Star Wars - The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader Page 6

  The Clawdite's eyes rolled toward Anakin. When she didn't answer immediately, Anakin roared, "Tell us now!"

  The Clawdite gulped, then said, "It was a bounty hunter called..."

  Her statement was interrupted by a small projectile that made a ftzzz sound as it streaked down and embedded itself in her neck. Anakin and Obi-Wan turned their heads fast and traced the projectile's trajectory to a high upper roof, where an armored man wearing a jetpack suddenly launched into the sky and disappeared.

  The two Jedi looked back to the Clawdite, whose flesh turned dark green as her features contorted back to their natural configuration. "Wee shahnit... sleemo," she gasped before her head tilted back.

  Being fluent in Huttese, Anakin understood the assassin's last words: bounty hunter slimeball. And with great bitterness, he wished she had given them a name instead.

  Obi-Wan reached to the dead Clawdite's neck and removed the projectile, a nasty little item that had stabilizing fins for long-range shooting and an injector-needle tip. "Toxic dart," Obi-Wan observed.

  Anakin felt some relief that at least one assassin could no longer harm Padmé. Looking at the Clawdite's corpse, he thought, You got what you deserved.

  And then he trembled. He knew it wasn't the way of the Jedi to think anyone deserved to die.

  But he'd thought it just the same.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Because Senator Amidala was still in danger, the Jedi Council instructed Obi-Wan to track down the elusive bounty hunter while Anakin escorted Padmé back to Naboo. To prevent anyone from knowing Padmé's whereabouts, she and Anakin disguised themselves as refugees and left with R2-D2 aboard a starfreighter for the Naboo system. Anakin remained extremely concerned for Padmé's safety, but he was also secretly delighted that his mission - his first official assignment without his Master - would allow him to spend more time with the young woman he had adored since childhood.

  Is it possible she has feelings for me too? he couldn't stop wondering.

  Inside the Naboo-bound starfreighter, they kept to themselves among the emigrants in the steerage hold. Anakin chanced a nap during the long flight, but was visited by another nightmare. In his sleep, he muttered, "No, no, Mom, no...," then woke with a start. Padmé hovered near, looking at him. Somewhat confused, he returned her gaze and said, "What?"

  "You seemed to be having a nightmare."

  Anakin didn't comment. But later, while sharing a meal of mush and bread, Padmé persisted. "You were dreaming about your mother earlier, weren't you?"

  "Yes," Anakin admitted. "I left Tatooine so long ago, my memory of her is fading. I don't want to lose it Recently, I've been seeing her in my dreams... vivid dreams... scary dreams. I worry about her."

  Just then, R2-D2 moved over to them and emitted an electronic whistle. The starfreighter had arrived in the Naboo system.

  * * *

  Anakin accompanied Padmé everywhere on Naboo, and soon met her family. At first, Padmé treated her Jedi guardian like a slightly unwelcome shadow that followed her every movement. She seemed as determined to withhold personal information as he was to discover it, and denied to her own sister that her relationship with Anakin was anything other than professional.

  But as the days passed, she became more relaxed in the presence of the young man who was constantly at her side, and their conversations changed from her devotion to politics and his concerns regarding security to more intimate subjects. As for Anakin, he learned about Padmé's cherished memories of children she'd known as a relief worker, and her favorite places on Naboo.

  Because Anakin had grown up under the sweltering suns of Tatooine, he'd felt cold on most of the worlds he'd visited, but with Padmé on Naboo, he felt - for the first time in his life - truly comfortable. And happy.

  They were standing on the garden terrace at a lodge that overlooked a lake, and Padmé was wearing a gown that revealed the fair skin of her back and arms when Anakin cautiously leaned close to her face and kissed her. She did not resist, but several seconds after their lips met, she pulled away from him and said, "No." She looked away, fixing her eyes on the lake before them.

  "I shouldn't have done that," she said.

  Anakin had been aching to kiss her since their reunion on Coruscant, but he'd never planned on it, let alone imagined that he ever actually would. Padmé's acceptance and return of his kiss had been his greatest moment of joy, and to be so suddenly rejected left him feeling devastated, embarrassed, and confused. He followed her gaze to the tranquil waters and said, "I'm sorry."

  I'm sorry you don't feel the same way for me that I do for you.

  * * *

  Anakin tried to pretend the kiss had never happened. But with every minute that passed after that moment by the lake, every moment spent with Padmé, he felt more tortured, as if his heart had become an open wound. Unable to wish his feelings away, he confronted Padmé, who reminded him that Jedi were not allowed to marry and that she was a Senator who had more important things to do than fall in love. When Anakin suggested that they might maintain a secret relationship, she told him that she refused to live a lie.

  Anakin began wondering about his place in the Jedi order. The more he thought about all the rules to follow and the time devoted to meditation and training, the more he questioned the logic of so much personal sacrifice. Is it so wrong that I care for Padmé as much as I do? Or that I still miss my mother and worry about her? For the first time since he'd become a Jedi, he found himself seriously considering the possibility of relinquishing his lightsaber, leaving the order, and becoming a citizen of the galaxy.

  He tried to imagine himself in another career. He was confident that he could find work as a pilot or a mechanic. But would doing that sort of work make me happy? The answer came immediately to Anakin: the only thing that would make him happy was to be with Padmé.

  But what if I stopped being a Jedi and she still didn't see any chance of a future with me? What then? It was all too overwhelming to contemplate.

  While Anakin's waking moments had become emotionally painful, sleeping was even worse. One morning, he was standing on a balcony at the lodge, meditating with his eyes closed, when he sensed Padmé's approach from behind.

  "You had another nightmare last night," she said.

  "Jedi don't have nightmares," he replied tersely.

  "I heard you."

  Anakin didn't doubt that she had. The nightmare had been the worst one yet. He opened his eyes and said, "I saw my mother." Turning to face Padmé, he fought to keep his voice from trembling. "She's suffering, Padmé. I saw her as I see you now." He let out a long sigh, barely releasing the pressure that was building up within him. He feared that last night's dream was not a premonition, but a vision of events that had already transpired. "She's in pain," he continued. "I know I'm disobeying my mandate to protect you, Senator, but I have to go. I have to help her!"

  "I'll go with you," Padmé said.

  "I'm sorry," Anakin said. "I don't have a choice."

  He hadn't expected the possibility that she might go with him to Tatooine. I can continue to watch her. Obi-Wan wouldn't approve, but... it's not his decision.

  * * *

  Without notifying Obi-Wan or the Jedi Council of his plans, Anakin, Padmé, and R2-D2 left Naboo in a slim H-type Nubian yacht. The fragrant scents of Padmé's lush, fertile homeworld were still fresh in Anakin's nostrils when he sighted the scorched, barren sand planet.

  Descending through the atmosphere, they flew to the Mos Espa spaceport. After landing and securing the ship in one of the deep, open pits that served as landing bays, Anakin hired a droid-powered rickshaw to carry him and Padmé to Watto's junk shop. R2-D2 motored along behind them.

  Anakin wasn't sure how he'd react when he saw Watto again. Although his former master had been kinder than other slave owners, Anakin had always resented the fact that Watto refused to free his mother. Watto isn't entirely to blame, Anakin mused, wondering just how hard Qui-Gon had tried to liberate Shmi. Slavery
is allowed here, and Watto is just a businessman.

  Soon they reached Watto's shop, where they found the old Toydarian seated out front. Not surprisingly, Watto did not recognize the tall young Jedi who stood before him, but when Anakin said he was looking for Shmi Skywalker, Watto made the connection.

  "Ani?" Watto gasped in disbelief. "Little Ani? Nahhh!" His eyes went wide, then he flapped his wings and shouted, "You are Ani! It is you! You sure sprouted, huh?"

  Watto then informed Anakin that he'd sold Shmi years earlier to a moisture farmer named Lars, and that he'd heard Lars had freed and married Shmi. Fortunately, Watto's records provided the location of the moisture farm, which was near a small community called Anchorhead.

  After returning to their starship and blasting out of the landing bay, Anakin, Padmé, and R2-D2 soared high over the northern Dune Sea. It was only a matter of minutes before they touched down at the edge of the farm, which consisted of moisture-collecting vaporators spread out around a small, domed structure. The dome was an entrance to an underground homestead and an adjoining courtyard that rested in an open pit. R2-D2 stayed with the ship while Anakin and Padmé walked toward the dome. Once there, they were greeted by a fully plated protocol droid.

  "Oh!" exclaimed the droid when he noticed the two humans approaching. The droid had been making a minor adjustment to a binocular Treadwell droid, but now turned to face Anakin and Padmé. "Um, uh, hello. How might I be of service? I am C..."

  "Threepio?" Anakin said, wondering if his mother had been responsible for putting the metal coverings on the droid's body.

  Confused, C-3PO tilted his head slightly. "Oh, um..." Then it hit him. "The maker! Oh, Master Ani! I knew you would return. I knew it! And Miss Padmé. Oh, my."

  C-3PO led them down a flight of steps to the courtyard, where a surprised young man and woman emerged through an arched doorway. The couple wore drab desert robes that were common on the sand planet. The man was sturdily built, with strong farmer's hands.

  C-3PO said, "Master Owen, might I present two most important visitors."

  "I'm Anakin Sky walker," Anakin said.

  "Owen Lars," Owen said, sounding slightly unnerved. Gesturing to the woman beside him, he said, "Uh, this is my girlfriend, Beru."

  Beru smiled shyly, and exchanged greetings with Padmé.

  Keeping his eyes on Anakin, Owen continued, "I guess I'm your stepbrother. I had a feeling you might show up someday."

  Anxious and impatient, Anakin scanned the courtyard and said, "Is my mother here?"

  "No, she's not," answered a deep voice from behind. Anakin and Padmé turned to see an older man whose grizzled features betrayed that he was obviously Owen's father. He was seated in a hovering mechno-chair, and his robe was pulled back to reveal that his right leg was a bandaged stump. "Cliegg Lars," he introduced himself as his chair carried him slowly forward. "Shmi is my wife. We should go inside. We have a lot to talk about."

  * * *

  A few minutes later, in the hollowed-out dining chamber, Anakin and Padmé were seated at a rectangular table with Cliegg and Owen. "It was just before dawn," Cliegg recounted. "They came out of nowhere. A hunting party of Tusken Raiders."

  Anakin felt his stomach clench.

  As Beru set a tray of beverages on the table, Cliegg continued, "Your mother had gone out early, like she always did, to pick mushrooms that grow on the vaporators. From the tracks, she was about halfway home when they took her. Those Tuskens walk like men, but they're vicious, mindless monsters. Thirty of us went out after her. Four of us came back. I'd be with them, but after I lost my leg... I just couldn't ride anymore... until I heal."

  Anakin lowered his gaze to the untouched beverages on the table. His facial muscles twitched nervously as he thought, If only she 'd left Tatooine with me. If only I hadn't left her behind... Anakin hadn't had much time to develop an opinion about Cliegg Lars. Initially, he had felt some sense of gratitude to the man who'd helped liberate his mother from Watto. But because Cliegg had taken his wife to live in this desolate area where Tuskens roamed, Anakin couldn't help feeling a bitter anger. If only you hadn 't brought her here!

  "I don't want to give up on her," Cliegg said, "but she's been gone a month. There's little hope she's lasted this long."

  Making every effort to control his rage, Anakin rose and stepped away from the table.

  "Where are you going?" Owen asked.

  Anakin shot an accusatory glare at Owen and replied, "To find my mother."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The suns were beginning to set as Anakin stood outside the entry dome at the Lars family homestead. Owen had offered his swoop bike to Anakin, andthe bike was now parked in the air a short distance from the dome. I shouldn 't be angry with Owen and Cliegg for giving up, Anakin thought. They cared for my mother, but they're only human. They can only do so much.

  Padmé emerged from the entry dome and went to Anakin. He knew she wanted to help, but he also knew there wasn't any way he was going to risk her life any more than he already had. "You're gonna have to stay here," he said. "These are good people, Padmé. You'll be safe."

  "Anakin..."

  They embraced. Anakin almost wished he could have frozen that moment, just to keep Padmé forever close to him. But darkness was coming up fast, and his mother was still out there somewhere. She's alive, he felt. I know she is!

  Releasing himself from Padmé's arms, Anakin walked to the swoop bike. "I won't be long," he said. He swung himself onto the bike, fired the engine, and tore off across the desert floor.

  * * *

  With the hot wind whipping at his robe, Anakin crossed into the Jundland Wastes, where Tusken Raiders were known to hide and hunt among the towering rock formations. He didn't wonder why the Tuskens had taken his mother, or why they hadn't killed her as they had the other farmers. For all he knew, the Tuskens were acting out some profane ritual. Their motives were not his concern. He just wanted his mother back.

  He also wanted her back in one piece. He thought about what the Tuskens had done to Cliegg Lars, and he launched the bike faster over the Wastes.

  He was about 150 kilometers from the Lars homestead when he sighted the tall silhouettes of sandcrawlers against the twilight sky. It was a Jawa camp. Although Jawas feared Tusken Raiders as much as anyone on Tatooine, Anakin knew the small, glowing-eyed scavengers would be more willing to provide information if he gave something in return. In exchange for a multitool and a portable scanner that he found in his borrowed bike's pannier, the Jawas told him he should head east to find a Tusken camp.

  Tatooine's suns had long since set and the moons hung low over the horizon when Anakin saw the cluster of flickering campfires at the bottom of a deep valley. Leaving the swoop bike on the edge of a high cliff, he kept to the shadows as he ventured down into the valley and moved silently toward the camp.

  The camp consisted of about two dozen tents made of skins and salvaged bits of wood from Tatooine's long-dead forests. Two Tuskens stood a short distance from one tent, guarding it. Anakin reached out with the Force and sensed his mother was inside. Without drawing any attention to himself, he maneuvered around to the back of the tent, used his lightsaber to cut a hole through the taut skin covering, and stepped inside.

  Anakin found his mother at the center of the tent, tied to a frame made of thin wooden sticks. A small fire burned in a nearby pot and cast warm, wicked shadows across the tent walls. Shmi wasn't moving. Scared as a child, Anakin said, "Mom?" No response. He could see from the dried blood on her face and arms that she'd been terribly beaten. "Mom?" Still no response. She was barely alive. She moaned as he slipped her wrists free from the leather strips that had bound her to the frame. He gently lowered her to the ground, cradling her upper body in his arms. "Mom?"

  Shmi's bruised eyelids fluttered open, and she struggled to focus on Anakin's face. "Ani?" she muttered. "Is it you?"

  "I'm here, Mom," he said. "You're safe."

  "Ani? Ani?" She seemed confused, as if s
he were trying to figure out whether he really was there. Then, incredibly, she managed to smile at him. "Oh, you look so handsome." She brushed her hand against his face, and he kissed her open palm. "My son. Oh, my grownup son. I'm so proud of you, Ani."

  Anakin swallowed hard and felt the sting of tears in his eyes as he said, "I missed you."

  "Now I am complete," Shmi said. "I love y..." Anakin tensed as her voice cut off. "Stay with me, Mom. Everything..."

  He'd wanted to tell her that everything was going to be fine. And he wanted to tell her so much more. But before he could say anything, Shmi said again, "I love..." Then her eyes closed and her head fell back. She died in his arms.

  Anakin sat there in stunned silence, just holding his mother. If I'd gotten here sooner, I could have saved her. He pushed his fingers through Shmi's matted hair. I won't leave her here. I have to get her back to the speeder bike. But those Tusken guards -