Some Other Future's Past - AU: Jedi refuse to train Anakin. Tagged. Updated finally on 3/16.

Here is the promised post, Darth Work is out of action until Tuesday. Yippee!

FEEEDBAAACK!

~

Padmé awoke to a swirling white fog. The casement window was open and the morning's damp chill made her long to stay here, curled up in the blankets until the sun burned off the mists. It was invariable that she wakened at this hour ? some two hours before sunrise ? to start her day. The solitude was something that she had come to need, giving her time to order her thoughts and perspective.

She glanced around the darkened room, the downlighting making it fairly easy to see what was where. Since the hurly-burly days after her return to Naboo, she had been spending an inordinate amount of time here. At first, it was to keep an eye on Ani, who seemed equally determined to keep an eye on her. Though she felt very silly about it, she could not shake the feeling that Anakin's safety insured the safety of Naboo.

It was silly. It was even childish. But in the course of her day and her official functions it had become a touchstone. A place of calm inside the aftermath of a nightmare made real.

When the true extent of the Trade Federation's atrocities had been ascertained, Padmé had been horrified.

Men, women and children had been herded wholesale into prefab barracks on plascrete pads. There had been minimal sanitation, substandard food and little to nothing in the way of health care. It had not taken long for the very old, the very young, and the ill to fall victim to opportunistic infections - the infirmaries were still jammed to capacity with them. Those who were injured in battle were dumped into the camps with no treatment and soon succumbed to septicemia, gangrene or the severity of their injuries. Resistance ? quite loosely defined by Nute Gunray and his ilk ? was met with blaster fire.

Over twenty million Nubians were confirmed dead, nearly one tenth of the population. The numbers for the Gungans were not yet in, but as Jar-Jar had gently said, 'Wesa all got cryin'. Not no one without some pain.'

In her capacity as queen, she had visited the camps and the hospitals. Perhaps the most horrifying stop was the city of Sia, which had lost all of its people to a sterilization bomb when an outbreak of Break-bone fever was discovered. The buildings were all intact, but nothing lived within a ten-kilometer radius of ground zero. Only the paper-dry corpses of her population remained, falling to dust within days and scattering on the summer winds.

Almost as bad had been dealing with the collaborators among her own people. The Trade Federation kept meticulous records, finding the offenders had taken little time at all. Naboo had not imposed capital punishment in thousands of years. As a planet that owed its founding to refugees from many wars, Naboo prided itself on acceptance of differences in politics, religion, race and creed. With the programs in place to help children find their innate abilities, most would-be criminals tended to be caught and treated before they could commit crimes.

Now the people wanted the traitors among them dead. Some of the turncoats had already obliged by committing suicide, but planet-wide there were thousands more. Some had sold their neighbors out for no other reason than some petty slight or material gain. Padmé might feel one way, but Amidala was queen and the law was the law. For most, life in a penal colony deep in the system's asteroid belt would serve, but part of Amidala died with each capital case that appeared on the High Court's dockets.

Then the nightmares had started. In some, the red-and-black tattooed Sith pursued her through the empty halls and plazas. In others, she hugged her mother and father only to have them stiffen, cry out in horrible pain and then fall to dust. In the worst of them, her people came to her, asking why she had not stopped this and why she had not protected them. They wore bloody wounds, signs of starvation, sickness and of death casually dealt.

Sleep became something that she dreaded. One night, after a particularly bad dream of b

 

Wow. Great post.

 

Wow is an understatement. An excellent post, Rose. I gasped when you got to the numbers of the total dead on Naboo. If we would have know the devastation was so great, the fact that Nute Gunray was still in power during AOTC would have really ticked all the viewers off. And here I thought Anakin was having nightmares in the previous post when the Queen could have been the one crying.

You did a really great job of conveying her thoughts and opinions on all that had happen to her, her people, and her planet.

 

Just caught up, Chaos_Rose. This is really good.

Anakin helping Padme after her nightmares? Awww....

Palpatine.

The Council.

Padme...you go, girl!

 

Ooooooo.

That is all I can say. You make Naboo seem like such a more lively, imaginative, and lovely place than GL did.

Kudos.

 

Hi, everyone and thanks for the tasty feedback - next post is in the works, possibly for late tonight or tomorrow.

I love three day weekends!

Master_Comedy_Kitty: Let's just say that it's going to get ... interesting.

Bwahahahahaha!

Dally: Welcome and I am glad you like the tale so far.

Knight-Ander: I always thought that TPM glossed over the siege of Naboo. We never saw anything of the people. I always felt that no entitly would lay siege to a planet unless they expressly meant to use casualties to ensure the compliance of the besieged.

anakin_girl: Thanks! And just wait to see what Padmé does next.

My Apprentice: Thank you, Darth Puffs. And where's that new post over at Second Grace? Hmmmm?

 

yay! More soon please!

Great post. Nothing could have made my day better. Except another post, but that's getting a bit pushy.

I NEED to know what Ami is thinking. Please put up SOMETHING soon?

... now if only I could spell...

 

Excellent post!! I love the way you described Theed, and te way Padme acted. The part where she was thinking of all the dead... that was sad. All those people.... *sniffs* I can't wait for the next post!

 

great post, nice little Naboo histroy lession, i liked it alot. And the small banter between Anakin and Padme, seems to me they are practicing for marriage? Maybe not.

anyways great post.


Yoda

 

It is 105F outside, and so humid that the mop I used on the floor this morning is still damp five hours later. BLEAH!

Seven and PhoenixMage: Your wish is my command - here's a post!

yoda4982: I love history and law. Reading between the official lines has always been a hobby of mine. I figure that any society has skeletons that they would prefer to keep locked firmly in the closet and that even the most 'enlightened' society was not always so.

I'm going to soak in the pool for a bit, then come back and write. See? You all reap the benefit of record-breaking heat on my three-day weekend!

Now 106F... jeezsh...

Remember: FEEEDBAACK!

~

Obi-Wan lay awake for a long time after the young queen left. She and Anakin had bonded more closely than he thought. At first he thought it the companionship of two lonely youngsters ? Padmé isolated by her rank, and Anakin through his being so very alien to this gentle world.

Suddenly the thought of the previous day came back with stinging clarity.

What if Anakin was not the only Force-strong youngling?

Closing his eyes, the young red-haired Knight cast for Amidala's presence in the Force.

She gleamed to his 'other eye' with health, strength, and vitality. Determination, compassion, and protectiveness were etched into her being. But there was also soul-deep pain, auraed in anger as an infected wound might be surrounded by inflammation. Her strength in the Force was considerable, but untrained. She seemed ? divided, fractured somehow.

Obi-Wan then turned his inner eyes to Anakin. If Padmé Amidala gleamed with the Force, Anakin Skywalker was the twin suns of his homeworld. Anakin too, was fearful and in pain, both from the separation from all he had known and the overwhelming circumstances swirling around him like hungry whirlpools. Love and concern for Padmé, and his worry for her, were topmost in Anakin's emotions. Fear for his mother was another factor ? worry that she might be hurt or sold away gnawed at his peace of mind.

In short, both young ones were so full of anxiety and tension that it was a wonder they didn't twang in a stiff breeze. Perhaps in teaching Anakin the basics, he might also teach the young Queen. It could only help them.

But Qui-Gon?

Grimly, Obi-Wan reached for the bond he shared with his master and sank into the deepest meditation that he had ever attempted.

His master was alive, but so deep in a healing trance as to be unreachable. The injuries to his internal organs had been significant, not only from the intrusion of the lightsaber into his thorax, but from the cauterization of tender tissues. It might be a month before his master was aware of the world, perhaps more.

::: Master, I'm coming for you, but Anakin and Amidala? :::

Obi-Wan could not finish, the distance was too great and connection too tenuous. How could he explain that he thought Anakin was in more danger than ever? Or that he felt that Amidala needed the guidance that only a Jedi could give? He couldn't even be sure that Qui-Gon would register or be able to respond to his sending. As he withdrew, feeling drained and ill, a feeling of reassurance washed against him like a gentle wave.

::: ? what you must, my son ? :::

Obi-Wan felt as if a great weight had been taken from his chest. Opening his eyes, he stared at the ceiling, feeling a great deal of tension as it dissipated from his being. Anakin and Amidala were not the only ones who needed the basics of meditation, it seemed. Perhaps teaching the young ones would let him be a little more mindful of the foundations his master had been so careful to build.

Throwing back the covers, he sat up and glanced at the small figure sprawled in the window's cushions. Reluctant to return to his room in the Great Palace, he'd chance Anakin's hospitality for another use of the 'fresher facility. Moving quietly, as only a Jedi could, he slipped into the room and closed the door.

Indulging himself in another hot shower, he was gratified to note that the worst of the bruising w

 

Great post, Chaos_Rose.

"Did you forget to shave?"

LOL!

And Anakin seems to be just like I am in the mornings.

 

Great posts Lady Chaos. I'm afraid what you have in mind...really, I am. Padme trained as a Jedi? Scary...

And Master Puffs needs to post.

 

~giggles~

"Did you forget to shave?"

~giggles~

MORE!!

Young men may like thier money, and always come back for more.

But I like my fanfiction and I want more!

 

Another great post! I loved Anakin in the morning. Took me a second or two to decipher his 'morning language' too. The last line was classic. Any chance of us getting another post today?

 

great post Chaos, i loved their interaction, and i feel like Anakin does as well, i could never get up like Obi did.

and i love those Two subjects Chaos...in fact i am a polictal Science Major.

well can't wait for the next post.


Yoda

 

I'm so glad you posted! Yes! I had a swollen eye so this just makes my day!

!!!!!

I'm liking Padme in this one. I generally don't like her, but you've managed to convert me. Ani is adorable. Obi-Wan is . . . Obi-Wan.

 

Now Obi, if you grow that beard right after I had Ryo go through all the trouble of stealthily shaving it, I'm going to sic wild boars on you. Hmph.

 

Ah. Lovely feedback!

anakin_girl: Me, too. Maybe Naboo has a Starbucks? Force knows they're everywhere else...

Master_Comedy_Kitty: Bwhahahahaha!

Seven, PhoenixMage, and yoda4982: I might have a post up tonight, maybe early tomorrow. It's 106 here today, and will be just as hot tomorrow.

obaona: High praise! Thank you!

My Apprentice: Hey! Where's that post? Don't make me send the All Obi-Wan Loincloth Search Posse out after you...

 

Padme, force sensitive...could mean greater danger? 7 prefers Obi clean shaven, the better to see that yummy cleft in his chin. 7

 

WOW, chaosm thats how hot it is here in Houston, feels hotter, oh its just the humitity...well i hate that too, Chaos i feel your pain.

Can't wait for next post.

Yoda

 

A fantastic post as always, Rose. I really liked the interaction between Obi-Wan and Anakin. That was a pretty good job of having Anakin voice his concerns and asking Obi-Wan for his subtle help. He really is a clever kid.

 

Both were very nice posts. I like your insite into Padme, as well as the dialogue between Obi-Wan and Anakin. I must say, I think I've been around Cynical too long. Obi-Wan is quickly overtaking Qui-Gon and (AOTC version) Anakin as my favorite characters.

Well, now that I have my Star Wars fix I can go to class.

 

Oh, gee, I can't believe I missed so much!!!

I just love this. *hugs Chaos_Rose* You're wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

WIZARD!!

 

The Musical Jedi: Hang around me for a little while--I can balance out your favorite character preference a little.

 

Hi, All! Trapped by stupefying 105F heat, I wrote another bit. Some long weekend...

Jedi7: You never know...

yoda4982: And here it is, for your reading (I hope) pleasure.

Knight-Ander:[ Thanks!

MJ: Glad you like! How is college life? And good, nail-biting tension on To Walk Away!

vader_incarnate: Thank you!

anakin_girl: When's the next chapter coming? I need some laughs.

Remember, my lovely and valued readers -

FEEEDBAACK!


~

The Morning Room was one of Padmé's favorites. Tall windows faced east to catch the rising sun and walls of frescoes in gentle yellow made it a cheery room no matter what the weather. Breakfast, usually a meal she grabbed and ate as quickly as possible on her way from one place to another, had become something of a pleasant ritual for her. Not since living at home had her days started so easily.

She had started this just a couple of weeks ago as something to give Anakin some kind of structure while his future was in limbo. The boy spent most of his days fixing droids and other mechanicals that had suffered damage in the siege, while she had affairs of state to manage and a world that needed so much from her. Bit by bit others had joined in ? Padmé's handmaidens, her parents, and sister when they could be here. It was a way of easing into the day, rather than just jumping in with both feet.

Going to the sideboard, the young monarch poured a mug of sweetbark tea and took some rolls filled with a spiced bean paste. She had already brushed and braided her hair, so she had little more to do before Morning Court than to paint her face and put on her dress.

Settling into her chair at the long table, Padmé turned on the holovision, specifying multiple small images from a cross-section of the news channels. The first part of the morning ritual was usually devoted to getting one's caffeine intake and nourishment, but turned to conversation as they eased into the day.

She was sipping her tea and watching a replay of the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting when the doors at the end of the hall opened and Anakin poked his head in. Spying her, he smiled and brought the rest of himself in, followed by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Padmé was mildly surprised, Anakin had not indicated more than marginal trust in the younger of the Jedi. It seemed that the two had been talking a bit more and to a greater effect than she knew. As for whether or not the Jedi had noticed a third party sleeping in the same room - that remained to be seen.

"Good morning, Ani. Good morning, Jedi Kenobi."

Obi-Wan responded with a bow and a murmured, "Your Highness."

Ani simply gave his customary enthusiastic, friendly hug and a "G'morning, Pad."

The Jedi's eyebrow flickered upward at what he probably saw as improper familiarity, but he said nothing as he joined Anakin at the sideboard. The red-haired Jedi limited himself to herbed rolls with a soft cheese and sweetbark tea. Anakin ? typically less restrained ? piled his plate with anything that caught his eye.

Padmé marveled to think that he'd be hungry again three hours after he finished it. Eritaé assured her that growing boys ate like that, and with all those brothers, she should know.

Man and boy returned to the table just as others began to appear.

Slowly the morning started. Murmurs of greeting, inquiries of how the night passed and light conversation filled in over the rhythm of eating utensils on dishes. Occasionally a diner would enlarge an image from one of the newscasts and discussion would ensue. At first, the presence of Obi-Wan put disrupted the usual flow, but he seemed to invite inquiry and had astute and interesting comments on events of the day. By the end of the meal, with everyone lingering over their caffeinated beverages of choice, he was starting to fit in.

Anakin's observations were of the pragmatic type, and for a boy of nine, he was an astute observer. An intricate discussion of trade in the Outer Rim had her