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| - R2-D2, still guarding the ship, Nalanda faithful astromech droid, intercepted the message that Padmé sent. Yet outside the drone of a motor could be heard, growing louder as the sound neared the homestead. Anakin was returning. The Lars family ran out of the house to see Anakin pulling up with a long bundle on the back of the speeder bike. “Oh Shmi,” Cliegg murmured, yet they were the only words spoken as Anakin took his mother’s body inside. Later Anakin stood at the workbench in the garage, fixing the broken shifter from the speeder bike. It felt good to be working with his hands, life seemed so much simpler when your only goal was to re-connect the wires so that whatever was broken now functioned. He had always been good at fixing things, but he couldn’t… He paused, staring at the back wall through his rapidly blurring vision. “Mom, why couldn’t I save you?” he moaned. “Why couldn’t I help? I know I could have!” How could he be a Jedi, as strong in the Force as he was, and not be able to save his own mother? Wasn’t he supposed to be the Chosen One? It didn’t make any sense. We can only do what we can, Anakin, Padmé had told him. You can’t save everyone, Obi-Wan had once said. They’re wrong! Anakin screwed up his face as he turned away from the work bench. I could have saved her if I had gotten there in time, if Obi-Wan hadn't held me back. Slowly, he staggered out of the garage and outside. Falling to his knees in front of the crater, hot tears wetting his cheeks. Before him was the binary sunset, a sight he had watched he didn’t know how many times but it did nothing to lift his spirits. All he could think about were the screams as the sandpeople as he had murdered the entire camp, the cries of the women and children as they fell where they stood. Yet they had not managed to dampen the screams inside his head, telling him to stop before it was too late. The suns were setting, as they did every evening and they would rise again without fail on the morn, but his mother would not be there, and she never would be again. The next morning Anakin stood with the Lars family and Threepio as his mother was laid to rest in the desert sand. He had already decided when this was over he would be leaving and going back to Naboo, there was nothing here for him now anyway. “I know wherever you are,” Cliegg said after Owen had made his goodbyes, “it has become a better place. You were the most loving partner a man could ever have. Goodbye my darling wife,” he finished, “and thankyou.” The last farewell was reserved for Anakin. He knelt on his mother’s grave and let the sand run through his fingers. He had always hated sand, how it got inside his boots and remained between his toes and fingers. Now the sand held his mother and would until it moved again. “I wasn't strong enough to save you, Mom,” he whispered, hoping she could hear him. “I wasn’t strong enough. But I promise, I won’t fail again.” He let the rest of the sand fall to the ground. “I miss you,” he murmured, “so much.” He got to his feet and closed his eyes so the tears wouldn’t come. But come they did and Anakin wiped them away angrily with the back of his hand. It was at this inopportune moment that R2-D2 trundled up to Anakin, chirping softly. “Go away, Artoo,” growled Anakin. Artoo beeped again, following Anakin as he walked away. “Master Anakin, he says he is carrying a message for you that is of the utmost importance,” Threepio told him. “Of course, he could be exaggerating—” “I’ll look at it,” Anakin said, walking with the Lars’ into the house. On the floor in the garage, Artoo projected the holographic form of Padmé onto the floor. She wore a long white dress with her hair covered by a hood. Slowly, the transmission began to play. “Anakin, Obi-Wan sent this message to me from Geonosis,” Padmé said, “I thought you might want to take a look at it.” Padmé disappeared and was replaced by the figure of Obi-Wan relating the same message that had been told to Padmé. After he was finished Padmé reappeared. “Senator Nalanda is now setting off for Imbroglio as Danta Pela has disappeared,” she told him. “I’m going with her, so you can meet me there unless you decide to go and help Obi-Wan. May the Force be with you.” The hologram vanished and Anakin was still staring at the space where it had been. It was as if someone was reminding him that he had larger responsibilities and it was time to get back to them. And the decision was obvious, he would go and help Obi-Wan. While it was tempting to meet Padmé on Imbroglio he didn’t want to lose his Master. It didn’t make any sense as Obi-Wan was capable of taking care of himself, but Anakin needed to actually do something. Besides, watching Senator Nalanda mingle with politicians and bureaucrats did not sound like much fun. The familiar sound of gears shifting made Anakin get to his feet, he turned to see Threepio with Owen Lars. “You off then?” Anakin nodded. “Things have changed a bit, I'm going to Geonosis,” he said. “Oh, okay,” Owen said as if such doings did not interest him at all. He nodded to Threepio. “He may as well go with you, you did make him and all.” “Thanks,” Anakin replied, not knowing whom he was thanking or for what reason. He nodded to the two droids and headed back to the ship, not bothering to stop and say goodbye. But Owen understood, even though he did not understand why Anakin was leaving.
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