klcthebookworm

In 973, an assassination attempt was made on the new Senator of the Chommell sector and killed her security decoy on the day of the vote for the Military Creation Act (5:16). Chancellor Palpatine canceled the vote despite Senator Padmé Amidala making it to the session, and asked for the Jedi Order to assign a Jedi to protect Padmé and find the source of the assassinations. The Jedi Order assigned Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to this mission. Padmé was glad to see them again, but furious about how this assassination attempt was affecting her attempts to bring the war to an end. She made herself bait to draw the assassin out, with Anakin’s approval and Obi-Wan’s unawareness. Following the assassin gives them a clue and they learn it is a pair of assassins.

Chancellor Palpatine suggested splitting up, and the Jedi Council agreed it’s more efficient. Padmé’s security forces traveled in her shuttle with a decoy. Anakin and Padmé were sent to hide on Naboo while Obi-Wan investigates. Padmé was furious about missing the Senate session (in person networking is important) and how this was delaying the vote on the Military Creation Act. Anakin was torn because Obi-Wan is surely going into danger and needs him but he wants to spend more time with Padmé.

Obi-Wan, while tracing down the toxic dart, heard that the shuttle was sabotaged and forced to land on Alderaan. No loss of life, but now Bail Organa was looped into the need-to-know list.

Anakin and Padmé spend their travel time on the liner catching up. Details Anakin slowly reveals during their Naboo time: he hasn’t told Obi-Wan or the Jedi Council about his enslavement. They won’t do anything about slavery in the Outer Rim, nor will they approve of his traveling back to Tatooine. That Anakin wants to is proof that Anakin isn’t properly letting go of his past. He and the Chancellor talk on a regular basis, usually about the Separatists movement and how that crisis is keeping him from getting slavery enforcement through the Senate. At least Padmé got an addendum to a bill passed to not check if refugees are escaping slaves and return them to the Hutts or other slavers. Padmé’s surprised he’s been following politics. Anakin: “Not all of it, just about slavery and what you do.” Anakin does not talk about his dreams, though Padmé observes he has horrible ones.

They landed on Naboo and go straight to Padmé’s parents. The plan was to stay with them, but Queen Jamillia comms for a meeting sooner than Padmé anticipated but after the dinner party of awkward. The Queen told them about the attack on Padmé’s security forces. It was no longer safe to stay with her family. They relocated to Varykino, set up through the Palace.

Obi-Wan met with Dexter Jettster and learned about Kamino. His investigation discovered it is missing from the Jedi Library. Master Jocasta Nu checked into the database and discovered deliberate tampering dating from ten years earlier. She informed the council while Obi-Wan went to look in person at what Kamino is trying to hide.

Anakin’s attempts to woo Padmé were awkward and she shut them down hard for both their sakes (see Byzantium’s Shores-Fixing the Prequels Attack of the Clones part eight). She went for a night swim, ran into Anakin trying to meditate, and assassins attacked them. Anakin used the Force to choke the last one to save her. He has had enough of this. They are going to a planet where he can see the assassins coming. Padmé doesn’t argue with him (see Byzantium’s Shores-Fixing the Prequels Attack of the Clones part nine).

Obi-Wan found Kamino and the clone army they have created for the Jedi. He took the tour, met Jango and Boba Fett, and comms back home with the results of the investigation. Jango Fett fought and fled rather than come along quietly and Obi-Wan gave chase.

Padmé’s a little surprised to end up back on Tatooine but it made sense once she thought about it. They landed in Mos Eisley instead of Mos Espa and Anakin took her to a selling cooperative for water and produce. He’s looking for a moisture farmer named Lars and claims to owe him something. The merchant told them the Lars homestead is outside of Anchorhead on the Great Chott salt flat and made an offhand compliment about Madame Lars.

Padmé held her questions until they are back aboard their shuttle and Anakin admitted that Watto sold his mother before Padmé came to Tatooine while running from the Separatists. He must make sure she’s okay and see if Lars is amiable to freeing her. He had been saving his allowance from the Jedi Order and earnings from swoop races; he can make a good offer. Padmé intuitively leapt to that his nightmares are about his mother. Padmé: “We should have came straight here instead of Naboo. Of course I’d help you find your mother.”

They landed at the Lars homestead. Cliegg Lars greeted Anakin, guessing that he is Shmi’s son and introduced him to his step-brother Owen and Owen’s intended Beru Whitesun. He explained that he had freed Shmi and they married. They had gone to tell Anakin after they heard he won his freedom, but Watto told them he had left with a Jedi. Shmi wasn’t there; she was captured by Tusken Raiders about the same time Anakin’s dreams started. Cliegg Lars took a force of thirty farmers after them, but only four of them survived, Cliegg lost his leg in the trap and skirmish. Anakin refused to give up on his mother and headed out after her, leaving Padmé with his newly discovered family.

Obi-Wan followed Jango Fett to Geonosis. He stumbled onto a meeting of Separatists joining forces under Count Dooku’s leadership, and that the new battle droid army outnumbered all available planetary security and judicial forces by 100 to 1. He managed to get a message off to Anakin because Coruscant was too far away before he was captured.

Anakin found his mother in a Tusken Raider village, but she died in his arms. He tapped into his rage to reach the Dark Side of the Force and slaughtered the entire village. He returned to the Lars homestead with Shmi’s body. While the others made the preparations for the funeral, the droids gave Padmé the message from Obi-Wan because Anakin has hidden himself. She approved for Artoo to rely it to the Jedi Council, especially when it ends with Obi-Wan being attacked. She found Anakin in the homestead’s garage and helped Anakin deal with his emotions.

After the funeral, they said good-bye to the Lars. Cliegg gave Threepio back to Anakin. Padmé had already set in a course for Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan and confront the Separatist threat against her. Anakin fell in with her plan because he can’t bear to lose Obi-Wan right after losing his mother.

Meanwhile on Coruscant, the political crisis had come to a head. The Jedi Council had informed Chancellor Palpatine of the clone army and what Obi-Wan reported having witnessed. Bail Organa argued for Jedi intervention but numbers don’t exist even if the Jedi were in the business of starting wars. Eventually the idea to grant the Supreme Chancellor emergency powers to activate the clone army was mentioned. Representative Jar Jar Binks, substituting for Padmé while she is hiding, introduced the measure to the Senate and the motion carries with the Jedi co-opted to lead the troops of the Grand Army of the Republic. Yoda and Mace divided up the tasks: going to Geonosis and collecting the clone army.

Count Dooku visited Obi-Wan, told the Jedi the truth, and left Obi-Wan there when he doesn’t join Dooku’s plan.

Anakin and Padmé sneaked into a droid assembly factory and nearly got themselves killed before they were captured and taken to see Count Dooku. Padmé argued for Obi-Wan’s release, Dooku argued for Naboo joining their Alliance instead of the Republic (see Byzantium’s Shores-Fixing the Prequels Attack of the Clones part twelve). They were taken to the same arena to be executed before an audience along with Obi-Wan. Padmé declared her love for Anakin as they were escorted out.

The three of them managed to defeat the animals sent into the arena and destroyer droids were sent in next. Jedi Master Mace Windu arrived with a Jedi force to rescue them, but Count Dooku orderd more battle droids to fight, beginning the Battle of Geonosis. The Jedi in turn were rescued by the Grand Army of the Republic that decisively won the Battle of Geonosis, though the leadership of the Confederacy of Independent Systems escaped. Anakin Skywalker lost his arm in the fighting.

Anakin escorted Padmé back to Naboo, ostensibly for her to recover before the next Senate session, but they took the opportunity to marry before his duties to the new phase of the war begin.