Lost Family

IX - Falling To Darkness

Anakin stepped out of his ship and looked around for any sign of Padmé. There was none. Instead he found the chancellor waiting for him.

"Where is she?" he demanded. "What have you done to her?"

"Come now, young Skywalker, you must realise, you cannot always protect her," Sidious said, ignoring his question. "There will be other things threatening her life, other instances than the birth of a child. You must see that the power of the dark side is the only thing that can keep her safe permanently."

"I didn't come here to listen to your lies, Sidious," Anakin spat. "Where is Padmé!?"

"I was hoping you would understand, Anakin, but you leave me no choice. You see, this is one of those instances I was speaking of."

He waved his hand and a blast door slid open to reveal a small woman kneeling on the ground in the centre of the room. She was cut off from them by a ray shield.

"Padmé," Anakin called and took a few steps towards her as she turned and looked at him in relief.

The relief didn't last long, because suddenly, the walls surged with electricity, a jolt of it hit Padmé and her screams echoed through the shield.

"No," Anakin called, then turned to Sidious, "let her go!"

"I'm afraid not," Sidious replied, "not unless–"

Anakin cut him off by charging at him, lightsaber in hand. Sidious didn't even move a muscle and before Anakin could get to him, he heard Padmé's scream and turned in her direction. The walls had shocked her again, and Anakin had a feeling why.

"Anakin," she whispered as their eyes locked for a moment.

"Let her go!" Anakin demanded.

"No," Sidious said simply. "The only way you will be able to free her is through the dark side. Pledge yourself to me and save her."

"I'm not falling for your lies anymore, Sidious!"

"But you are not seeing the truth either," Sidous said angered. "When you join me, I will set her free. Pledge yourself to me and I will release her. Don't and she dies."

Anakins eyes widened as he realised what Sidious was saying. He hesitated only for a second, then he slowly started to sink to the ground.

"No!" Padmé called, "Anak–"

Her words disolved into screams and Anakin took a deep breath and kneeled on the ground before the Sith Lord.

"I pledge myself to your teachings... Master," he said bitterly and the moment he said it, something within him changed. He couldn't say exactly what, or why, but it blurred his senses. Then a voice rang through the veil around him:

"Good, now kill her!"

Through his fuzzy senses Anakin saw someone kneeling before him. He knew he had seen the woman before, but it didn't matter really, what did he care about her. All that mattered were his masters words. He reached out with one hand and with the force, he closed off her air supply, slowly.

While she was hanging in the air, the woman choked out a word, a name maybe, and something stirred within him. Anakin ignored it, it was unimportant. There were things far greater than him.

"Anakin!" A voice called and he turned around to see an old man and a boy standing on the ramp of a shuttle. "Let. Her. Go!"

He loosened his grip, and let the woman fall to the ground.

~•~

"Anakin," Obi-Wan called. "Let. Her. Go!"