“You know about this mission to Talesan Fry’s headquarters?” Anakin asked.
“Of course. It could lead to the end of the Separatists. To peace. It is crucial.”
“I understand you have picked Senator Amidala to accompany the Jedi,” Anakin said. “I told Mace Windu my objections.”
“Then tell them to me,” Palpatine said. “I’m anxious to hear them. I always respect your opinion, Anakin. You know that. You have wisdom deeper than anyone I’ve ever known. You can see further than the Jedi Council.”
Anakin felt uncomfortable when Palpatine said such things. But then again, there were times when he believed them himself.
“Whoever goes on this mission is in danger,” he said. “Senator Amidala has survived several attempts on her life. But assassins could still be tracking her. We compromise our safety and hers if she goes. “
“All of this is true,” Palpatine said. “I had not thought of those things.” He clasped his hands together, his skin so pale that Anakin sometimes wondered if blood actually ran in his veins. “Anakin, I wish that I could help you. Especially in the light of your excellent argument. But I am not ordering Padme to go. She chooses to go. How can I take back an order I did not give?”
Stopped in his tracks, Anakin didn’t know what else to say. But Palpatine, as usual, had shown him the path. He needed to talk to Padme directly. Palpatine couldn’t order her not to go. But Anakin could.
PadmŞ’s laughter bubbled, then died when she saw he was serious.
“You’re ordering me?”
“Yes. I have a right. I have more experience than you do; I’m a Jedi and I know what we could be in for. I’m also an officer in the Republic army.”
“But I’m not.” Padme continued to fold a robe she was placing in a small bag at her feet. “So thanks but no thanks, Commander.”
“It’s dangerous and unnecessary for you to go, and I won’t allow it.”
Padme turned. Her gaze was direct. Cool and composed. That always infuriated him.
“I think you know well enough how your attitude angers and upsets me. I don’t respond to orders. I am a Senator. I have a duty to perform. So I am going.”
“Padme, please.” He wanted to give in to her softness, but she stood before him, ramrod straight. She wasn’t wearing her ceremonial robes, only a soft sheath down to her ankles, but she might as well be costumed in armor.
He collapsed on his back on the sleep couch. “I don’t know why it’s so hard to talk to you.”
“That’s because you’re not talking to me. You’re ordering me.”
“I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
“This is not the way to do it.”
He looked up. She was smiling at him. She came and sat beside him.
“I know you worry about my safety,” she said in the soft tone he loved. “I worry about yours. We live in perilous times, Anakin. We’re in the middle of a war. I’m in danger no matter where I am. We’ve both been in some kind of danger since the moment you arrived to protect me.”
“Agreed. But do you have to volunteer for it?”
She took his hand and laced her fingers through his. “I offered to go because I knew I would be safe. I knew the best Jedi in the Order would be there to protect me.”
He groaned. “Now don’t start flattering me.”
She grinned at him. “I meant Obi-Wan.”
He tossed a pillow at her, and she shrieked in surprise. She threw it back, and he held it suspended in the air with the Force.
“Are you still trying that same trick on me?”
“It’s worked in the past.”
She lay down beside him. They faced each other, almost nose to nose.
“I’ll be careful,” she said.
“I won’t leave your side,” he said.
“Don’t,” she said, drawing him close. “I don’t want you to.”
CHAPTER 23
The planet Genian had so far managed to remain neutral in the Clone Wars. This feat had little to do with canny diplomacy, though the Genians were indeed noted for that particular skill, but more to do with the vast corporate holdings on the planet, the research laboratories, and the treasures locked in secure banks. One day, perhaps, Genian would fall, but it was not in a terribly strategic position and at this point in the war many Senators, both Separatist and Republic alike, found it useful to be able to slip in and out to sit with their wealth and make sure it was safe.
Taly was not the only one to take advantage of friendly laws and a large, educated workforce. Many businesses thrived on Genian, primarily in the technological and scientific sector. There were a number of large, prosperous cities, but Taly had chosen to site his complex in the vast desert that lay outside the city of Bruit. Mountain ranges ringed the desert, and the countryside was rugged enough that no towns or settlements were within hundreds of kilometers.