Return to Chapter 2Of Building
of Empires
Amidala stood in the doorway of the hold, fascinated by the display
in front of her. Anakin spun around and swung his lightsaber blocking
a shot from the spherical remote, then another one. He seemed
to react even before the remote fired. She had seen Jedi in action
on Naboo, but had never had the opportunity to really watch how
they worked.
Suddenly he leapt and twisted to his left just as the remote fired
where his feet had been. He landed next to her. "Hi there."
He blocked one last shot, before the remote shut down.
She laughed. "Show-off."
He grinned. "I guess I was." He placed the saber on
his belt, then pulled his brown robe of a chair. "I saw you
when you arrived."
"You seemed so intent on your practice, I wasn't sure you'd
noticed anything else."
"Oh, I noticed, especially since it was you." He took
her hand and squeezed it then dropped it quickly.
She felt her cheeks grow warm as she glanced at her hands, then
back up at his face. "It was impressive. How?"
"The Force. I can't really explain it, but it gives me insight--a
hint of what will happen."
"I see..." She wasn't sure she did, but then the concept
of the Force was not well understood except by the Jedi. She knew
it was what the Jedi used--that it gave them their special abilities.
"I was wondering if you've eaten?" He shook his head.
"Good, care to join me? Perhaps you can try to explain to
me about the Force." Her smile grew as he took her hand with
a shy grin.
#
Obi-Wan turned quickly at the sound of footsteps behind him, then
stood. He had figured that in the unused medical bay no one would
disturb his meditation. The intruder was a Corellian woman dressed
in a brown uniform.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." The woman
came to attention quickly. "Colonel Baryl Arasta of CorSec.
Senator Bel Iblis has placed me in charge of the Corellian investigation."
Obi-Wan glanced upward in frustration, then back at the woman.
She was almost Obi-Wan's height. Her reddish brown hair was pulled
back into a tight bun that left the impression of cold efficiency.
But it was her eyes that held his attention. Fiery green that
sparkled with intelligence and the ability to see right through
a person. "The Corellians, the Bothans...is everybody sending
in their own investigation teams?"
She chuckled. "Nobody is willing to trust anybody, so everybody
is here. You were there?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, we couldn't do much..." He clenched
his fist.
"No, that's not what I meant. I know there wasn't much anyone
could have done. It's just that from what I understand you actually
killed some of these clones." He again nodded. "The
advance teams have not discovered any bodies." The planet
had been determined to be safe to visit, and several teams were
on the surface already. The others would be landing soon.
"Oh." Obi-Wan thought for several seconds while he studied
the empty room. Soon it would be filled with the wounded survivors.
"So we can't identify them."
"Or trace them. The ships are an unknown design..."
Arasta bit her lip. He'd turned over the data from the stolen
transport earlier. "There have been rumors about a secret
military base we've been hearing in CorSec now for a number of
years. We've investigated them. Usually they are nothing more
than a Hutt crimelord's newest power play--but recently three
top agents have vanished while investigating something called
Spaarti. What do the Jedi know?"
He stared past her. "You may know more about this..."
He only knew about the disturbances in the Force, and the misgivings
of his own overactive imagination.
"Jedi are always so damn closed mouthed. You should try talking
to the real world more often. You might learn something--like
how to share." She glared at him.
He grimaced. "It's not so much knowledge...It can't be used
in a court of law."
"At this point, I don't care about that. There is war brewing,
and we need to know everything about this potential enemy if we
are to successfully fight them."
He had to agree, but outside of a nagging feeling that a Sith
Lord was involved, and that there was a darker purpose to recent
events, he had very little to tell her. "Who ever destroyed
the generators was there that morning." He remembered how
he'd sensed something early that awful day.
"Now, that is at least useful. Except all the records were
destroyed."
"Then there is nothing?"
"There is plenty. I'm a trained investigator. This is like
any criminal investigation." She glanced around. "Bigger
and more horrific--but still a crime. We'll piece it together
like a puzzle..."
"I don't think so." Obi-Wan watched her eyes open wide.
"There is something else happening here. This was not a simple
case of who hated the Y'mala enough to obliterate them. Or even
the opening attack in a brutal war."
"You sound like the Calamari investigator. He's convinced
that this attack had nothing to do with the Y'mala. You don't
have any useful theories...or information?"
He stared at the wall. "No," he lied. He did have hints
of a theory--one that went beyond even his comprehension of evil.
One that continued to grow even as he attempted to deny it.
"If you change your mind, I'd like to hear them." She
turned to walk away. "I'd like to hear them even if you don't
change your mind," she said as she walked out the door, leaving
Obi-Wan to stare at the walls for a few more minutes.
The odor of death and decay was the first thing Amidala noticed
as she stepped on the ramp of the Star Liberty, the ship
that had brought them to Y'mala. Anakin's hand gripped hers tighter.
"You all right?"
She nodded, biting back the overwhelming urge to vomit. Nothing
in her training or experiences had prepared her for the sight
and smell of mangled corpses lying all around.
"Senator?" She turned to face Senator Bel Iblis. His
gray eyes were moist. "It's worse than I even imagined."
He spoke softly, while he ran his hand through his prematurely
graying hair, then shook his head. She then heard him mutter part
of what sounded like a Corellian prayer.
The others stood there, in stunned silence for minutes before
Bel Iblis finally stepped onto the cracked cement. She vaguely
noted that everything was dead or dying--including the plants.
Anakin's hand tightened, as they too stepped onto the dead world.
Suddenly he kicked at the ground.
"Why?" The Jedi asked no one in particular.
Why indeed? The others were starting to talk. Senator Drey'lya
mentioned something about rescuing survivors. Other ships had
arrived to offer aide and to investigate. The Star Liberty
had landed near what had once been the main landing port of the
capital. She jumped when the Bothan senator coughed behind her.
Anakin dropped her hand and wandered toward the remains of a building.
"Yes?"
"I wish to offer my regrets on the death of your aide, Colonel
Panaka." The Bothan's eyes reflected the horror and disbelief
that she'd seen in everyone's eyes.
"He was my friend." Even at a whisper, Amidala's words
echoed in the empty landscape.
"An evil destiny brought us here," Drey'lya said. "The
information my agent had must have been very valuable." He
shrugged sadly. "Did???"
"Waylen. All Panaka said was something about Waylen."
She clenched her fists. The Coruscant officer in charge of the
case had informed her, just before the Star Liberty's departure,
that they had discovered nothing new about Panaka's death.
The Bothan shook his head. "The name means nothing to me."
"Or me." She shook her head sadly. "It looks like
your information about the clones was correct. They are definitely
a threat to the galaxy."
"I fear this is true," Drey'lya said with a slight inclination
of his head. "We must form a stronger central government
in order to fight them." He left her with that thought as
he went over to talk with Senators Brial and Mon Mothma.
Obi-Wan watched from the ramp. So many dead. He could barely comprehend
the numbers. Almost the entire population.
"Planetary bombardment," Senator Organa said beside
him. "It was with good reason that the Senate banned weapons
of mass destruction." Obi-Wan just nodded as Organa continued.
"Somebody out there has resources we can't possibly imagine."
"Not out there," Obi-Wan said, remembering the icy fingers.
"The threat is closer." He glanced at the senator and
shrugged.
Organa's eyes opened wide. "I see." Obi-Wan watched
as the other man seemed to study everybody. Finally he took a
deep breath. "I see." He stood straighter, and pulled
on the hem of his gray uniform jacket as he addressed the others.
"We have an investigation to conduct," he announced
in voice of practiced authority. "I do not intend to sit
here and let this happen to any world again." Obi-Wan wondered
just how much the senator truly saw.
"Master," Anakin said from beside the building. "We
shouldn't be here, doing nothing."
Obi-Wan walked over and placed a hand on his apprentice's shoulder.
Anakin grimaced. "Then where should we be?"
"Up there," Anakin said while staring past the barren
trees. "Tracking the ships and clones that did this. Then
we could destroy them."
"Anakin, it's next to impossible to track a ship in hyperspace."
Anakin kicked at the ground. "Then what good is it to have
special powers if we can't use them."
Obi-Wan knew not to remind his apprentice about patience; instead
he spoke with an exasperated tone. "We do use them..."
"How?" Anakin closed his eyes and concentrated. "Ten
ships..." His fists clenched tighter. Obi-Wan was impressed,
then he grabbed Anakin's shoulder.
"Let go of your anger."
Anakin opened his eyes, and Obi-Wan shuddered at the hatred he
saw there. The moment passed. "See," Anakin said. "The
power is there, I can use it to find those responsible."
"Anger and hatred lead to the darkside. It is that darkness
that is responsible for this." Even as he spoke the words,
his suspicions rose in his thoughts. He ran his fingers over a
jagged edge of wall. The destruction of Y'mala was senseless.
It only made sense if...He spun away from the destroyed building
and stared at the ship.
Amidala shuddered as she watched the two Jedi. It was obvious
that Anakin felt anger at what had happened here. The Force was
something she didn't understand well, but had tried to learn more
about. Anger was not a good thing in a Jedi--she wasn't quite
sure what the darkside or the lightside really were, or how they
could control a person, but she was worried.
A movement from slightly behind her just as Obi-Wan spun around,
caught her attention. Chancellor Palpatine stood on the ramp staring
at the two Jedi, before continuing his slow descent, flanked by
two senatorial guards. He nodded at her as he passed. She pulled
her cloak tighter to block the morning chill, then walked over
to Anakin and took his hand. "Hey." Obi-Wan smiled at
them, before walking away.
"We should have stayed to help them."
"Then you would be dead too. And--" she gripped his
hand tighter, "I wouldn't like that. Being angry will not
help the situation, we need you concentrating on the here and
now. We need to learn what happened."
"It's too late," he whispered. "I've dreamt of
the darkness all my life." There was a look of sadness on
his face that tore at her.
"No you haven't." She reached up to her neck and pulled
on a cord. "You gave me this so I would remember you."
She pulled the Japar wood pendant out from under her robes. "I
have. But I remember a sweet, kind kid...Not one who dreams of
darkness--and definitely not one who wants revenge and hates the
galaxy."
He smiled at her. "You are an angel." She felt her cheeks
grow hot. "A beautiful one at that." She kissed him
quickly on the lips.
"For luck."
Dorfsk reread the file that had just reached him and frowned.
Senator Drey'lya was concerned that it was possible a group of
Bothans were involved in the destruction at Y'mala. And just how
had the senator determined that, Dorfsk wondered as he read faster,
worried that his own involvement might be revealed. There was
nothing else in the report that even hinted about any other involvement
besides the clone army. Maybe it would be better if he told Drey'lya:
he would leave the others out of his confession. He started to
close the file, and stopped. He stared at the holographic image
of the Senators investigating the catastrophe. He used his fingers
to frame one face, blocking all but just below the eyes.
He punched the intercom switch hard as he continued to stare at
the image. "Captain, how long 'til we reach Y'mala?"
There was a slight pause. "Eight standard hours." Dorfsk
closed the link. He wondered if he should send a warning to Drey'lya,
but decided against it. Such communications could be monitored...And
he had no idea what he would say. The senator wouldn't believe
him, anyway.
He was thrown from his chair as the ship tumbled faster than the
artificial gravity could compensate. He grabbed at the desk as
he tried to reach the intercom switch.
The lone pilot of the small Sith ship, watched with satisfaction
as the Bothan transport blew-up. She glanced at the ugly box-shaped
ship beside her and smiled. Her master's newest weapon, an interdictor
cruiser--it was able to pull a ship out of hyperspace. The Bothans
hadn't expected anything--there hadn't even been an emergency
transmission. Her smile grew. Her master would be pleased. She
watched the interdictor cruiser leave before departing. Her mission
now took her to a desert wasteland.
Amidala swirled the flask and sighed. "Drey'lya's correct.
The soil has been sterilized." She threw the flask on the
ground, not bothering to watch the gray liquid pouring out before
seeping into the barren soil. "The planet is truly dead.
It's not fair. We need to stop them..." She kicked at the
dirt as she spoke.
"I know..." Anakin froze in place, a puzzled expression
on his face.
"Annie?" She repeated his name as she waved her hand
in front of his face.
"Oh..." He rubbed his brow. "It's nothing..."
"Nothing? You blanked out on me, don't tell me it was nothing."
She placed a hand on his forehead. "No temperature."
"I just felt a presence..." She didn't say anything,
but indicated with her eyes for him to continue. "I told
you, I've have these dreams about you, my mother..."
"You dream of Shmi?" Amidala smiled as she remembered
their time on Tatooine all those years ago.
Anakin nodded. "Sometimes. I haven't seen her in three years."
He bent down to pick up a branch then tossed it away. "I
was supposed to be on Hoth for cold weather survival training.
Awful place. I managed to borrow a small ship and escaped to Tatooine
instead."
"And no one missed you?" She smiled at his intrepid
adventure.
He shrugged. "Master Obi-Wan probably knew, but never said
anything." He took both her hands and clasped them tightly
in his. "She had aged so much. She asked about you. I told
her you were all right. And were a queen."
"She's a brave woman." Amidala remembered the day they'd
left Tatooine. She had admired Shmi. The woman had allowed her
son to leave, while she herself remained behind. Amidala couldn't
even begin to imagine making that kind of decision.
"I dream she is murdered...I must go there to prevent it,
but..." He spread his arms in frustration as he let go of
her hands.
She picked a dead leaf off a tree and crumpled it. "Life
is not always what we want...We don't treasure it enough until
it is too late." She looked toward the hills. "Another
dust storm." The swirling wind was tearing up the dead vegetation,
sending it spiraling upward. "We'd better head back."
This would be the seventh such storm to hit their location in
the three days they'd been on Y'mala. The wind howling through
the dead trees and empty buildings were sounds she didn't think
she could ever forget.
Obi-Wan stopped as he stepped into the ship. "Hello."
Arasta smiled. "I was hoping to meet you. Did you change
your mind?" He shook his head. "Oh well," she continued.
"Anyway, the various investigation leaders are meeting with
the senate committee to share our findings. I'd like it if you
would attend."
He started to say no, and stopped. A few days ago he would have--but
after recent events and his own promise. "Yes," he responded.
"I'll be there." He stared at the woman for a split
second as he smiled. She grinned at him.
"Good, I'll see you then."
#
Obi-Wan sat behind everyone: he was there to observe the others
as much as to listen. The Supreme Chancellor looked very grave
as he waited until the last senator sat down before standing.
"We have all had a chance to see for ourselves the devastation
caused by this clone army. Many governments have sent their own
investigators, but it is in all our interests if we co-operate
and share information. The Bothans were to have been in charge..."
Palpatine glanced at Senator Drey'lya. "But due to unforeseen
circumstances, most of the Bothan team has been delayed."
He motioned to his left, and a short, balding man stood. Obi-Wan
recognized him as being in charge of the Alderaan security team.
"With the number of investigators involved, it was decided
to divide the work. First we needed to develop a timeline."
Obi-Wan realized the others had datapacks and datapads. He glanced
to his right to read the one belonging to the Mon Calamari investigator.
"According to eyewitnesses, the generators and several other
key sites were destroyed approximately twenty minutes before the
invasion began..."
Obi-Wan read through the report, paying only partial attention
to the speaker, whose voice was the type to put one to sleep--even
when using the Force. There was nothing new in that report. He'd
been there. He did notice that Arasta must have spoken to the
Alderaans: they mentioned the possibility of the strike team having
arrived as early as the morning of the attack.
The voice stopped for a second. "Colonel Arasta of CorSec
is in-command of the Corellian team." The investigator from
Alderaan sat down at a small table next to Senator Organa.
"We have found evidence that T-22 explosives were involved
in the bombing at two of the generators." Arasta said quietly.
"T-22 doesn't necessarily mean the Hutts were involved. This
is not their kind of operation." She picked up a badly damaged
blaster. "The Hutts don't use this type of weaponry. This
is..." She looked slightly embarrassed. "Is Corellian.
We've found a number of them. We can't be positive that they were
used by the clone armies." Obi-Wan again glanced at the datapad.
There was an summary of the data the two Jedi had collected on
the ships. He was impressed with the analysis. The Mon Calamari
nodded at him, then handed him his datapad. Obi-Wan read some
more as the Mon Calamari made his way to the front of the room.
"This attack makes no sense," the Calamari inspector,
Bralar, said. "It is more than a means to cause terror--which
it has already done." The Mon Calamari glanced around the
room, his sad eyes lingering on the Y'mala senator. "This
attack was about more than someone having an intense dislike of
the Y'mala. The motive is missing. Why this place, why now..."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes. The words were eerily similar to Qui-Gon's
views on the Trade Federation's attempted invasion of Naboo years
earlier. Too similar...He opened his eyes as a moment of cold
pervaded the room. He shivered.
Too similar...
He felt a pair of eyes bore into him, yet no one was looking at
him. He shook his head as if that might clear his mind. He was
letting his own thoughts and fears get ahead of the evidence...
Qui-Gon's voice echoed in his head. "Trust your feelings,
my young friend."
#
Amidala had so many questions, but there were still no answers.
The whole situation had surreal quality. It seemed so scripted.
That didn't make any sense, but it was what she felt. She stood
quickly, maybe Obi-Wan knew something. The Jedi was good at concealing
his emotions, but she sensed he was thinking along similar lines.
"Senator Naberrie?" She turned to face the female speaker.
"Colonel Arasta." Amidala noticed Obi-Wan leaving--she'd
have to talk to him later.
"I understand your chief of staff was recently murdered."
"Yes. He was to have met a Bothan agent. You're thinking
it is more than a coincidence?"
"With Drey'lya insisting his agent had important new information?
Yes, I believe it was more than a coincidence." Arasta's
bland expression didn't change--but Amidala noted the colonel's
green eyes missed nothing.
"I don't know much, Coruscant security forces hadn't learned
anything new before we'd left." She had arranged for Panaka's
body to be sent home to Naboo. She regretted she would not be
there for the service.
Arasta motioned for them to continue walking. They walked several
meters down the corridor, before Arasta spoke again. "Drey'lya's
spy is presumed dead. He was to have met with one of our agents
later that evening...He missed the appointment. We received a
message through secondary sources saying he'd been terrified."
"I see. Before he died, Panaka said something about Waylen..."
Arasta cocked her head. "Waylen? Not Spaarti?"
Amidala wondered briefly about that. "Waylen may have been
the source?" Arasta didn't respond to the question, leaving
Amidala wondering whether the investigator had some more information
she wasn't sharing. "Do you know who killed Panaka?"
Her eyes drilled into the other woman.
"No." Arasta smiled sadly. "And I'm beginning to
think the Jedi is right; we will never know exactly what happened."
"They know more than they tell." Amidala's thoughts
wandered. Was it possible Obi-Wan's suspicions were paralleling
hers.
"I know." Arasta glanced around the corridor. "It's
just that something is not quite right. It's almost like two puzzles
have been mixed together--and we are combining the pieces to make
only one..."
Amidala's eyes opened wide. "Ten years ago, another Jedi
said things weren't what they seemed...Unfortunately the Trade
Federation Viceroy died of a brain hemorrhage at the beginning
of his trial. We never did learn everything."
"I remember that. There were rumors about a powerful backer."
"Darth Sidious. All I know is that the Jedi were very worried."
Amidala stopped walking and stared at the wall.
Arasta nodded. "The mysterious Sith Lord. Oh..." Amidala
saw a brief expression of surprise and horror, before the other
woman masked her emotions. Amidala didn't acknowledge anything.
She still couldn't believe her suspicions herself. Arasta seemed
extremely thoughtful as she said good night and returned the way
they'd come.
Amidala's suspicions were dark and horrifying, and every time
she set out to prove herself wrong, she couldn't. Deep down she
knew that nothing else could fit what she knew, but she wasn't
ready to acknowledge that: it would require accepting a betrayal
of everything she believed in. As she continued walking toward
her quarters, she wondered what Obi-Wan knew. She froze, then
stared at the door in front of her for several minutes. She trembled
as she recognized the sound.
It was the sound of a nightmare. The door was unlocked and swooshed
open at her command. She cautiously stepped into the room. "Anakin?"
She could hear him, and barely make out his turmoiled form across
the dark room. She called his name again before crossing the room
and kneeling beside his bed. Amidala held his hand as she waited
for him to wake from whatever vision plagued him.
"Shh," she whispered. "Everything is fine."
Anakin opened his eyes slowly. "Padme?"
"I'm here. You were dreaming." He nodded his head. "Your
mother?"
"No." He closed his eyes. She realized that he didn't
want to talk about the dream. She started to release his hand,
but he grabbed it. "Please?"
"It was just a nightmare..."
"No. Jedi don't dream like others. It's hard to describe--but
we can see bits and pieces of a future...A possible future."
"I didn't know..."
"Always in motion is the future." He was silent for
a long time. "I don't know what my dreams are telling me,
but they sometimes scare me."
She shivered. "Then do something to change that future."
"But what if what I do is what makes that future...I'm sorry,
I've confused you even further." She did feel confused.
"Do something unexpected." She was suddenly aware of
just how close her head was to his--the look in his eyes must
have mirrored her own surprise. He lifted his head to kiss her.
"Like this?" His hand reached behind her neck as he
pulled her closer.
She pulled back. "I think so." She stammered, then stood
quickly. "Good night."
"Good night." She backed away quickly, feeling the heat
in her cheeks.
"Night," she said again. Anakin had fallen asleep. She
leaned against the door and watched him for a second. She wished
for a quick return to Coruscant. There she could do something.
She'd never felt so useless as she had on this planet. And the
place had affected Anakin in ways she couldn't begin to comprehend.
Mon Mothma stood straight and tall as she presented their findings
to the Galactic Senate. Her voice was calm yet tinged with an
incredible sadness as she described in overwhelming detail the
findings of the preliminary investigation. Amidala was entranced
by the woman--who wasn't much older than herself. The Chandrilan
Senator was very adept at holding the attention of her audience,
but Amidala only half-listened. Her thoughts were still fighting
what her instincts were telling her.
Y'mala was gone. The Galactic Republic's finest scientists were
working on the problem--but if there was a solution to the planet's
now inhospitable environment, it would be years before it was
found. The Y'mala refugees were in dire need of everything, including
a place to live. Of over ten-billion, only about one-million had
survived. Several planets had taken in survivors, including Naboo,
but the refugees were taxing resources everywhere.
Amidala glanced around quickly. Her thoughts were paralleling
Mon Mothma's speech. She listened as the senator described relief
efforts. It wouldn't be enough, because there would soon be more
refugees. The clone army would strike again, further depleting
the Republic's resources. Unfortunately, the only way to effectively
combat this foe was to strengthen the Galactic Republic's powers--cutting
back on systems' rights. There was a great deal of reluctance
to do this.
She glanced at Palpatine, calmly sitting and staring out over
the senate. If the senate voted to strengthen their control over
the many governments, he would gain a great deal of power, like
he had ten years ago...
She shivered as Mon Mothma argued against the need to create a
Galactic Federation military, that joint military operations would
be enough. The senate hall erupted with shouts for and against
while Mon Mothma returned her box to the Chandrilan dock.
They would debate this for days--maybe even weeks. Amidala realized
with a sinking heart that it would take another clone army attack
before they would agree...
And as she watched the Supreme Chancellor order silence and acknowledge
the next speaker, she knew she could not support what they would
be agreeing to. His eyes searched the room, then focused on her.
The chill that swept over her, surprised her as she returned his
gaze.
The Jedi council was silent for several minutes after Obi-Wan
had explained the initial findings. He waited patiently before
speaking again. "The Senate will gain unprecedented powers
because of this. The Jedi must participate."
Yoda spoke slowly. "Unite they will to stop the darkness,
but participate we cannot."
"Master Yoda," Anakin stepped forward to the center
of the room. "Could not that unification cause the darkness?"
Yoda's ears lifted at the boldness of the young Jedi. Anakin glanced
around, suddenly realizing he'd probably just made a protocol
blunder. Obi-Wan had told him once that Padawans could speak at
the council only if asked. He took a deep breath. "I've had
dreams--visions..." He didn't want to tell more. "There
has always been an intangible presence in those dreams."
He paused for a second. "On Y'mala and earlier on Coruscant,
I felt that presence." Anakin watched, realizing his words
had truly startled the Jedi council. Only Yoda didn't look surprised.
"You think that someone is responsible for these visions?"
Mace leaned forward as he studied the younger man. Anakin nodded
twice. Yoda was also studying him now. His knowing expression
was replaced by one of incredible sadness. Anakin stepped back--he'd
revealed too much.
Mace exchanged a glance with Yoda. "You have brought us disturbing
information. The Sith Lord is able to hide from us, except when
he wants us to feel his presence. This requires great skill."
Anakin's eyes opened wide, and he almost asked if they thought
this Sith Lord was behind his dreams, but Obi-Wan's hand on his
shoulder silenced him. He glanced over at his mentor. Obi-Wan
had been searching for information on the Skywalker family in
the Y'mala library and had seemed disturbed by what he had found.
Anakin wanted to know what that was--maybe it could explain how
a Sith Lord had known of his existence before Anakin had even
known he was a Jedi.
Amidala leaned over the railing to see the streets some sixteen
stories below her. She smiled to herself when she heard the access
door open then close. "Hello."
"Hi..." Anakin stood behind her. "You said the
other night I should do something unexpected." She nodded
but didn't turn. "We could get married tomorrow morning."
She gripped the railing tighter as she started to smile.
"That is definitely unexpected. But I can't get married tomorrow
morning." She turned to face him, pleased at his look of
rejection. "There's a committee meeting about Y'mala. How
about tomorrow evening?" She laughed kindly at his confusion
followed by one of pure delight.
"I love you." He kissed her. "Tomorrow night it
is," he whispered before kissing her again.
Mace stood slowly and start to pace the council chamber. He felt
Master Yoda's eyes on him. "Something troubles you?"
Yoda's quiet voice asked.
"Yes. A great tide is coming and there will be no turning
it." He glanced out the window and stared at the Coruscant
skyline. "All we know will be no more." There were signs
of dissension within the Jedi Order. Many Jedi were upset that
the council had decided against participating in the coming conflict.
Some were even willing to disobey that council decision.
Yoda sighed. "Nothing is forever. The coming darkness will
be balanced with a coming light."
Mace turned. "Anakin?"
"Balance he will bring." Yoda stared out the window.
Mace returned to staring out the window. "Darth Sidious is
here on Coruscant." Mace took a deep breath. "If what
Anakin said about a presence was true it would mean...A senator."
The Galactic Senate was the perfect place to watch and control
events. "He taunts us."
Yoda gripped his staff tighter. "Taunts us he does, but not
all does he see."
Mace continued to watch the clouds build over the distant hills.
Go to Chapter 4 of
Building of Empires
Return to Other Worlds Index