Chapter Three
Padmé awoke some time during the night to the soothing comfort of a warm, masculine body pressed up to her from behind, the weight of Obi-Wan's arm upon her hip, the heated moisture of his slow, even breaths upon her neck. Instinctively, she scooted backward into his embrace, and in his sleep, he wrapped himself more securely about her, slipping his arm further down until it fully gripped her waist.
The prospect of making love in the middle of the night was tempting. It had been a while since they had done so. She could seduce him, she supposed, but a wriggle of her hips only heralded a slumbering sigh from Obi-Wan, followed by one of her own.
Through the crack in her door, from down the hallway, she could see the passing shadow of the form of Master Jinn as he moved back and forth through the common room. Perhaps it would be best not to risk being caught in a compromising position, by either the Jedi Master, or in case something did happen tonight, although she doubted it would. Not so soon after the first attempt. Surely, her enemies needed more time to prepare a second attack.
Feeling secure in Obi-Wan's arms and with the presence of the Jedi Master nearby, the young woman drifted back to sleep, only to be stunned awake by a strong grip to her arm. She didn't struggle realizing it was Obi-Wan's hand, but was surprised to find herself being dragged off the bed and onto the floor. The mattress from the bed soon followed, landing heavily upon her body, and only then did Padmé demand an explanation from Obi-Wan, who lay halfway across her.
"What's going on?" She whispered.
A finger placed to her lips quieted any further comment, and then suddenly she heard the whir of what could only be a lightsaber in the room.
And then the galaxy exploded.
A deafening boom filled the air, following by the sound of shards of glass hitting the walls and the floor. The tremors from the bomb shuddered the very floor beneath her, but Obi-Wan held her tight. She only hoped that Qui-Gon was all right.
After what seemed like an eternity, the air filled with the smell of smoke from burning fabric and fibers. Obi-Wan began to lift off the mattress, only to be stopped by a deep, voice somewhere near the doorway.
"Stay where you are, Obi-Wan."
The sound of heavy footsteps stepping upon broken glass was followed by a high-pitched whir, which Padmé could not identify, until Master Jinn described it in two terrifying words.
"Scatter grenade!"
Another explosion, though of a much smaller scale occurred, followed by the sound of various thuds as something, or some things hurled themselves about her bedroom, hitting the walls, the floor, the bed frame, and sending vibrations through the mattress as they struck it as well.
When all was quiet, except for the splatter of water from the fire protection system, Obi-Wan shoved the singed mattress off their bodies and helped her up.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes." Padmé gasped, her heart hammering in her chest, dazed as she looked around at what was left of her bed chamber.
But then her focus was drawn, like the two men in the room beyond the shattered windows to what appeared to be a man floating amongst the traffic lanes. Upon further inspection, she realized he wasn't floating, but was flying, a hover pack strapped to his back allowing him to elevate to the upper levels.
Obi-Wan rushed forward to the window frame, the sheer curtains that had once hung being consumed by flames that hissed as the water from the sprinkler system began putting them out . When the young man reached the window, however, the harnessed jetpack the assailant wore flared and carried the armored being away.
"Bounty hunter." She heard Qui-Gon say.
Obi-Wan spun on his former Master. "Are you just going to let him get away?"
A ghost of a smile appeared on the taller man's face. "What do you expect me to do? Jump out the window?"
It actually appeared that Obi-Wan was entertaining the insane idea when Qui-Gon spoke up once more.
"He won't be difficult to find." Reaching down, Qui-Gon plucked one of the objects that the scatter grenade had dispersed throughout the room and looked at it suspiciously.
Obi-Wan reached down to the burnt mattress and picked up one of his own. "Poison dart." He said after a moment.
"Senator, I advise that we move you to a more secure location for the time-being while I investigate the origin of this weapon."
"And what am I suppose to do?" Obi-Wan demanded, sounding quite irritated, to which Qui-Gon's brows rose in what Padmé could only describe as a patronizing look.
"What you are being paid to do, I suppose, Obi-Wan."
The words weren't meant to belittle him, but she knew Obi-Wan would take them that way, and so Padmé moved forward and placed a hand against the small of his bare back, meeting Qui-Gon's gaze which had once more turned serious.
"It appears, Mi'Lady, that someone is going to a lot of trouble to see you dead."
Understatement of the millineum, Padmé thought, but kept her mouth closed, nodding her head in agreement instead. There had already been enough sarcasm spoken tonight.