Saga Far More Than Rubies--AU, young Luke/Padme, Adventure (2/26: Final Comments)

I was on vacation so I haven't had time to reply until now.

Chapter 2 - I loved how she was so reluctant to watch the holovid and yet so very relieved to hear that Luke was all right. I liked that Luke looked at her with suspicion but at the end realized that this was his mother. He wasn't running to her but that was to be expected.

Chapter 3 - I loved the story and the way Obi-Wan told it. Made her seem closer to her son after that.

The story was from Geonosis. It hurt her to think of Geonosis most of the time--but somehow, when Obi-Wan recounted the old memories aloud, they became less painful. For one thing, Obi-Wan was a surprisingly good storyteller. She was truly amazed by how effortlessly he could spin the tale and fascinate a boy of six. It wasn?t the sort of thing one expected from a Jedi Master?

For another thing, Luke was listening along with her. The story held no pain for him; only adventure. She had not expected her six-year-old son to be such an attentive listener; his bright eyes were fixed eagerly on Obi-Wan as the story wound from Obi-Wan?s capture to Padmé and Anakin?s botched rescue attempt, and on to the meeting with the Separatist leaders.

Chapter 4 - The whole interplay between Luke and Padme was just lovely. I especially liked the last line. So hilarious and yet poignant.

Great job so far!

 

A/N: Thank you all very kindly for all the comments! My apologies for being so slow with the next installment--my broadband connection has all the kindly disposition of a Sith Lord, and it has been days since I could get it to stay connected long enough to make a post. This chapter is probably the angstiest of them all (is that a word?), so let me know if you find it too melodramatic and have suggestions for improvement. Thanks for your patience, and hope you enjoy...

CHAPTER FIVE

...

As the morning progressed, it became clear why Obi-Wan had insisted on Luke drinking earlier. The small houseâ??s climate control systems were not the most efficient, at least not under the forceful glare of two searing suns. It was sweltering, even inside, and all three of them were sweating with a vengeance by the time the chronos announced noon. Padme didnâ??t recall it being this hot at the Lars homestead; perhaps it was because that home had been underground, whereas this building was exposed to the intense sunlight.

Following lunch, Obi-Wan busied himself with packing up the books and other sundry things in his bedroom, leaving Luke and Padmé to their own devices in the main room. It was not as awkward as before. For one thing, Padmé had resolutely downed that entire nauseating glass of blue milk in just a few desperate swallows, which had won her sonâ??s instant admiration. And for another thing, Obi-Wan had announced tomorrowâ??s travel plans to Luke after breakfast--the ship-loving six-year-old had been nearly ecstatic at the prospect of a real space journey, the first he could remember. He had not been allowed outside, due to the extreme heat, but Padmé had shown him her ship from one of the windows, and described the inside to him, enjoying his bright-eyed excitement.

But during lunch, he had been asking Obi-Wan more questions, in the course of which he was gently told that he would be living with his mother from now on, and would not come back to Tatooine. Luke had been a bit unsettled, and after hearing Obi-Wanâ??s reassurance that the Jedi would not be leaving, had become very quiet.

He hadnâ??t withdrawn again, though. She had offered to play some games she remembered from her all-too-brief childhood, and heâ??d agreed shyly. She had taught him some of the clapping games Sola had taught her, so long ago. Luke proved himself a very quick study. In no time he was making fewer mistakes than she was. But when both of them tired of the game, Luke had begun to look unhappy again, pensive, and had soon run to fetch his model ship. She watched him curl up in the chair as he had last night, cuddling the skyhopper. Sensing his need to be left alone, Padmé tactfully retreated to the bedroom, where Obi-Wan was still trying to wedge things into his trunk.

â??I have storage compartments on the ship if you canâ??t get everything to fit,â?? she offered.

Obi-Wan laughed ruefully. â??Thatâ??s very kind of you, but Iâ??m going to have take it all with me at some point.â?? He paused and stared thoughtfully at the trunk. â??I must have gotten this all here some way,â?? he mused. Unable to solve the packing puzzle by staring at it, he began unloading the trunk again to try another arrangement.

â??Can I help?â?? she asked.

â??Actually, I donâ??t think so,â?? Obi-Wan laughed. â??Itâ??s just a matter of making things fit and I honestly donâ??t think thereâ??s room in this trunk for two sets of arms.â??

â??Then perhaps I could get Lukeâ??s things,â?? she suggested.

â??Thereâ??s nothing to get,â?? the Jedi told her somberly. â??The Tuskens torched the house. I couldnâ??t even scavenge a spare set of clothes for him. He only has that model ship.â??

Padmé glanced out the door, where she could still see Luke curled up silently in the chair, idly stroking one of the skyhopperâ??s wings. â??So thatâ??s why heâ??s so attached to it,â?? she murmured. â??I had wondered.â??

Obi-Wan followed her gaze out towards the youngest resident of the little house. His expression turned to one of grave concern. â??Itâ?

 

Beautiful update!!

Luke took a piece and examined it curiously. â??What is it?â?�

â??Itâ??s a cookie,â?� she told him.

â??Cookie,â?� Luke repeated slowly, flipping it over between his fingers. She watched him break off a fragment and nibble at it tentatively, just the slightest bit nervousâ?¦

She need not have worried. Lukeâ??s eyes lit up as brightly as two stars. In no time he had gobbled his way through three cookies--if not for Obi-Wan, he would probably have tried to eat the whole plate.
So cute!! But poor Luke's never had a cookie before?

â??What is it, Luke?â?� Obi-Wan asked him gently.

Luke mumbled something and played with the ends of his sleeves.

â??What?â?� the Jedi repeated patiently.

â??I want to go home,â?� Luke whimpered. He huddled even more tightly up into his chair.

She felt her heart break along with his, and all she could do was whisper, â??Oh, honey...â?�

Lukeâ??s miserable blue eyes flickered over to her. â??I want to go home,â?� he repeated.

Aww, Luke!!

Hope suddenly began to stir, somewhere in that aching void; she got up shakily and walked over to Obi-Wan and her son, and gave Luke a first good-night kiss. â??Sleep well,â?� she whispered.

â??Are you all right, Padmé?â?� Obi-Wan asked her. She met his concerned blue eyes.

â??Not yet,â?� she murmured. But a small smile stole up on her as she stroked Lukeâ??s hair fondly. â??Weâ??ll get better together, you and I,â?� she whispered to her little boy. In his sleep, Luke snuggled into her hand.

There was a small, determined pinprick of light in the middle of the void when Padmé lay down again on the floor beneath her blankets. She slept soundly for the first time in years.
Lovely. WONDERFUL job!!

 

What a poignant update. I feel so sorry for Padme and Luke, but perhaps they can help each other heal. Now, where is Leia? Did Bail adopt her, or does Leia still have custody? I hope you post more soon. This is a riveting story so far.

 

Lovely update Very touching and sweet BTW, your broadband woes have given me a great heads up--I was debating between DSL and broadband... there's nothing I hate worse than an iffy connection LOL

 

For some reason, I'm getting lots of weird symbols. Hopefully, it will right itself.

I thought it was very sweet that Padme realized Luke wanted to say goodbye to his home. Poor kid. To be put through something so awful and all he had left was a single toy. At least she's trying to be a good mother.

Good job.

 

Oh, my word...I just realized that my formatting got really screwed up somewhere in cyberspace. I'm sorry, you guys, it looks like my keyboard caught the flu or something. I'll see if I can fix it up, or if I can't, I'll repost this chapter with the next one when I get there. Thanks for bearing with me and reading anyway!

 

If you write in Word, try turning off the smart quotes. They really screw up the settings and give you symbols like that when you post here (at times).

 

Excellent, as I've come to expect from you!

Like Diane said, "smart quotes" create those weird symbols.

 

A/N: Alright, this may get a wee bit confusing, but I'm doing my best. Being as a cyber-nexu shredded the formatting of my last chapter, I am reposting it for you all, and hopefully this time I got it all sorted out. The second half of this post is Chapter Six. Thanks very much to all of you who struggled through Chapter Five anyway...

CHAPTER FIVE--REPOST

...

As the morning progressed, it became clear why Obi-Wan had insisted on Luke drinking earlier. The small house?s climate control systems were not the most efficient, at least not under the forceful glare of two searing suns. It was sweltering, even inside, and all three of them were sweating with a vengeance by the time the chronos announced noon. She didn?t recall it being this hot at the Lars homestead; perhaps it was because that home had been underground, whereas this building was exposed to the intense sunlight.

Following lunch, Obi-Wan busied himself with packing up the books and other sundry things in his bedroom, leaving Luke and Padmé to their own devices in the main room. It was not as awkward as before. For one thing, Padmé had resolutely downed that entire nauseating glass of blue milk in just a few desperate swallows, which had won her son?s instant admiration. And for another thing, Obi-Wan had announced tomorrow?s travel plans to Luke after breakfast--the ship-loving six-year-old had been nearly ecstatic at the prospect of a real space journey, the first he could remember. He had not been allowed outside, due to the extreme heat, but Padmé had shown him her ship from one of the windows, and described the inside to him, enjoying his bright-eyed excitement.

But during lunch, he had been asking Obi-Wan more questions, in the course of which he was gently told that he would be living with his mother from now on, and would not come back to Tatooine. Luke had been a bit unsettled, and after hearing Obi-Wan?s reassurance that the Jedi would not be leaving, had become very quiet.

He hadn?t withdrawn again, though. She had offered to play some games she remembered from her all-too-brief childhood, and he?d agreed shyly. She had taught him some of the clapping games Sola had taught her, so long ago. Luke proved himself a very quick study. In no time he was making fewer mistakes than she was. But when both of them tired of the game, Luke had begun to look unhappy again, pensive, and had soon run to fetch his model ship. She watched him curl up in the chair as he had last night, cuddling the skyhopper. Sensing his need to be left alone, Padmé tactfully retreated to the bedroom, where Obi-Wan was still trying to wedge things into his trunk.

?I have storage compartments on the ship if you can?t get everything to fit,? she offered.

Obi-Wan laughed ruefully. ?That?s very kind of you, but I?m going to have take it all with me at some point.? He paused and stared thoughtfully at the trunk. ?I must have gotten this all here some way,? he mused. Unable to solve the packing puzzle by staring at it, he began unloading the trunk again to try another arrangement.

?Can I help?? she asked.

?Actually, I don?t think so,? Obi-Wan sighed. ?It?s just a matter of making things fit and I honestly don?t think there?s room in this trunk for two sets of arms.?

?Then perhaps I could get Luke?s things,? she suggested.

?There?s nothing to get,? the Jedi told her somberly. ?The Tuskens torched the house. I couldn?t even scavenge a spare set of clothes for him. He only has that model ship.?

Padmé glanced out the door, where she could still see Luke curled up silently in the chair, idly stroking one of the skyhopper?s wings. ?So that?s why he?s so attached to it,? she murmured. ?I had wondered.?

Obi-Wan followed her gaze out towards the youngest resident of the little house. His expression turned to one of grave concern. ?It?s not going to be an easy transition,? he muttered.

The packing was finally accomplished, and Padmé volunteered to make dinner. Anakin had always laughed at her dismal cooking skills, but a lot had changed over th

 

Wonderful! You really know how to write a child realistically. Poor Padme, having to struggle with her own feelings of loss while dealing with Luke's, too.

PS - Thanks for the repost - It makes things so much easier.

 

I'll say!! You write all of them so well!
Wonderful update- a complete pleasure to read! Loved it!! I can't wait for more!!

 

You must have exposure to a six-year-old boy. You depict him so well, although he's a little more perceptive than any I've ever encountered before, including my own...but then, Luke does have the Force. Great job!

 

Breathtaking update. Padme handled all the "hard" questions very well indeed. She's getting the hang of this quite nicely Her motherly patience is amazing.

 

I thought you captured the child quite well. He's still reeling from his aunt and uncle's death and then to be yanked from his home and everything he knows. He's doing pretty well.

This was so sad.

There was such a strange hope in Luke?s voice. The hope very nearly broke her heart all over again, so unaccustomed was she to associating hope with Anakin these days. ?No, sweetheart,? she managed. ?No.?

He waited a painful moment before speaking up again. ?Is he really dead??

Padmé turned, shocked by the frightening thought that Luke might be able to sense the terrible truth through the Force. ?He...he was lost, not long before you were born,? she finally said to him. ?He left one day in his starfighter, and he never came home again.?

?What happened to him?? Luke pleaded.

If only I knew, sweetheart. ?I don?t know, Luke.?

Luke stared back out the viewport. ?Did he want to come home??

?Your daddy would never have wanted to lose us,? Padmé said, careful of the phrasing of that answer. ?He loved you very much.?

Luke nodded quietly, eyes still focused out the viewport. ?I guess he just got lost out in the dark,? he said knowledgeably.

I guess he did.

Great job.

 

I have enjoyed this story so much. This was one of my favorite chapters... Luke's line was perfect:

?Your daddy would never have wanted to lose us,? Padmé said, careful of the phrasing of that answer. ?He loved you very much.?

Luke nodded quietly, eyes still focused out the viewport. ?I guess he just got lost out in the dark,? he said knowledgeably.

 

Hey, just to let you all know I haven't totally forgotten about this story. My none-too-reliable wireless has been the picture of un-cooperation for something like two weeks now, plus I'm on the mend from shoulder surgery and revving up to get back to my school. All a roundabout way of saying that it will probably be another week before I'm able to post Chapter Seven. Sorry about that, but there it is.

Just didn't want to leave you all hanging too ridiculously long.

Frodogenic

 

Take your time, Frodo, and let yourself heal. I know how much a shoulder injury can affect your typing and such, so don't hurry yourself along on our account. Hope you're feeling better soon and good luck with classes.

 

Thanks much...although, if I do say so myself, I'm becoming a pretty mean one-handed typist.

 

A/N: Ah, reliable wireless at last! Sorry to be so long coming with the next installment, but I've got it for you now. Thanks for all the kind comments on the last chapter. As regards this one, Silya Shessaun is not an original character. I believe she has a brief cameo in ROTS, and her backstory was written by the fans at sw.com's databank. I just borrowed her and developed her.

...

CHAPTER SEVEN

...

The Thesme sector?

Silya Shessaun was growing more worried about Padmé by the hour; she was, in fact, so very worried by now that her normally stellar focus eluded her. There were few people who could have inspired such unease in the seasoned former senator, very few indeed since the deaths of her parents, but Padmé was not just another colleague. Padmé was her onetime protégé, her dearest friend, who had endured more horrors than the rest of their old group put together.

Silya had, for several months after the fall of the Republic, believed that those horrors had taken Padmé?s life. But two months after the official funeral on Naboo and one month after Silya?s resignation from the Senate, Padmé Amidala had arrived at her home on Thesme. When the former senator had recovered from the inexpressible shock of seeing her friend alive, she had learned that the truth was scarcely less awful.

Padmé had arrived in the dead of night, aboard an unmarked, nondescript shuttle, in the care of a man neither of them knew. He had come through the back door of her retreat home, carrying Silya?s younger friend gently in his arms, and without a word delivered Padmé and an information chip, departing in silence. Padmé had slept on for several hours--but that was not enough time to process the scant information on the chip.

She had been unable to believe the medical assertions contained on that stub of silicon--unwilling to believe them. But then Padmé had awakened, and Silya had been forced to accept their sickening, objective truth.

There had been no explanations offered on the chips; only some cursory commands and medical briefs. Padmé?s presence in her home was to be a secret of paramount importance--it was apparently vital that the illusion of her death, which had been such a painful blow to Silya, be maintained. But Padmé?s sudden reversal from esteemed Senator to fugitive was not the most surprising revelation. Oh, no. Far worse were the horrible wounds upon the young woman?s soul.

Once the knowledge of what Padmé had suffered had been entrusted to her, it was not surprising that her young friend had been so desperate to end the agony. Not only had Padmé lost everything she had spent her life working for, she had also been bereaved of her husband and miscarried their unborn child. Silya?s questions had only multiplied when Padmé sobbed out these revelations, just a few days after her arrival--but the past was too recent, and too painful for her friend to endure, let alone discuss.

For nearly a year, Silya had been unable to leave Padmé?s side. She made that mistake once, leaving for a mere fifteen minutes. The fifteen minutes had cost hours of gut-wrenching, helpless waiting, praying to whatever deities might exist that Padmé would live to see the dawn.

There had been other such incidents, so many that even now, six years removed from those awful first days, Silya was unable to shake the terror that the old suicidal despair might attack again, and steal Padmé from her a second time. Every hour that went by without news of her friend--who should have arrived some days ago--drove another spike of dread into her heart.

Padmé had been at the conference, with Bail and the others; and then she had summarily vanished. That was all that Silya or anyone else seemed to know. What could have prompted it? Where had Padmé gone? How could she so easily abandon her leadership? Whatever Padmé had suffered, it had not undermined the woman?s leader instinct--it was so incredibly unlike her to do this sort of thing. Silya had racked her brains mercilessly, yet could think of nothing that might have m

 

I get first post! Yay! Wonderful, Frodo, as always. I really admire Padme's restraint in confiding in her friends. Silya has no idea just how important Luke's safety is to the galaxy... more important even than leading the rebel alliance. At least Padme has Obi-Wan to talk to.

And lol on Bail's observation of his change in character. Desperate times and all that.

Glad you now have a reliable internet connection. I look forward to more posts.

 

This is a wonderful story with a wonderful use of characters. Just perfect - I hope your arm keeps getting better.

 

Wonderful update! I love Padme's determination to protect her son.
Fabulous job! Looking forward to more! And I hope your shoulder heals up soon!

 

Enjoyed that very much. Silya's a true friend--Padme's selfless loving nature is very much in character.

 

A/N: Thank you, all who commented on the last chapter. I love to hear from you. Here comes chapter eight.

...

CHAPTER EIGHT

...

The Thesme sector?

Padmé had risen earlier than was normal, awakened by the thunderstorm that swept in overnight. It had been too long since she?d heard a good loud thunderstorm, and so the early hours of the morning found her curled on the balcony over the hillside. The storm soothed her, and her peace was perfect until she caught, rising faintly from inside the house, a frightened young voice.

She stood quickly, wrapping her blanket carefully around her shoulders, and went inside. The lights were dimmed to the minimum, and the morning sun was hopelessly obscured by the raging clouds outside, so she could not see much--but the soft cries grew clearer. She found Luke huddled behind a sofa in one of the sitting rooms adjacent to the main hall, his eyes wide with distress and his hands clamped over his ears.

?Oh, Luke!? She darted forward lightly and rubbed her hands through his hair, not even stopping to think about being cautious and not taking things too quickly. ?It?s a thunderstorm, honey, that?s all,? she soothed.

Luke stared back at her--belatedly she realized he obviously had never heard of such a thing. There was another clap of thunder and he jumped, yelping. ?It?s loud,? he whimpered. ?It sounds like bombs.?

Padmé ran her hands through his hair, eager to reassure, and smiled at him. ?It?s called thunder, sweetheart,? she told him. ?It?s just noise, it can?t hurt you.?

Luke winced as a fresh crack of thunder resonated through the house, but he didn?t whimper this time. ?You sure?? he asked dubiously.

She nodded again. ?What are you doing out here?? she asked him gently, easing her hands away from him before he could start objecting to her touch.

?I wanted breakfast,? he muttered. ??Cept nobody was up and then I couldn?t remember which way to get back to Ben. And then it started--thun-ding.?

?Well, why don?t you come out on the balcony with me and I can have a droid get you some breakfast??

Luke hesitated, and she bit the inside of her lip hopefully. Her heart leapt when he finally nodded. She straightened up, offered him a cheerful hand, which he picked up shyly, and led him out to the balcony door. He hesitated when he heard the increased loudness of the thunderclaps, the pounding rain; so she went out first to prove that it was perfectly safe. She came around the corner, and drew in a deep breath of the rain-scented air. ?Come on out, Luke, it?s all right,? she called behind her.

After another moment of hesitation, Luke emerged from the entrance and came around the corner into full view--and his blue eyes instantly got as wide as portholes. ?Mommy, lookit that!? he breathed.

She turned to see what had so awed him, but it was only the usual view of the forest surrounding Silya?s home. Pretty enough, yes, but hardly breathtaking even on the best day--and today was definitely not the best day, due to the thunderstorm?

?Lookit,? Luke breathed out again, dashing past her to the balcony railing, suddenly heedless of the thunder. He grabbed the bars in his small hands and stood on tiptoe, transfixed. As she watched, he crouched down and carefully slipped an arm out into the rain, turning his cupped hand upward until he could carry a palm full of rainwater back to her--and suddenly she realized just what had amazed her son so. ?Mommy, the water?s just fallin? right out of the sky!? Luke proclaimed excitedly. ?See??

Her eyes shone gently as the magnitude of his experience became clear. ?It?s raining,? she told him.

Luke repeated the word with the awe of one who had come face to face with a thing straight out of a fairy tale, staring intently at his handful of rainwater and stirring a finger around in it. Had Anakin felt the same way the first time he saw rain? ?This is so weird,? he murmured. ?How can they just let the water go falling all over the place??

?This planet has much more water,? she explained. ?The rai