A Destiny Rewritten

chapter vii: master and apprentice.

"Come on!" Padmé urges everyone forward. They step over a multitude of armored bodies, some of which are obliterated or missing limbs. The smoke rising from the floor is beginning to become suffocating; Padmé takes short, shallow breaths to avoid breathing it all in.

The five of them approach the elevator, and Han presses one of the buttons to take them to the floor that the Millennium Falcon is on.

"Are we going to find Ben, Han?" Luke asks.

"Ben?" inquires Padmé. They had come here with yet another person?

"Ben Kenobi," her son replies. "He's a Jedi Master."

Padmé's heart flutters with hope. Obi-Wan. He's alive and well, but if he's on the Death Star, then.... A cold wave washes over Padmé. She knows that if Obi-Wan is on the battle station, Vader must sense his presence. He is likely seeking him out right now, hunting him down through the Force...

She doesn't have to ask herself whether Darth Vader would kill his old master. She knows the answer right away.

"What is he doing here?" she asks Luke, a worried look crossing her face. As she says this, the elevator door slides open, and the five of them step in. "And where is he?"

When the door closes, Luke answers, "It's a long story--I'll explain more back on the ship. Right now, though, he's deactivating the tractor beam on our ship so we can get out of here."

They assume I'm coming with them, Padmé thinks to herself. She hasn't quite decided if she's going to stay or not. If she left, she would be with her son and daughter, but that also meant leaving Anakin to rot in his own darkness. She still believes that perhaps she can lead him back to the light, and if she stayed, this would be possible. But it would also mean isolation, separation from her children... not to mention the rebels might be blowing up the Death Star soon, since the plans would likely be sent to Yavin IV.

For now, she will at least see to it that her children, along with the Death Star plans, escape from the Empire's grasp. She is still in awe that she has been reunited with not just one, but both of her children--she hadn't expected Luke to be here, but she is more than overjoyed that he is. She hasn't seen him since he was a baby, after all.

Padmé steals a glance at her son, and her heart swells with pride for a moment. She wants to tear up and hug him, but she knows that he would only see it as strange; he doesn't know the truth yet, and she doesn't know when she will be able to tell him that she is his mother.

His skin is golden from Tatooine's twin suns, and he has the same eyes as his father, crystal blue. (Eyes that Padmé longs to see again--eyes that are now forever hidden by a mask.) His hair is dirty blonde, much like Anakin's had been when he lived on Tatooine as a child. Luke reminds Padmé of that little boy she once knew; he is kind, idealistic, but also very immature, just as Anakin had once been.

She only hopes that Luke did not inherit too much of his father.

"But, in short," Luke continues, pulling Padmé out of her thoughts, "this R2 unit led me to Ben, and we found a pilot, Han, to take us to Alderaan."

So Artoo is here, with the plans, she concludes with relief. Thank the Force he isn't lost.

"How did you end up here, if you were going to Alderaan?" questions Padmé.

A shadow falls over Luke's face. He shifts uncomfortably and casts a glance at Han, who just shrugs. There's something Padmé is missing, but she doesn't know what. Judging by the grave expression on her son's face, it is definitely not good news.

"It's a topic for another time, Padmé," Leia says through gritted teeth. Anguish fills her voice, and Padmé's brow furrows with concern. "We've got to focus on getting out of here."