safe.
"Padmé, the Senator." Obi-Wan's voice jolted her out of the almost trance-like state Padmé had entered as her eyes caught sight of Anakin, using the small blaster he'd managed to keep on him to shoot at the battle droids. A small flash of pride ran through her, but she couldn't focus on that at the moment, realizing he'd be overwhelmed, she ran, slicing through droids as she went, and it wasn't long before their backs were pressed together, Anakin shooting and her using her lightsaber and the Force to keep the droids at bay.
"So much for a peaceful approach." Anakin joked. Had they really thought they'd manage to confront the Separatists and walk away without a war on their hands? It had probably seemed easier when they'd only been aiming for a rescue mission, rather than a battle, but whatever may have once been the case, it wasn't true now.
"Are you really that disappointed Anakin?" Padmé joked. "You are known for your aggressive negotiations, after all." She caught Anakin's smile and grinned back. She knew she shouldn't have been having fun on the battlefield, but in the moment, with Anakin at her back, it was hard not to. She loved him, more than she probably should, but she was done denying it the moment they'd entered the arena.
"Guess this means you were right when you said coming here with me was a sure fire way to start the war." It seemed like such a long time ago when she'd poked fun at him with that comment as they were exiting the ship, even though it had since been only a few hours. She deflected a blaster bolt aimed at Anakin hitting one droid, and he nodded in thanks before shooting at another droid, and they kept defending and shooting, moving as one entity and looking desperately for any break in the closing in wall.
Unfortunately, no matter how good they were at defending, deflecting, and firing at each of the droids, there were so many. Too many for the Jedi to keep up with, and Anakin and Padmé both found themselves slowly being corralled backwards. Padmé scanned the field for Obi-Wan, hoping he'd be able to cut a path and help them gain some ground, but he seemed to be otherwise occupied with the creature from earlier, leaving the two of them to continue backing away. They were cornered. Trapped. The whole of the Jedi were.
Just as it looked to be the end, as though there was no escape from the situation they found themselves in, the droids stopped their attack, giving Padmé a chance to take in the battlefield. All the creatures that had gone after them were dead, their horned friend likely slayed by the droids, while the feline like one and insect like one had been taken down earlier in the battles, and the Mandalorian who had managed to capture them earlier seemed to be gone from the battlefield as well, though who killed him, she was unsure.
There was one other thing that was clear to her. The attack had been stopped on Dooku's command, but it was clear for only one reason. She knew they were defeated. He knew his droid army had won.
"Master Windu," Dooku purposefully paused, waiting for the realization to sink in for the Jedi he addressed as well. "You have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order. Now, it is finished. Surrender, and your lives will be spared."
"We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku." Master Windu shook his head, despite being too far away for Dooku to see the action.
"Then, I am sorry old friend." Padmé felt her stomach plummet. This was it, she supposed. All the fighting she'd been doing to survive would amount to little. The Force had decided it was her destiny, Anakin's destiny, Obi-Wan's destiny, to die here. She took the hand that wasn't holding her lightsaber and intertwined it with Anakin's, and he held hers back and gave a gentle squeeze, showing he was on the same page.
If they were dying, then they'd die together.
She tightened her grip on the green lightsaber, and watched as the droids took aim once more. If she died now, she'd do everything in her power to take as many of these rust buckets with her. She felt that same resolution in Anakin, as he aimed his blaster, ready for the third and final round of this execution.
It never came, over the horizon, ships began filing in, firing at the ground and aiming for each of the different droids and clearing a path for the Jedi to find escape.
Help had finally arrived.
As soon as the ships arrived, they docked, allowing the white armored passengers into the arena to help take down the droids surrounding the trapped Jedi. "Around the survivors, a perimeter create." Much to Padmé's surprise, Yoda of all people was leading the charge of soldiers to surround them. The elder Jedi was one of the people most vehemently against any war starting, so the fact that he was here leading an army was near to impossible for her to wrap her head around.
The soldiers immediately pulled out blasters and began firing, hitting the droids and doing as Obi-Wan ordered, clearing a better path. Now no longer surrounded, it became much easier too for the remaining Jedi, as they began slicing through droids with a renewed fervor, aiming for the carriers to get them away. Rather than work at clearing a path, Padmé stayed near Anakin, continuing to keep the senator from harm as she blocked fire and sliced through any droids that got near with her blade.
"Padmé! Anakin!" Padmé looked to a nearby carrier and locked eyes with her former master. "It's time to go."
She nodded and pulled the senator away, continuing to guard him from blaster fire after blaster fire, each catching on her blade and reflecting back at the droid who sent it, before finally making it onto the carrier with Obi-Wan, Anakin standing near her, and they took off, flying around the cliffs rapidly.
"Hold on," Obi-Wan said as he indicated the different straps hanging from the ceiling. Padmé nodded, and grabbed onto one, Anakin grabbing onto her moments later, although she doubted it was for stability. She shot him a look of annoyance and rolled her eyes, only for Anakin to give her a cheeky grin back and grabbed onto one of the ropes as well. (Though still not letting go of her.)
Rather than give Anakin a lecture on actually hiding their relationship, if that's what it was, Padmé decided it was best to remain focused on the task at hand, the battle they were in. "We have to stop them from escaping. If they escape, then it'll be war."
"If you have any ideas, my former Padawan, I'm all ears." She nodded and began skimming the battlefield, looking for anything in the skies or on the ground that they could use to defend themselves.
Her eyes landed on a tower, not far off from the combat in question, and lit up as she came up with her strategy. "The fuel."
"Padmé, what are you talking about?" Anakin asked.
"If we can knock down the fuel towers, we clear the skies and can do more damage to the factory so they won't be able to make as many droids." She had to slow the war effort, it was bad enough they were definitely among an army right now (not that she had any idea of how the Republic managed to put one together so fast) and that all the risk Anakin had put himself in had been for nothing, but at least stopping it from growing would keep things from getting worse.
Anakin grinned at her. "Padmé, you're a genius." The trio watched as the soldiers relayed the commands before firing some kind of explosive right at the fuel tanks, which toppled over, setting off an explosion on the droids beneath it and causing substantial damage.
Obi-Wan gave her a look full of approval, and Padmé felt his pride coming off of him in powerful waves. "Good call, Padmé." She smiled at him, glad to have his approval over her decisions.
"Thank you, Master." They continued flying in the carriers, attempting to keep up with Dooku in the midst of all the chaos of the battle. Energy beams continued to fly around as the shields kept them defended from most of the strikes.
Two cruisers appeared from the ground not far away, and sent a rocket flying at one of the cruisers nearby, causing it and anybody on it to go down in flames. "Attack those federation starships." Obi-Wan gave the order, and the soldiers complied, taking revenge for their fallen brethren who had been shot down.
Padmé had partaken in the slave rebellions on Tatooine when the planet had become free of Hutt control a few years back. She had thought that was war, that was as bad as it would ever get.
This was worse.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by Anakin moments later. "Padmé, Count Dooku's there." She looked at where Anakin was pointing, and though she was unsure how he knew, she knew he was right. She could sense a malevolent presence aboard, likely the Sith that was aiding him in his battle.
"Shoot down that ship."
"We're out of rockets, sir." The soldier's voice reminded her of that of the Mandalorian who had captured her and Anakin in the factory earlier, and an unsettling feeling made its way into her stomach. Why were the people in their army so much like the bounty hunter who had been after Anakin?
Before Padmé could give another command, Anakin spoke up. "Follow that speeder."
"Yes, sir."
The carrier they were on sped up, and Padmé gave Anakin a nervous look. "Anakin, we can't go after him."
"We don't have a choice. The three of us are the only ones close enough to Dooku to give chase. And we have to stop him here if we want to stop the war." That...no, that couldn't be right. Anakin had to be mistaken.
"No, Master Yoda and Master Windu, they were nearby, they can-"
"Master Yoda and Master Windu have gone to lead the clones in the battle on the surface of Geonosis." Obi-Wan's statement confirmed Anakin's request. "We are, unfortunately, the only ones here who can. Fortunately, I know both of us can handle ourselves in a fight, Padmé. Have a little faith."
She wanted to argue, but deep down knew that Obi-Wan was right. Their best bet was to fly straight there. Besides, he had a point, even if she wasn't one hundred percent confident in her ability to face Dooku, Obi-Wan had already killed a Sith once before. Dooku would have to be child's play compared to the Sith he'd defeated on Naboo, and that thought gave her some comfort.
They continued flying closer, Anakin clinging onto Padmé whenever the flight got turbulent to make sure he could stay on the carrier, and it wasn't long before they landed just outside.
Padmé and Obi-Wan stepped off, gripping their lightsabers tightly in their hand. "Stay on the ship Anakin." She couldn't afford to babysit him in this battle, it was too important.
"No." He shook his head. "I may not be Jedi trained, but I can still fight. You both need all the help you can get." He then smirked at Padmé. "Besides, weren't you the one who wanted more backup."
"Yes, Jedi backup."
"And you'll have me instead." Anakin put a hand on Padmé.
"Either stay on the ship or don't Anakin, but we don't have time to discuss this. If we don't stop Dooku then there will be consequences." Anakin and Padmé both immediately fell silent, the reminder of exactly why they were there at this moment a dark reminder of everything they had to lose if this took too long.
Obi-Wan led the way in, Padmé following close after him and, much to her annoyance, Anakin following after them. They set foot in the hanger, lightsabers immediately lit.
"Going somewhere, Dooku?" Obi-Wan called out to Dooku, who had been walking towards a ship near the back of the hanger.
He stopped, and watched as Obi-Wan and Padmé moved in between the ramp and Dooku. "I was, until you and your apprentice stood in my way."
"Former apprentice, actually." Padmé smiled, but didn't say anything more. "Give up Dooku, you're outnumbered."
"And you're outmatched." Lightning shot out of Dooku's hand, blasting the space where Anakin stood. The senator barely managed to duck behind a rock in time to avoid the blast, and Padmé felt relief that he was safe for now. "Bringing a senator along to a fight between Jedi, a bad decision Kenobi, Naberrie. He barely knows how to fight."
"You shouldn't underestimate him, nor should you underestimate us." Whether Padmé agreed with Dooku's assessment or not was irrelevant, nobody talked bad about Anakin. Not in front of her, at least.
Obi-Wan moved to the side, positioning himself closer to the exit. "We'll take him together. You go in slowly on the left, I'll come in from the right." Padmé nodded, and together in sync, she and her master ran towards Dooku, swinging their lightsabers down. Dooku raised his, blocking Obi-Wan's attack with a practiced ease before aiming a palm at Padmé, stopping her in her tracks by way of the Force and shoving her back. She hit the wall, and felt pain shoot up her back as the wall rubbed against the scratches she'd earned in the arena. She lifted her head, trying to watch the battle between Obi-Wan and Dooku.
In terms of skill, they were evenly matched, Obi-Wan's blue lightsaber matching Dooku's red blow for blow, Dooku taking the offensive while Obi-Wan took advantage of his defensive combat style to block each strike as it came before jumping backwards onto the ramp, safely out of range of Dooku's strike. In response, Dooku sent out a blinding lightning bolt right at Obi-Wan, which he blocked with his saber. "As you see my Jedi powers are far beyond yours."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Obi-Wan gave Dooku a smirk before jumping back into the fray, slashing at him once more, constantly raising to guard and taking advantage of any momentary breaks in Dooku's form to attempt to land a hit. It was a stalemate, though Obi-Wan seemed unsettled. Padmé wasn't sure what the lightning that Dooku used meant, but given she'd never stumbled across it in all her training, it didn't seem likely it was something that could just be used for good.
Then, in the middle of the dancing blades, Obi-Wan fumbled, only for a moment, but it was enough. Dooku sliced at his arm and side, and the man crumpled to the ground, alive, but injured and unable to fight further. "Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Yoda holds you in such high esteem. Surely you can do better." It seemed that, despite his disappointment, Dooku didn't care for the young Jedi Knight's life, as he simply raised his lightsaber in an attempt to finish the job.
Only to be blocked by Anakin, who had grabbed Obi-Wan's saber to protect him. Padmé watched in horror, trying to pick herself up to do something.
"Brave of you boy, I would've thought you'd have learned your lesson." Dooku taunted him, but rather than phasing the boy, Anakin just smirked in response.
"I'm a slow learner."
"That you may be, but you are also an untrained Force sensitive, and not worth my time." And with that he lifted Anakin up off the ground, who grabbed at his throat.
He was force choking Anakin. He would die if she didn't manage to pull Dooku's attention away. She forced herself off the ground and ran, her lightsaber relit and ready for battle as she swung the blade down. Dooku released Anakin to block her strike, and he fell next to Obi-Wan, unconscious, but alive. "Leave Anakin alone."
"Ah, so you do care for the senator...interesting." Whatever Dooku was noting that for, Padmé didn't want to know. She swung her lightsaber, each match being met by Dooku's and just like with Obi-Wan, little ground was gained or lost between the two of them. They simply continued to strike at each other. Green met with red in a violent clash of colors, creating bright sparks where they met.
Dooku smirked and pushed her back with the Force, breaking the pattern and throwing her off balance. "Padmé!" She caught Obi-Wan's lightsaber as the man threw it at her and blocked the strike with both sabers. She kept striking, but the extra saber made no difference in her ability to hit Dooku. He was too well trained. She couldn't protect them on her own or defeat Dooku by herself. She needed Obi-Wan, she needed-
Before she could process anything more, a searing pain went through her left arm, and she looked down to see nothing but empty space where the lightsaber should have been. She let out a cry in pain, but before she could react farther, even attempt to process, she was pushed back with the Force, the remaining saber flying out of her hand and to the ground.
She looked up, the red glow of Dooku's corrupt lightsaber vanished, and he turned his back away from the two, defeated Jedi and Force sensitive senator. It was likely the only reason he hadn't killed them was because they'd managed to stall for a long enough period. Hopefully, long enough where the other Jedi could show up and help them.
Just before Dooku could head up the ramp, however, the sound of footsteps reached Padmé's ears, alongside the sound of a cane hitting the ground. The movements were slow, but not drawn out, and it wasn't long before Yoda came around the corner, looking upon the scene in front of him without judgement or anger.
"Master Yoda." Dooku nodded to the Jedi Grandmaster, though it was clear it was more born out of courtesy than anything else.
"Count Dooku." There was a sadness to Yoda's voice, almost as though he regretted the fate that was going to pass. The inevitable battle that would be coming sooner rather than later. The two powerful Jedi looked upon each other for a moment, neither speaking a word.
"You have interfered with our affairs for the last time." Dooku finally spoke, breaking the silence. Rather than give a chance for possible negotiation, Dooku pulled a piece of metal off the walls of the hanger and threw it at Yoda, who caught it with the Force and set it down gently, not wanting to cause any further damage. He repeated this twice more, but both times, Yoda easily protected himself from each of Dooku's strikes, sending the objects away before they could deal any damage, though this time it was less like a gentle set down and more of a throw as far away as possible. It seemed as though Yoda was struggling more with fighting somebody who was once a fellow Jedi more so than he was with the battle itself.
He entered a combat stance, as though daring Dooku to throw more objects at him, and throw more Dooku did. He raised his hand and brought down the ceiling, which may have crushed Yoda had he not been as strong in the Force as he was, but as it stood, he simply caught the rubble and tossed it aside, much like every other object thrown his way. "Powerful, you have become Dooku." Rather than simple praise, however, Yoda sighed. "The dark side I sense in you."
Padmé felt her blood run cold. Was that why Dooku had so many strange powers she had never seen a Jedi use before? Was his lightsaber now truly that of a Sith?
"I have become more powerful than any Jedi, even you." Dooku sent a blast of the same blue lightning he had used on all of them at Yoda, but unlike Obi-Wan and Anakin, Yoda had been able to simply catch it in his hand, absorbing the lightning before redirecting it back at Dooku. Dooku blocked the lightning before firing it again. This time, however, Yoda absorbed it and let it dissipate into nothing, as though it had never been fired at him in the first place.
"Much to learn you still have." Ever the teacher, Yoda was, even now, even to the dark side user in front of him who may have fallen not just from the light, but to the dark realm of the Sith.
"It is obvious this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the force," a bright red glow surrounded Dooku as he turned back on his lightsaber, preparing for combat, "but by our skills with a lightsaber."
Without a word, Yoda summoned his lightsaber from the pocket of his robe using the Force and ignited it, the bright green glow attracted her attention for a moment before he was running at Dooku. Keeping track of the fight was difficult, as Yoda was all over the place, moving rapidly as he constantly struck at Dooku, managing to barely be blocked by the red lightsaber at every turn. Similarly each time Dooku attempted to land a hit, Yoda would catch it in turn before jumping away, and continuing to move away from the blade. The pattern continued, and Yoda jumped onto the ship, causing Dooku to strike it's wing. The ship took minimal damage, and Yoda avoided the lightsaber's blade before jumping on the walls and in front of Padmé, Obi-Wan, and Anakin, away from the ship, but still distant to the two hurt Jedi and the senator.
Dooku struck once more for Yoda, and Yoda caught the strike easily. "Fought well you have, my old Padawan."
"This is just the beginning." Dooku lifted his other hand and used the Force to pull down on one of the nearby walls, grabbing a part of the structure of the hanger and pulled it down towards the trio, leaving Yoda with little choice but to attempt to catch it to protect them. The pillar slowed its descent, but Padmé watched as Dooku boarded his ship, likely to inform the Separatist council (or maybe other Sith?) what had happened here today. The pillar fell harmlessly to the side, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
With Dooku gone, silence fell, the gravity of their failure hitting them with no other choice but to acknowledge that Dooku had managed to escape. Yoda let out an audible sigh, but Padmé found herself looking to the unconscious body beside her. She used her remaining arm to push herself up and did her best to maneuver over to Anakin. "Ani?" She felt his presence stir in the Force, and found herself looking into his blue eyes.
"Hi." He gave her a small smile.
"Hi." She attempted to return the smile, but given the situation found it a bit difficult, even if seeing Ankain awake alleviated a lot of her fears.
Anakin sat up and looked around, as though attempting to process. "Where's Dooku?"
"...escaped." It hurt to admit that the rogue Jedi had fled, but there was nothing else to say. She had failed to stop him, stop the war. "Anakin, I'm so sorry-"
"All of us are still alive, and you did your best." He didn't comment on anything, instead simply bringing their foreheads together. "That's all we could really hope for."
And in that moment, with their foreheads pressed together, Padmé believed it. There would be more times that they could stop Dooku and end the war.
The three of them made it out of there mostly in one piece and alive and to Anakin and her, that was all that mattered.
"Padmé, a word, please?" Padmé looked up, still fairly exhausted from the past few days, but slightly more functional than she had been as the pain from the attachment of her new arm was starting to ease, and so she had been weaned off of the painkillers and was finally working in more of a capacity than 'drug induced haze'. She wasn't surprised to see Obi-Wan in the medical rooms, he and Anakin had by far been her most frequent visitors on the rare times she was actually awake.
"Obi-Wan." Padmé pushed herself up off the bed, definitely trying to at least seem more alert than she actually was. "Am I in trouble?"
Obi-Wan chuckled. "Nothing of the sort, my dear Padawan." He sat down on the foot of her bed, but Padmé frowned. If she wasn't in trouble. "I wanted to talk to you about your mission to Tatooine."
"With Senator Skywalker?" She slurred, looking at him in confusion. "What about it?"
Obi-Wan hesitated, as though unsure whether he should bring it up at all. "Did something happen during it? Involving you and a certain young Senator?"
Padmé blinked, her brain still under the effects of the painkillers unsure of what she was hearing, or perhaps it was just her hoping that Obi-Wan hadn't picked up on what had transpired between her and Anakin. "What?"
"Padmé, we all know that Anakin has feelings for you." The honesty behind Obi-Wan's answer, caught her off guard. He wanted to know about her possible not even defined yet relationship with Anakin? "He has never made it much of a secret. Normally I'd presume the feelings are one sided, but I know you and him have always been...close. And the way he's acted during his visits, and even on Geonosis, aren't of a platonic nature." Padmé racked her brain, trying to remember through the drug addled haze of the past few days.
She knew Anakin had tinkered with her arm some, making it more responsive, but that couldn't have been what was cluing in Obi-Wan. They hadn't been significantly more physically affectionate than Padmé had been with any others who had visited. He'd grabbed her hand a few times, but there wasn't anything overly...
Right, he'd outright kissed her forehead, she'd nearly forgotten about that visit. Yeah, she wasn't going to be able to just lie her way out of this one, was she? "...they're not." She finally acknowledged. "Anakin is in love with me, and somewhere along the way I fell for him too."
Obi-Wan fell silent, his hand resting on his chin. "I see. I had a feeling something like this was coming. And I'm assuming he knows?"
She nodded. "On Geonosis...before we were going into the arena."
Obi-Wan sighed, and she prepared herself for the incoming lecture on attachments she knew was coming. "This can't go any further than it already has."
"I know."
Obi-Wan frowned, looking at the obviously guilty Padmé. "When you're fully recovered, you'll need to tell Anakin that the two of you cannot be together." For a moment, Obi-Wan gained a wistful look on his face, perhaps thinking back to another time. "You do not have to deny your feelings for him, my Padawan, but allowing them to continue to develop unchecked is against the code."
In that moment, she felt like a wayward apprentice rather than a freshly knighted Jedi, being scolded for breaking the rules she already knew. "We'll be too busy to try anything anyways right now." She responded after a moment. "We're going to have to become leaders in the war, and Anakin..." He was a senator. His goal was going to be stopping the war as quickly as he could. "I know he won't be free either. A relationship between the two of us would be destined for failure. I'll...I'll talk to Anakin about it when I'm finished recovering."
Obi-Wan smiled at her answer, and Padmé felt her stomach churn with the guilt that she had to lie. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, Padmé."
"I know." And she did. Obi-Wan was her mentor, her best friend. He'd chosen her over Anakin, ignoring Qui-Gon's final wish ten years ago, and even now he cared for her happiness so much. He was telling her exactly what she knew all along, that eventually, she would have to make a choice.
Except a small, selfish voice in her head whispered that she didn't.
A little over a week later, Padmé was released from the Halls of Healing with an all clear on her ability to use her new arm in and out of combat and the rest of her wounds having been fully healed. It was weird, having a metal prosthetic now. It functioned like a real arm, touched like a real arm, and yet...
Before she could continue contemplating it, Anakin put his hand on her new one, startling her and pulling her attention away. "So, you're finally all better, General Naberrie."
"Please don't call me that." It was bad enough that once she was shipped out she'd have to hear the clones call her it near constantly. Hearing it from her friend (boyfriend? Lover? What were they?) just made her feel worse. A reminder of the war she'd had a hand in starting, that they were all trapped in now.
A mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes, and he smiled. "In that case, maybe I could suggest a new name to go with the title." She tilted her head, waiting for a response that he was only too happy to oblige. "General Skywalker."
"Are you hoping to get in on the war effort too, Ani?" She treated her question like it was a joke, but that didn't stop her heart from pounding as she realized exactly what he was implying, what he'd asked her with that statement.
"Me? No, my job is in the Senate, but my wife's job will be leading Clone Troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic." His confident smile became more nervous, as he looked up at Padmé with pleading eyes, betraying everything he wanted, everything he hoped for. "That is, if she'll have me."
"Anakin..." He waited for a moment, forever patient and understanding and willing to follow her lead for whatever they wanted. "You don't think it's too soon?"
Anakin simply smiled. "In the ten years since we've met, there's been nobody I've met who could even compare to you. If I could do it all over again, I would propose to you sooner."
Padmé closed her eyes, trying to remember Obi-Wan's warning. She'd lied to him about telling Anakin to break off what they had, but she'd figured she'd have had more time before having to make her decision fully between the Jedi Order and Anakin. "What about the war? I have to help lead Republic forces, I'm needed on the front lines, just like you're needed here. I can't leave the Jedi."
"So don't." It was as though Anakin had given the traitorous thoughts in her head a voice to finally speak with. "Stay with the Jedi until the war is over, and I'll be the husband waiting for you to come home, and doing what I can to make that war end faster." His eyes met hers, and she felt the same intense connection between them as she'd felt when they'd first reunited. Had that really only been a few weeks ago? "Please."
She kissed him as an answer they both knew to be yes.
The wedding itself had been beautiful, and the night afterwards held promises for both the week she would still be in Tatooine, and for the rest of her life so long as she remained with Anakin. Those thoughts were for later, however, as right now she was simply content to enjoy the feeling of her husband's arms around her, and the comfort he brought.
Husband. It still hadn't really sunken in yet that she and Anakin were now married to each other. That he would forever be hers and she would forever be his. And yet despite having only acknowledged their feelings for each other a few days ago, everything around her screamed that this was right. That it was where she was supposed to be, content, happy, and warm right in his arms. As she began to fall asleep, she heard Anakin speak. "I want you to take Artoo."
"Hmm?" She opened her eyes, and found herself looking right into Anakin's.
"I want you to take Artoo," he repeated. "He knows all of my tricks, and while I can't always be there to help you, he can. He's also an Astromech, and you'll have a lot more need for one in battles than I will."
Padmé nodded, surprised at the offer, but appreciative nonetheless. "Thank you, Ani." If he was giving her a droid as a wedding gift, surely she had something she could...
She wiggled out of his arms, Anakin giving her a look of confusion as she went over to her robes. "What are you looking for?"
She reached out into her pocket and pulled out the Kyber Crystal. There were already plans for her to go to Ilum to get a new crystal. The Jedi had all assumed with her lightsaber gone, the crystal too had been destroyed. "If you're giving me Artoo, I want you to have this."
"The crystal you grabbed on Geonosis?"
"It's a Kyber Crystal...the one that powered my old lightsaber." She smiled, and placed the small blue crystal in his hand. "Obi-Wan and I are going to get a new one before I go out into the field, so I figured if I'm not using my old one..."
"It's perfect." He smiled. "That way, I'll always have a piece of you with me." And she knew right away that Anakin meant it. That he would treasure the small crystal forever, just as she did the tiny piece of carved wood a little slave boy had given her all those years ago. He put the small crystal on the nightstand by the bed, and it wasn't long before they had returned to their prior position in each other's arms.
The world outside would be ready for battle, a battle in a week they would be rejoining as Senator and Jedi, but for now the outside world didn't matter. It was just the two of them.
"I love you, Ani."
"I love you too."
In the bowels of the Senate building, deep underneath Coruscant, Count Dooku arrived in his ship, undetected by the remainder of the Coruscant. He had a mission, and it would be unwise to let his master down. "The Force is with us, Master Sidious."
The hooded figure smiled, Sidious, smiled. "Welcome home, Darth Tyrannus. You have done well."
"I have good news for you, my lord. The war has begun." Everything had gone exactly as Sidious had predicted. Dooku handed him the file he had collected from the Geonosians, and Sidious uploaded them into the system.
Sidious smiled as he looked at the plans within the database. "Excellent. Everything is going as planned."
In the Jedi Council chamber deep within the temple, Yoda, Mace Windu, and the newly elected Obi-Wan Kenobi stood together, troubled as Obi-Wan finished giving his report to the other two council members. "Do you really believe what Dooku said, about Sidious controlling the senate?" It was hard for Obi-Wan to wrap his head around, at least. "It doesn't feel right."
Yoda frowned. "Joined the dark side Dooku has. Lies, deceit...creating mistrust are his ways now." Obi-Wan could only imagine what the Grandmaster of the council was going through, right now. Yoda was Dooku's master, after all, and if Padmé fell to the dark side, he wasn't sure he would be able to face it either.
"Nevertheless, I feel we should keep a closer eye on the Senate," Mace said. He was right. If Dooku was lying, no harm was done. If he wasn't, then keeping one eye on the Senate might be the only thing that could stop them from meeting an early end.
"I agree." Yoda nodded, and the matter was settled. If Padmé hadn't yet broken Anakin's heart, perhaps the Senator would be willing to help them in this matter, but that was a matter for another day, another time, when she wasn't escorting Anakin back to his home.
"I must admit, without the clones, it would not have been an easy victory." Obi-Wan looked to his fellow masters to thank them for the help they provided, but before he could say more, Yoda spoke.
"Victory? Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen."
"Begun the Clone War has."
Art by Softie