Mother and Son

Chapter 2

Shmi Skywalker set two plates on the table-one for her, and one for her husband, Cliegg Lars. She turned and saw him standing in the doorway, watching her.

"You're so beautiful, Shmi," he said, his eyes twinkling.

"Who, me?" Shmi laughed. "I'm just an old woman."

Cliegg sat down at the table to eat with Shmi. Shmi suddenly looked sad, her eyes downcast. "I'm thinking about Ani," she said. "Why hasn't he come to see me? I'm certain they'd let him come now...He must be a Master already."

Cliegg had realized that Shmi did not remember the events leading up to her escape. According to her, she had woken up to find the village's Tuskens slaughtered, presumably by a warring tribe. Cliegg hadn't told her the truth. He had heard Anakin tell Padme that he had killed the Tuskens. He couldn't let Shmi know that her son had commited such a horrible act. But this meant that he couldn't tell her that Anakin had been there, either.

"I'm sure he's thinking about you," said Cliegg. "If he could, he would come to see you."

But Shmi would not be comforted. Having finished her dinner, she stood up and left the room. Cliegg watched her leave, then followed. He found her standing on a hill next to the moisture farm, looking to the setting suns. He came up to stand next to her and put one arm around her. They stood together for some time.

Suddenly Shmi turned to Cliegg, her expression eerily grim. She said, "Anakin's in trouble, Cliegg."

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As weeks passed, Padme noticed Anakin becoming more and more stressed. He rarely told her of his problems, and Padme worried about his sudden withdrawal. Whenever she asked him to talk to her, he refused, saying that he was busy and couldn't. She also noticed that he was speaking of Obi-Wan strangely...as if they were having an arguement. She knew they weren't, because she saw them together every day. But Anakin seemed to stop trusting Obi-Wan. And the rest of the Jedi Council, for that matter. To Padme, it seemed like Anakin trusted Chancellor Palpatine more.

Padme didn't like Chancellor Palpatine. She could sense that he was hiding something. She wasn't sure of his intentions, either. If he wanted peace, why did he go to such lengths to destroy the Seperatists? Wouldn't someone who really wanted peace try to negotiate instead?

She didn't want to tell Anakin this, because she knew how he would react. His temper was explosive, dangerous...Padme didn't think that Anakin would ever harm anyone, but she still remembered what he had told her about the Tuskens...Although Padme didn't realize this, she still thought of Anakin as the little boy on Tatooine. She was certain that he only wanted good for everyone.

One evening, Anakin came home much later than usual. The chrono showed 00:30 when the door finally slid open to reveal a tired, flustered Anakin.

"Ani! Why are you so late?" Asked Padme, coming up to meet him.

"I was doing something very important for the Chancellor," said Anakin.

"What?" said Padme.

"I can't tell you..." said Anakin, looking away.

Padme was dumbfounded. Anakin had always told her everything. What was he hiding?

"Ani..." she started to say, but Anakin cut her off.

"Let's not talk about that now," he said, smiling. He took Padme by the hand and led her away. Padme coerced, but not without first wondering what Anakin was avoiding so much.
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Obi-Wan Kenobi sat in his chambers, meditating, when he was interrupted by the buzzer. Obi-Wan pressed a button by the door and it slid open. Yoda stood in the doorway, looking more frail than usual and leaning on his staff.

"Master Yoda!" exclaimed Obi-Wan, bowing. "What brings you to my chambers?"

"Apologize I do for interrupting your meditation, Master Kenobi," said the wise Yoda. "A matter of great worry brings me here."

"What happened, Master?" said a suddenly wary Obi-Wan.

"Nothing yet," said Yoda, "but in trouble, young Skywalker is. To me he came for counsel."

"What did he tell you, Master?" Said Obi-Wan.

Yoda looked grim. "Of visions, he said...pain...suffering..."

Obi-Wan wondered what Anakin had been dreaming of. Why didn't he tell Obi-Wan about his concerns? "What did you tell him, Master?"

"Only what the Council has told him already," said Yoda. "'Mourn do not those who become One with the Force."

Obi-Wan looked down, his brow furrowed. He considered him and Anakin as close as brothers, and yet Anakin did not tell him of his visions. What was the young Jedi thinking?

As Yoda left the chambers, Obi-Wan was left to wonder about his former Padawan.


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