Dark Destiny
Part 1
Padme stood near the
doorway of a large holding cell on an Imperial cruiser. Her cell was at the end
of the hallway, which gave her a good view. She could see all the way to the
bridge at the opposite end of the ship. She looked through the force field into
the hallway, looking for some sign of activity. There was none. There hadnt
been since the ship landed the day before. She had no idea where she was or why
they had stopped here.
She went back to the table and sat down with a sigh. Shed really gotten
herself into a mess this time. The Emperor had known just what it would take to
get her to come out of hiding. She thought back to a time when she had trusted
that man, from her own home planet of Naboo. She had
sought his council time and again, as Queen of Naboo
and as a senator. It made her angry! How could none of us see what he really
was?
Padme still couldnt quite believe how
quickly the Republic had been warped into the horror it was today. Fear,
intimidation, murder and anger had gripped the entire galaxy. Most of those who
still believed in justice and goodness were too afraid to speak up. The price
for speaking out, for treason against the Empire, was death. So much
deathResistance was being stamped out. The Jedi were being hunted down and
slaughtered. There werent many of them left.
That last thought brought a lump to her throat. The fate of one of those
few remaining Jedi was why she had come out of hiding. She had been staying in
a small apartment on Alderaan to be near her
daughter, Leia. Leia was
being raised by Bail Organa and his wife. She had
tried to visit her daughter whenever she could always secretly. It wrenched
her heart to think of her children having to be taken from her for their own
safety. She tried to keep her focus off of her children. She couldnt take the
chance that her thoughts could be used against her, against them.
She was forcing herself to think of other things when she heard the clanging
of boots. Stormtroopers, she thought. Then a
feeling of dread started to grip her and send shivers down her spine. She
forced herself to get up and move towards the force field. Then she saw him
Padme froze. She saw the tall, black
figure enter the ship. She heard his mechanical breathing. He turned to look at
her and started down the hall towards her cell. Her breath caught in her
throat. A jumble of emotions swept through her. Blinding
hatred. Horror. Pain. Disgust. And remnants of love.
They just stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. She
wished she could see his face! If she could just look into
the eyes of Anakin, the man she had loved, her husband. But she knew
that the eyes were changed. The man was changed. No. Not changed. Anakin is
dead. This is NOT Anakin!
Darth Vader finally spoke up, his voice mechanical and evil. My Master
was right about you. He knew you would come out of hiding for him! He spit out
the last word as if it were a curse. When will you see him for what he is? He
is a weak failure! He isnt worth your loyalty! He wasnt worth mine!
With that, he spun around and walked away. Padme
hadnt been able to get a word out. She realized that she hadnt been
breathing. She let out the breath that had been stuck in her throat. She felt
utter revulsion. There was nothing left of the Anakin she had loved. She closed
her eyes and thought of those beautiful, blue eyes that could hypnotize her.
She thought of his smile, his laughter. Tears started to fall down her cheeks. Oh,
Anakin! Why Anakin? Why wasnt my love enough for you?
She shook herself. She couldnt allow herself to get caught up in the
despair again. She paced the cell. She knew Vader was going to take her to the
Emperor. What did the Emperor want from her? Did he just want to make an
example of her? Did he want to publicly execute her as hed done so many
others?
Her thoughts turned to him again. Where is he? Is he all right?
Even as she asked, she knew the answer. She knew he wasnt all right or at
least wouldnt be for long. She knew he was the main target. The Imperial news
had announced that he had been captured. She had seen the announcement on the holovid in her apartment on Alderaan.
One of the Emperors cronies in the so-called Senate had appeared. This
message is for one of my former colleagues, Padme Amidala. I know youre out there somewhere. I regret to
inform you that Obi-Wan Kenobi has been captured. If you do not turn yourself
in immediately, he will be executed. Slowly and very
painfully executed. If you value this Jedis life at all, you will do
your duty by him!
She had sat there in front of her holovid with
her hand clamped over her mouth. She had wanted to scream! She had known that
she couldnt ignore what she had heard. She had gone to Bail Organa to inform him that she was going to turn herself in.
He had been dead-set against it. Youre walking into a trap, Padme! Padme had felt the same
way, but had steeled her features. Im going, Bail. I cant sit back and do
nothing!
Padme had then gone to see Leia one more time before leaving. She had held her
precious four-year-old daughter in her arms and wondered if she would ever see
her again. She had held her close, singing to her and kissing her sweet little
face. Leia had seemed to feel her mothers sadness
and had cried with her. Padme had wiped away her
daughters tears and had given her a smile filled with her love. Finally, she
had given her back to the nurse maid and left for the transport.
She had disguised herself as a traveling peasant. She had put on a blond
wig and raggedy clothes. She had thought that if she looked like she was poor
and insignificant, maybe the Stormtroopers would
leave her alone. She had wrapped herself in her cloak. Bail Organa
had made traveling papers for her, giving her the name of Onliy
Nabirm. No transport station, no spaceport was
without Stormtroopers anymore. Anyone traveling had
to have papers. She had planned to turn herself in, but not there on Alderaan. She had wanted no connections to be made with her
and that planet.
She had made it past the Stormtroopers and
onto the transport with no problem. She had decided to get off at a small
trading port and turn herself in there. She had removed her disguise and turned
herself in at the Imperial Headquarters there. The Imperial cruiser she was in
now had picked her up and taken her quickly away. Thats when she had found out
that Obi-Wan had never been captured. She had bought the lie hook, line and
sinker. The pilots of the ship had enjoyed taunting her with that fact. They
had traveled only half a day when the cruiser landed at the place she was now.
She now knew that this stop had been to meet up with Vader. Buy why arent
we leaving? Vaders been onboard for a couple of hours now.
She found out why an hour later
Padme was at the table, poking at the
food a droid had brought her. All of a sudden, she heard a commotion and boots
walking up the ramp of the ship. She hopped up and went to the doorway. A few Stormtroopers were at the entrance to the ship. One pointed
down towards her. Put him in the cell with her.
She then saw more troopers appear, carrying a person. The person,
wrapped in a cloak, was being carried upside down by his arms and legs.
Following behind them was a bounty hunter. She watched the troopers as they
carried the person towards her cell. She was grabbed by another sense of dread.
They turned off the force field and threw the person onto the floor, face down.
She watched as they left again, reinstating the force field. She saw that further
down the hall, Vader was conversing with the bounty hunter.
She looked down at the body on the floor. She knelt down and moved her
hand towards the hood of the cloak. She hesitated and steeled herself before
pulling the hood back. She gasped when she saw her dear friend, Obi-Wan
Kenobis face. His hands and feet were in binders, his hands behind his back.
She rolled him onto his side so she could check him for wounds. There was a
large gash over his eye and the side of his face was bruised. There were small
blaster burns on his skin and his clothes near misses. He was obviously
drugged, but hadnt gone down without a fight. Obi-Wan Kenobi never went down
without a fight!
She heard footsteps coming towards the cell. Vader.
He had Obi-Wans light saber in his hand. White hot
rage seared through her as a realization struck her. They had used her as bait
to get Obi-Wan! She had walked right into their trap and endangered her friend.
She wanted to claw at the force field, get through it and attack that, that machine!
No, hes worse than a machine! Hes pure evil! She forced herself to
calm down She could feel the hatred emanating from
Vader, aimed at the man lying on the floor.
It looks like my former Master has failed yet again. He is so
predictable! We knew he would try to come for you, Vader hissed.
Padme looked up at him with stony, brown
eyes. No, Vader. YOU are the failure! He would never turn to the dark side as
you did!
I wouldnt be so sure of that, if I were you. My Master can be very
convincing.
Padme took in a sharp breath. Thats
why he wants Obi-Wan so bad! He wants to add his power to the dark side!
Bah! We dont need his pathetic powers!
She smiled a grim smile. Oh, yes you do. The Emperor wants Obi-Wan on
his side. Hes given you orders to bring Obi-Wan to him, alive. Otherwise, you
wouldnt have bothered to capture him. You would have killed him, as you tried
to kill him before!
Believe what you want to believe. He waved his hand. He wont be needing those anymore. Obi-Wans
binders came off. With that, he walked away.
Padme looked down at her friend. She
went and got a napkin from the table and dipped it in her cup of water. She sat
back down beside Obi-Wan. She worked his cloak off of him and rolled him onto
his back. She dabbed at the gash above his eye and the burns on his skin.
She sighed and brushed a lock of his ginger hair off of his forehead.
Just then, she felt the ship take off. Well, were on our way. What are we
in for, Obi-Wan?
Padme remained on the floor beside
Obi-Wan. She looked at his still form. She took in his handsome, bearded face.
She moved him and placed his head in her lap. She lightly ran her fingers along
the worry lines around his eyes. It broke her heart to see him like this, to
know that it was her fault he had been captured. She swallowed down the lump in
her throat and blinked away her tears.
Back when Anakin was still Anakin, she and Obi-Wan had both noticed the
changes starting to occur in him. Obi-Wan had not been pleased, to say the
least, with Anakin for marrying Padme. He had seen it
as a betrayal of the Jedi Order. She had been the one to break the news to
Obi-Wan.
She had come back to Coruscant after she and
Anakin were married to attend to her duties as a senator. The Jedi Council had
not thought it wise and Anakin had hated the idea. But she was a strong-willed
person. She had wanted to fulfill her duties to Naboo,
no matter what.
She and Anakin had stolen moments together whenever they could. Almost
immediately, she had started to sense Anakin changing. He had started to become
restless and frustrated. He had started to lose his temper more and more,
though rarely with her. But the Clone Wars had taken both him and Obi-Wan away
for months at a time. They had been the best pilots, the best fighters in the
Republic. Obi-Wan had been heralded as the greatest general. Anakin had became a household name. His escapades on the battlefield
had become legendary.
Each time when Anakin and Obi-Wan had come back from those battles, she
would find her husband more changed. He had become morearrogant. But it had
been more than arrogance, there had been an underlying
danger in it. He had become suspicious, even paranoid. Anger always seemed to
be boiling just beneath the surface. Sometimes the look on his face and in his
eyes had given her the chills.
It had been during one of their first few respites back on Coruscant when Padme had decided
to talk to Obi-Wan. She had wanted to know if he had been sensing the same
things about Anakin. She had needed his counsel. And she had known that she had
to be completely honest with Obi-Wan about everything.
Obi-Wan had been surprised at the news of their marriage. He had told
her that Anakin had to have extremely well built mental shields to keep that
knowledge away from their Master/Padawan bond. That
fact, in and of itself, disturbed him greatly. But it had also confirmed what
he was beginning to sense about Anakin Anakin was dismissing more and more of
the Jedi Code.
Padme had confided all of her
observations and fears to Obi-Wan about her changing husband. Part of her had
almost hoped he would tell her that there was nothing to worry about, that
Anakin was still the sweet, loving soul he used to be. But those small hopes
were dashed. Obi-Wan had been sensing it to the same degree, and even more. He
had felt like Anakin was slipping further and further away from him and the
Jedi. He had felt a darkness starting to form in him. He had admitted that he
no longer trusted Anakin.
To hear Obi-Wan say he no longer trusted Anakin had been devastating to Padme. It had put into words what she had not been able to
say herself. She had gotten to the point where she didnt trust him anymore
either. She did trust Obi-Wan. He had always been a calm, strong, steady
presence. She had been very glad to have his counsel and his friendship.
Padme, still sitting on the floor with
Obi-Wan, then remembered her last visit with him before he and Anakin had left
for the battles of the Outer Rim. She had known they would be gone for many
months. She had desperately needed to tell him something. Obi-Wan had been able
to sense her distress immediately.
He put his hand on her shoulder. Padme, what
is it?
Im pregnant, Obi!
Obi-Wans face fell.
I havent told Anakin. Something told me not to. Hes been a different
person altogether since you got back from the last battles. His eyes no longer
have any warmth. He never smiles anymore. I can feel a cloud of anger around
him. Its almost suffocating, Obi! She was pacing back and forth in front of
Obi-Wan. She stopped her pacing and looked into his eyes. This should be happy
news! But all I feel is dread! Why am I feeling like this? She broke down,
holding her face in her hands.
Obi-Wan held her close, tears coming to his own
eyes. She clung to him like a life-saver. Its my fault, Padme.
Padme stopped and looked into Obi-Wans eyes in surprise. Your fault?
How in the world is this your fault?
I trained him. I knew that he had a hard time controlling his emotions,
but nothing I did helped. I wasnt a strong enough teacher.
Anakins choices are his own, Obi-Wan. You have been a wonderful Master
to him. Besides, werent you the one who warned Qui-Gon
that he was dangerous to train? Didnt you only take on Anakins training
because Qui-Gon made you promise you would? Didnt
you tell me that you had told the Jedi Council, more than once, that you were
worried about Anakins arrogance and lack of emotional control?
Yes, but
Padme cut him off. But
nothing! Anakin is his own person. You cant force him to learn and you
cant force him to make the right choices.
Obi-Wan smiled faintly. I thought I was supposed to be comforting you
right now.
Padme squeezed his arm and offered a
small smile. You have. Youve been a constant source of support since I told
you about my marriage to Anakin. The least I can do is return
the favor.
Obi-Wan decided to get back to the subject at hand. Padme,
I wish I could tell you that your feelings about your pregnancy are
unwarranted, but I cant He stopped and looked into her eyes. Do you trust
me, Padme?
Yes, she answered without hesitation.
Good. He led her to sit down. He sat down beside her and took her
hand. I also sense great danger in telling Anakin. He
must not know! Dont tell anyone about your pregnancy! Hide it. Do whatever you
can to disguise it as long as you can. I will send you a healer that I know and
trust. She will watch over you and make sure your pregnancy is a healthy one. She
will act as one of your handmaids. She will be the only other one to know. I
will find a way to come back from the Outer Rim as soon as I can. We will
decide what to do at that time.
Padme nodded her head in resignation.
Obi-Wan had kept his word. He had come back for her four months later. During
that time, Anakin had left the Jedi Order for good, renouncing the light for
the dark. Anakin had abandoned every part of his old life, including her. Those
four months waiting for Obi-Wan had been the most miserable of her life. She
had felt so alone! She had mourned the husband who was still alive, but
completely changed. She had mourned the brevity of their happiness. She had
mourned for her children (as she had found out that she was carrying twins) and
what their future would bring. She had mourned for the dying Republic.
Chancellor Palpatine had managed to whittle away at
the powers of the Senate, all the while increasing his by leaps and bounds. The
Senate no longer functioned. Almost all the senators had been bought by Palpatine or were too afraid to question him.
When Obi-Wan got back, she had never been so happy to see anyone in her
life! He had talked with Yoda to get his counsel on the situation. They decided
that she should resign her position as Senator. She would go with Obi-Wan to a
secret location, where he would watch over her until the children were born. She
was also told that she would have to give up her children, for their own sake. The
last part filled her with a despair she could hardly bear. She had to give up
both of her children?
During those last four months of her pregnancy, things had gotten even
worse in the galaxy. Chancellor Palpatine was
revealed to be the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. His new apprentice, Darth Vader, was all that
remained of a left-for-dead Anakin. Obi-Wan had had to leave Padme for a while, not long after they were secured in
their hiding place. He had felt Anakins anger, his searching for his former
Master. He had felt he needed to get away from Padme
and confront Anakin. He had wanted to make one last effort to bring him back to
the light. It had failed. Anakin had gone after Obi-Wan with a hatred and
intensity that blotted out any glimmer of the light that might have still been
in him. It was a duel that had seemed to last forever. Anakin may have been
more powerful, but he was not nearly as controlled or experienced as Obi-Wan
Kenobi. The more Obi-Wan had beaten back his attacks, the angrier and sloppier
Anakin had become. Obi-Wan finally won the battle by knocking his former padawan into an active volcano. He had thought Anakin to be
dead...
He had gone back to Padme needing a lot of
medical care. He had many burns, gashes, bruises and deep wounds. He had been
able to heal himself somewhat through the Force, but he was still in pretty bad
shape. He was supposed to be the one taking care of her, but she ended up
taking care of him, at least for a while. Padme knew
that she never would have been able to make it through those times without Obi-Wans steady support and friendship. They had bonded on a
deep level during that time. Obi-Wan had still been blaming himself for
Anakins descent into darkness. He had picked up the mantle of blaming himself
for all that was going wrong in the galaxy. Obi-Wan had been very unfair to himself. She had tried to remind him that he was taking on a
burden that was not his. She had done what she could to comfort him and assure
him that she didnt blame him in any way. They had started healing together.
Six months after the children were born, it was
Obi-Wan who had the duty to give them away. He suggested Bail Organa of Alderaan, who was a
friend, to raise the girl. He also suggested that Padme
hide out on Alderaan, so that she could at least see
little Leia from time to time. Yoda and Obi-Wan,
together, came up with Tatooine for Luke. They thought
that Anakins step-family, the Lars, would be good to raise the boy. Anakin
had hated Tatooine and the memories there. They
doubted he would ever return there. Almost as soon as those precious little
ones were in Padmes life, they were taken away. She
had cherished every moment with her children and with Obi-Wan those six months.
But it had ended so fast. Bail Organa took Leia and saw to hiding Padme on Alderaan while Obi-Wan took Luke to Tatooine.
Padme remembered that time while Obi-Wan
was gone with a shudder. The walls of despair
surrounding her had been oppressive. Obi-Wan had gone back and stayed with Padme on Alderaan for a while. He
had wanted to help her through the trauma she was enduring. She had hardly let
Obi-Wan out of her sight for a minute! He had become her lifeline. When he
finally had to leave again for Tatooine, both had
thought that they would never see each other again. It was the hardest goodbye
she had ever had to make. He was taking her heart with him. She could tell that
he had felt the same way.
She had clung to the light of his friendship. Thats what Obi-Wan was he was light. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that
he would be light until the very end. He would never give in to the dark!
But even as Padme sat on the floor, stroking
Obi-Wans hair, a shudder went through her as she
thought about what the Emperor might do to Obi-Wan to try and get him to the
dark side. Whatever was waiting for them, for him especially, she knew it
wasnt good
Amber