Chapter 2: Not giving up
Padmé paced her apartment going over the plan in her head. She and Anakin had come up with an idea that would hopefully help them track down Ahsoka before it was too late. Being the secret wife of a Jedi Knight, Padmé did have doubts about this plan however. She had been involved with enough of Anakin's plans to know that half the time they backfired or didn't go the way they were originally been planned to go. Padmé shook her head and turned to see her husband watching her.
"What?" she asked as she stopped pacing.
"You're thinking about this plan aren't you?" Anakin asked.
Padmé nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I am but I can't help but think that this plan is going to backfire on us."
Anakin chuckled and went over to hug her. "I know my plans don't always go to plan but I know this one will. It has to. Ahsoka's depending on us."
"Is that right?" came an unexpected voice from the doorway.
Anakin and Padmé pulled out of their hug and saw Obi-Wan standing there with his eyebrows raised.
"I didn't see any of that," Obi-Wan said coming toward them.
"Obi-Wan! Hi. What are you doing here?" Anakin said his voice suddenly becoming nervous.
"I want to help you find Ahsoka. I know how hard you are taking this Anakin. Even though this is completely against the rules of the Jedi Code, I have decided I want to help you find Ahsoka." Obi-Wan said. Anakin could tell he was only willing to help if it stopped Anakin being all down in the dumps all the time.
It was a surprise. Obi-Wan would often say that it was unjust for Anakin to be so overly attached. But something must have struck a chord in Obi-Wan to make him realise that Ahsoka had to be saved.
"You want to help, Master Kenobi?" Padmé asked.
"My dear Senator, of course I'm welling help. Ahsoka is my fellow Jedi and my former Padawan's Padawan so I have to help." Obi-Wan said beaming at his long time friend.
This is weird, Anakin thought to himself but let the moment go.
"You don't give up do you Anakin?" Obi-Wan said turning to his friend.
"You know me Master. I never give up." When he said this he aimed his glance at Padmé who had to look away for a moment so that Obi-Wan didn't catch on.
"That's so very true," Obi-Wan said grinning.
"Yeah well, I've leant almost everything from you, Obi-Wan." Anakin said smiling back.
Padmé looked between her husband and long time friend and realised what Anakin was saying was in fact true. He had learnt everything from using a lightsabre to flying a speeder. Well the flying part he already knew how to do. He was a child Podracing champion after all.
"What's the plan, my young former Padawan?" Obi-Wan said following Anakin and Padmé to the couches where they all sat down.
"Okay, first off, that is getting really annoying and secondly, I was just about to come to the plan." Anakin said who was clearly annoyed by his former master's jokes.
After half an hour of explaining his plan to Obi-Wan, Anakin silently begged that Obi-Wan was going to actually like his plan.
"That's genius Anakin." Obi-Wan said in amazement.
"Well it's a lot simpler then, wait, what?" Anakin said looking from Padmé to Obi-Wan in shock.
"I said it's the best plan you have ever come up with." Obi-Wan said feeling slightly scared of what Anakin might say.
"You really think so?"
"Yes. Most definitely," Obi-Wan said nodding his head in acknowledgement.
Anakin looked at Padmé. "That's a relief."
Obi-Wan laughed. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Anakin ignored him and continued explaining his plan. "If we use the Grease Bucket, we should get in undetected. It's if we don't draw attention to ourselves in the process."
"Anakin, how did you expect to get in undetected?" Padmé asked.
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. Padmé knew better then to use Anakin's name in public or in this case in her own apartment around another Jedi. Padmé of course, took no notice.
"That Senator is where you come in," Anakin said shortly.
"Great! What do I need to do?" Padmé asked as she examined Anakin's hologram plan of his plan.
"You are going to sneak into the Cargo Bay, deactivate the doors and shut down the droid commanders." Anakin explained.
Padmé nodded understandably.
"What about me? How do I fit into the plan?" Obi-Wan asked.
"You and 3PO are going to distract Ventress and Dooku for long enough so that I can find Ahsoka and free her." Anakin told Obi-Wan.
"Me?" asked C-3PO who had been standing nearby. "How do I fit into the plan and what about R2?"
"R2 will help Padmé while you, 3PO distract Dooku and Ventress' droids long enough for Obi-Wan to come in and destroy them." Anakin explained to his makeshift droid friend.
"Oh dear," 3PO muttered to R2.
Anakin and Padmé chuckled amongst themselves while Obi-Wan just stared at them like they were crazy. He knew just how close Anakin and Padmé were to R2 and 3PO. They had been through a lot together. They had been through the Battle of Naboo where R2 had played a major part. The droids had helped Anakin and Padmé escape the Droid Factory on Geonosis and little did Obi-Wan know that R2 and 3PO were the only witnesses to Anakin and Padmé's wedding.
"Don't worry 3PO. You're in good hands." Obi-Wan said with a smile.
C-3PO ignored him and went back to his work.
"Milady, do you require any assistance with your packing?" Ellé asked her mistress.
"I haven't even started packing. Thank you the reminder, Ellé." Padmé said smiling at her handmaiden.
"Very well, milady," Ellé said before giving Anakin a small smile and going back to her work.
Anakin had become friends with some of Padmé's handmaidens throughout the years. He knew Sabé rather well from Padmé's time as Queen of Naboo. He even got to know Dormé who served as Padmé's decoy while Anakin protected Padmé from assassination attempts before the events of the current war. Now Padmé had Motée and Ellé serving her. They knew of Padmé's marriage to Anakin and any situation that Padmé might be involved in.
"So do we get going or what?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan and Padmé.
"We pack first." Padmé said as she got up and headed toward her room.
Anakin and Obi-Wan followed her example and headed out of the apartment and headed toward the Jedi Chambers in the Jedi Temple. They gathered the necessary equipment that they needed and they then headed back to Padmé's apartment without a word being spoken amongst them or with any of the other Jedi that they passed. They did however run into Barriss.
"Master Skywalker. Master Kenobi." The Padawan said.
The two older Jedi turned to see her standing behind them.
"Barriss," They said as she bowed to them and they repeated the gesture.
"Aren't you forgetting someone, Master Skywalker?" Barriss said crossing her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow at Anakin.
"Oh yeah, I totally forgot that you wanted to help us find Ahsoka," Anakin said giving a small nervous.
"What? Anakin! Why didn't you tell me that Barriss wanted to help?" Obi-Wan hissed.
"I forgot?" Anakin said shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and motioned for Barriss and Anakin to follow him back to Padmé's apartment.
"Wait a second. This is Senator Amidala's apartment. Why did you bring me here?" Barriss was puzzled by the fact they devising rescue plans in a Senator's private quarters rather the Jedi War Room in the Jedi Temple.
"Senator Amidala is a part of the plan. She's also good friends with Ahsoka. She would do anything to help out." Anakin explained as he led the way into the apartment.
Padmé looked up from her rescue plans when she heard Anakin and Obi-Wan's footsteps.
"You're back," she said in awe.
She was surprised to see Barriss trudging along behind them.
"Who do we have here?" She asked politely.
"Great to finally meet you, Senator Amidala, please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Barriss Offee. I'm Master Luminara's Padawan. Or at least I was until I became a knight." Barriss said just as politely.
"So you're Barriss. Ahsoka speaks every highly of you," Padmé said with a smile coming across her face.
Barriss' face fell. "She does?"
Without a word, Padmé nodded.
Anakin rolled his eyes in disgust. Typical Ahsoka. She would never say a bad thing about anyone.
"Can we get on with the potential plan?" Anakin whined.
Padmé and Barriss looked up and stared at Anakin. Padmé's eyes narrowed her chocolate brown eyes at her blue eyed husband who merely stared at her. His face showed no emotion. His main focus was getting his Padawan out of the clutches of Ventress and Dooku.
"Sure thing Master Skywalker," Barriss said slyly.
Anakin and Obi-Wan explained the plan to Barriss as quickly as they could with Padmé putting in every now and then.
"Great plan," Barriss said after the older Jedi finished explaining.
Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged satisfied looks.
"Senator, make contact with Captain Typho and we'll be on our way," Anakin instructed.
"That isn't so wise Anakin," Obi-Wan said.
"Huh?"
"If Typho becomes involved, Dooku and Ventress will kill Ahsoka if they know that we have backup on our side." Obi-Wan explained.
"So what do we do?" Anakin asked bitterly.
"Simple. We use the Twilight." Obi-Wan said with a grin coming onto his face.
10 minutes later, Anakin, Padmé, Obi-Wan, 3PO, R2 and Barriss all assembled inside the cramped space that was the Twilight's tiny cockpit.
"Now I understand why Ahsoka calls this Junker the Grease Bucket. It's tiny!" Barriss complained.
"It's tiny but it does the job. It's saved our lives countless times too." Anakin said from the pilot's seat.
"I hate flying!" 3PO said in a panicked voice.
"Don't worry 3PO. You're in good hands." Padmé said as she climbed into the co-pilot's seat.
3PO kept quiet. He knew better then to argue with the Senator.
"You know the plan Anakin," Padmé said quietly enough so that the others couldn't hear.
Anakin couldn't meet her eyes. He didn't want her to see the hurt and angst in his eyes. For all he knew, Ahsoka could be dead. No. He couldn't think that. Ahsoka had saved his life countless times and he had only saved her life a few times less.
"Ani, look at me," Padmé said, her voice almost a whisper.
Anakin turned his head to look at his wife. He saw the warm glow of her eyes that said "We'll get Ahsoka back." Anakin knew her too well to know that's what she was implying. He merely nodded before turning back to the windscreen.
"Operation: Save Ahsoka is now underway," he said.
Barriss groaned. "That's the best you can come up with?"
"Do you have a better idea?" Anakin retorted.
Barriss opened her mouth but closed it again when she realised she had come up blank.
"You aren't going to give up on finding Ahsoka are you?" Barriss asked with a sigh escaping her throat.
"Nope," Anakin said. He was more determined than to find his Padawan alive. She had to be alive for his sake and for the Jedi Council's.