Bad news: it's taken me nearly three months to update this story. Good news: I've updated this story AND completed the last of my undergraduate pre-recs. Now I can focus solely on my major and minor. Who knows maybe now I'll be able to graduate in less than 6 years now:)
The Mummy and Star Wars don't belong to me.
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Chapter 2
Naboo:
Anakin sighed in relief as he and Padme entered their home, Varykino. A beautiful mansion filled with artifacts from different digs Anakin and Padme had taken part in over the ten years they had been married, located in Naboo's sprawling Lake Country, less than an hour from the planet's capital, Theed. It felt good to have a place to call home, something Anakin had never truly known before meeting Padme. Yet here he was, surrounded by his wife and children in their home. Well he had been, Luke and Leia had managed to sneak off avoiding the task of helping their parents unpack.
"You know, I think that the bracelet could be a guide to the Oasis of Amun Sher." Padme said, throwing her cloak onto a set of old armor instead of the coat rack next to the set and making her way towards their main library, she had been obsessing over the cuff since their near death experience on Coruscant. Anakin reached out with the Force and pulled his wife's cloak from the armor setting it on the right rack before following Padme. His arms were currently full of his wife's luggage.
"Padme I know what you're thinking. We've just gotten back." To prove his point he set down all the luggage. Padme looked down at the bags then up at her husband.
"Well that's the beauty of it, we're already packed."
"Give me one good reason." Anakin said stepping closer to his wife. Padme's grin turned seductive, reaching up she pushed the coat from Anakin's shoulders, running her hands lightly down his toned arms.
"It's just an oasis." She leaned up and began trailing light kisses up Anakin's neck. "A beautiful, and exciting, and romantic oasis." Anakin fought back a groan of pleasure as Padme kissed him. He wrapped his arms around his wife's small frame.
"You mean the kind with white beaches, palm trees, clear blue water, and those fancy drinks with the little umbrellas?" He asked, Padme nodded.
"Sounds good, yeah?" Anakin knew exactly what his wife was trying to do.
"Sounds too good." He said flatly, pulling Padme out of the embrace. "What's the catch?" Padme groaned in defeat and glared at her husband.
"Supposedly it's the resting place of Bogun's army." Anakin shook his head.
"Always a catch." Padme turned and sprinted up the library stairs, Anakin right behind her. "And let me guess, this Darth Bane commands them."
"Exactly." Padme climbed a ladder set against one of the shelves and began pulling holo-books out at random "But he only wakes about every five eons."
"And if someone doesn't kill him he's going to destroy the galaxy." Padme pulled one last book from the shelf and looked down at Anakin, who was now leaning against the ladder.
"How'd you guess?"
"Because that's always how it goes." Padme shrugged.
"The last known expedition to Amun Sher was sent by Organa the Third about three hundred thousand years ago. Padme flipped through the book and then tossed it down to the growing pile below her.
"And none of them were ever seen again." Anakin finished. Padme shot him another look.
"You're just using the Force."
"No, that's just how all the stories go."
"There's a pyramid of gold." Anakin shook his head. Padme climbed down from the ladder and walked further into the balcony before climbing another. "Rulers have been sending expeditions there for centuries." Padme finally found the book she had been searching for, she jumped from the ladder and into her husbands arms. Anakin was still unfazed by the prospects of this adventure.
"Nice try, still not going."
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Unknown to the two explorers, several unmarked speeders were closing in on Varykino. Luke and Leia finally had decided to be helpful. Luke was carrying the chest with the bracelet while Leia fiddled with the key.
"Mom where do you want this thing? It weighs a thrice damned ton." Padme peered over the balcony.
"Luke language! Go and put it on the table over there." Luke sighed in relief as he set the chest on the table his mother had pointed to. Leia stared at the box intently absentmindedly twirling the key in her hand.
"I wonder what's in there." Luke turned to his twin and shrugged.
"A bracelet I think, that's what Mom and Dad keep talking about." Luke knew the look that crossed his sister's face, trouble gleaming in her eyes. "Leia no! Mom told us to leave it alone."
"Then why did mom let me hold the key?" She smirked, "Come on Luke live a little."
Up above the children, on the balcony Anakin picked up one of the books Padme had thrown aside. Opening it to a random page he frowned and read the summery that was below the image printed on the page. The Force began to bubble around him slightly. He looked over at his wife.
"You first started having those dreams exactly six weeks ago right?" Padme walked over to her husband.
"Right, but what does that have to do with anything?" Anakin handed the book to Padme.
"That lines up perfectly with the Coruscant New Year." Padme looked down at the calendar on the page then back at Anakin.
"That's right. Seems to be some sort of coincidence." Padme said setting the book aside. Anakin wasn't so sure, especially since he felt the Force calling out since he had opened the book.
"I think we may need to be cautious. It's just all to strange to be completely random, I can just feel it Padme the Force is uneasy." He paused looking out the window to see lightning streak across the sky followed by a roll of booming thunder, then he looked back at his wife.
"Please just listen to me, I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to you." He said earnestly, pushing out all thoughts of the Force, focusing solely on his wonderful, beautiful wife, whom he loved with all his heart. Anakin took Padme in his arms holding her close. "You and the kids are the only things that matter to me in the entire galaxy. Padme looked up into her husbands deep blue eyes and smiled.
"Well, you and I have been talking about cutting back field expeditions and the Theed Scholars are still begging me to take over the Nubian Museum." Anakin leaned down and kissed Padme, softly, yet still full of unspoken passion. Padme broke the kiss and glared playfully at her husband. "I hate it when you kiss me like that, makes me feel like agreeing to absolutely anything." Anakin smiled back equally as playful.
"That's the whole point Angel." He leaned in for another kiss when he caught sight of something hanging from the shelf behind Padme. He frowned and pulled away from her staring at the bright pink pair of silken boxers hanging from one of the books. "Those are not mine." Padme turned and saw the offending undergarments.
"Sabe." She growled. Anakin sighed, another moment ruined by Padme's nefarious older sister.
"I've got this one." He said before marching off to find the woman in question. Padme sighed in defeat and started to clean up the books from the balcony.
Back down below, Leia had taken the key and carefully setting it in the lock of the chest, Luke stood back. He knew it was a horrible idea but once Leia got something in her head it tended to stick, especially if it was some harebrained idea or scheme that was bound to backfire horribly and get them into trouble, he still had a scar from when she decided to take a couple of beetles from Coruscant and bring them home for show and tell at their school knowing full well they were of the flesh eating variety. That had not been a good day. Thunder rumbled in the distance causing Luke to jump.
The lid to the chest popped open and he watched as his sister carefully lifted the molded golden bracelet from its resting place and placed it on her wrist. The bracelet snapped shut and Leia felt a powerful pull on her arm and it shot forward. Light shown from the ruby eyes embedded in the griffin's head, Images flashed before Leia's eyes, it felt like she was flying through an entire planet. Just as quickly as it had happened the pull disappeared along with the images. Leia gasped as she stumbled back. Luke was staring at her with a terrified look.
"Did you see that?" She asked her brother breathlessly.
"See what, Leia you're scaring me. It was like you were in come sort of trance!" Luke said taking step towards his sister. Leia looked at the bracelet and suddenly wanted it as far away from her as possible. Leia tried to pull the heavy cuff off her arm, but it wouldn't budge. She looked frantically over at her brother.
"Luke help! It won't come off." Luke jumped forward and helped Leia try to get the bracelet off. Even with the two of them, it still wouldn't budge. The twins jumped when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Leia pulled the sleeve of her jumper down over the cuff while Luke grabbed a decorative statue and threw it into the bracelet's chest along with the key and slammed the lid shut, the lock clicked into place just as Padme reached the bottom of the stairs. She looked up from the book she had been reading and smiled lovingly at her children.
"You two glad to be home?" Luke and Leia nodded in unison. "Here look what your Dad and I found." She handed the book with the Coruscant calendar to Luke, Leia kept her arm with the bracelet on it behind her back and peered over Luke's shoulder. "It's the year of the Griffin." The twins looked at the image on the calendar then at each other.
"That's really cool mom." Luke said. Leia paled and remained silent the image of the Griffin on the page matched the cuff. She was so dead.
Sabe Naberrie stumbled down the hall with her latest acquisition. Some artist, Pablo or was it Hidalgo, something like that.
"So I killed the mummy and his minions, taking this scepter as my Prize." Sabe held up a golden scepter it was the last piece of her share of the treasure of Hamunaptra.
"Sounds fascinating." The artist mumbled drunkenly. He reached for the scepter only to have Sabe to keep it just out of his reach. She may not have been as intoxicated as she appeared to be. Sabe and the artist reached the master suite, as far as she knew Padme and Anakin were still off planet so they wouldn't be using the rooms for several more days at least. Once they entered the rooms however Sabe pulled up short. The main room was full of armed men in strange red robes. The pair were quickly surrounded.
"What the hell!" One of the men grabbed the artist, Palo! That's what his name was. And shoved him out of the door. Two others grabbed Sabe and threw her into a chair. A well dressed older man in a long black cape stepped from the shadows. "Listen if you gents are from Kanjiklub you can tell them I'll have those credits by the end of the week."
"We are not from Kanjiklub." The man replied, coming closer. "Where is Bogun's Bracelet?" Dooku hissed. Sabe shifted in her seat. She had no idea what these people were talking about!
"I don't know anything about any bracelet."
"Mrs. Skywalker you are trying my patience." He drawled. They thought she was Padme. That happened quite a bit when they had been younger. But hadn't happened since Padme married Anakin. She was about to correct the intruders when Dooku's eyes fell on her scepter. He grabbed it out of her hands and began to examine it.
"Hey!" Sabe was cut off as a knife was pressed to her throat.
"It can't be, the Saber of Bendu." Dooku murmured to himself. He stepped away from the interrogation and a woman dressed from head to toe in black took his place.
"Where's your husband Mrs. Skywalker?" She asked.
"Oh, he's out somewhere." The woman raised a carefully sculpted brow. "We've got an open relationship." Sabe rambled. The woman set down the basket she carried and drew something long and wriggling out. She smiled, her facial tattoos making her look especially sinister while she tenderly stroked the worm like creature.
"Koruns, they are very deadly, one bite then slow and painful death. Tell us what we want to know." Sabe struggled in the chair as the venomous creature was brought closer. At that moment the door to the suite burst open and Anakin walked in, he stopped and looked around then sighed, taking in the sight before him.
"Sabe I thought we said no more wild parties." Sabe shrugged weakly as the knife at her throat dug into her flesh.
"Well, when you're popular."
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Padme searched the living room for the key to the chest. Leia had said she put it down on the table with the chest but it was nowhere to be found. She was aware the children stood off looking rather guilty. Those two were up to something again, she just hoped it wasn't as bad as the scarab incident.
"Good Evening." Padme whirled around, the twins both yelped as a large Kaleesh stepped into the room. Padme grabbed her children and pushed them behind her.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?" She asked coldly.
"I'm here for the chest of course." Luke ducked under his mother's arm and grabbed the chest from the table. Without really thinking Padme calmly walked over to a set of swords on the nearest wall and pulled one from the bracket.
"Mom what are you doing?" Leia shrieked. Padme kept her eyes on the intruder, aware that there were more beings behind him. Leia shrunk back with Luke, she clutched her wrist, terrified as her mother stared down the Kaleesh.
"Luke, Leia, stay back. You have one chance to get out of my house." Padme tightened her grip on the sword. Grievous smirked, the men behind him slowly started to fill the room.
"Mom I think it's time to yell for Dad." Luke stated as the mercenaries entered.
"I would kill you and take the chest anyway."
"I think not." A new voice chimed in. Everyone turned and from the shadows of the room a man stepped out in brown robes, his hood was up but when he appeared the other intruders drew their various weapons. Mostly vibroswords or other hand to hand weapons Padme noted. The man threw back his hood and Padme was relieved to see none other than Ob-Wan Kenobi.
"Obi-Wan what are you doing here?" She asked as the Jedi Master stepped up next to her, lightsaber in hand but unlit.
"Explanations are best kept for later." He stated simply.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi." Grievous snarled pulling out his own saber. Obi-Wan simply smirked.
"Grievous." Luke and Leia exchanged a look, both really confused. What the Sith Hell was happening?
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Authors Note: Seriously, I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, my life has been ridiculously full this term. Basically school, work, sleep, repeat. This story will not be abandoned I just cannot guarantee when it will be updated. Especially considering I'm taking five classes next term. (Someone put me out of my poor college student misery now please) But I finished my finals early and have a week and a half off to work on this and just unwind from school. Love you all feel free to follow, favorite, and review. I've got to go catch a flight!