***Author's Note***

Good Afternoon, everyone! I know, I'm a bit late on the update, but this one kinda fought me some. It's also the longest chapter yet, so...enjoy! Lots of swashbuckling action in this chapter! Yaaay!

***End Note***

Leia and Han

Leia couldn't tell how long they'd had her, but she thought it was longer than an hour. In an effort to hide her power and strength from her captors, Leia was offering little visible resistance to their torture. True, it caused her far more pain than was strictly necessary, but it allowed her to focus hemore on hiding her thoughts. She knew somehow that it would be disastrous for them to discover her identity – both for her, and for Han. Therefore, rather than spend her energy protecting or healing herself, she spent it protecting her family.

At first, when they'd brought her to this cold, metal room, Leia had through that she understood what was in store for her – she couldn't have been more wrong. These people cared not at all that she was just a child, and her being a girl didn't even enter their minds for a moment. Leia refused, however, to give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream – perhaps that was the real reason for the longer "session". They'd begun by beating her savagely, but that was nothing she hadn't felt before during light-saber training. They had nearly surprised a squeak out of her when they'd Force-Pushed her into the opposite wall so hard that her head had bounced off of it, setting her vision to swimming and her ears to ringing. That, it seemed, had been nothing but a warm-up for t hem. They'd burned her with their light-sabers, slapped her, even cut on her with daggers, but still Leia stubbornly refused to make a sound, showing a will and maturity that was vastly beyond her meager eight years. Eventually, they had grown frustrated by her silence and sent for their "expert."

"So," he'd said, "We've found ourselves a tough nut to crack, have we. You must be the one that's fashioned herself the 'leader' of these brats. Don't worry, little one. We're going to have so much fun together." He'd laughed then, a sick, oily sound that sent a thrill of fear down her spine and made a sick-feeling lump form in her gut. His first act had been to shove flexible wooden shoots under her fingernails – it was then that she truly understood what they could do to her, and how much they could make her hurt. Her fingers had twitched and jerked of their own accord as blood streamed from them and dripped onto the ground, but still she remained silent. They tried method after method on her – from holding her head under water until she nearly drowned to stretching her until she thought her muscles might snap, but still nothing. Instead, she protected her thoughts faithfully, sparing no energy for herself. Eventually, she sank into a kind of trance where the only thought was There is no pain, only peace.

Suddenly, in the vacant emptiness of that peace, Leia felt her beloved brother's presence. She knew it was a terrible risk, but she knew she had to try to save the others from this fate. Anakin! Help! Naboo! Was all she managed to get through before she heard that horrible, oily laugh again, "O-ho! I was unaware that we had any of the Solo children here. Well, now. That changes things. Take her back to the others. I have planning to do." Leia would have struggled, but she was barely even conscious by then. Somewhere between there and their cell, Leia blacked out. She came to again just enough to feel herself land hard on the floor of the dungeon.

There was the sound of movement, then a soft curse, followed by murmuring. Someone placed to wonderfully cool fingers at her neck, sighing in relief, "She's alive. By the Powers, what have they done to her? Someone take Han away! Don't let him see her like this! I need all our healers this time! I know, she usually heals us, but it's our turn. We owe her at least that much."

Leia would never be able to tell how long they worked over her. All she knew was that her pain gradually lessened beneath a warm, gentle light until it was manageable. How she managed to stay aware when they set her broken bones, she had no idea. She had the impression of someone saying, "They broke damn near every bone in her body. What kind of monsters are these guys?" But that was the last thing she remembered hearing for a very long time. At last, the warmth began to fade from her body and the light receded. She fell deeply into sleep, and sensed that her fellows would fight to the death to keep her safe.

The Masters

The twin ships landed on Coruscant and were instantly swarmed with people, all chattering curiously. The moment the loading ramps were lowered, however, there was a sudden movement away, once they saw the grim faces of the occupants. A wide berth formed like the parting of the sea, leaving plenty of room for the Togorians and the Masters. There were many nervous glances towards the group of towering Togorians as they stalked past, each one with death in their eyes, even young Hrii, who had been allowed to accompany her father. Those who were familiar with the Ben and his party, however, were far more alarmed by the seriousness of the usually-jovial group; some of them were still sporting injuries from the battle, making them even more serious-looking. A few approached, intending to ask Ben questions, but the curiously dead quality of his eyes made all that they fell upon shrink back in terror. Saying not a word to the curious crowd, they proceeded directly into the palace, heading for Leai's official chambers, where Ben knew she was currently holding court. The guards opened the massive doors wide for them, glancing nervously at each other all the while. The group fanned out in a smooth, fluid movement that appeared to all to be well-rehearsed, with the Togorians flanking the Masters of both Orders on either side, while keeping their Leader and his daughter in the middle.

As the room watched them approach, every voice died on the lips, and fear spread through the room at the thought of what could possibly bring these normally reclusive people out in such force; normally, there were only two at a time, not the massive number of twenty, including Tuk-Tuk. Watching them approach, Leia visibly paled and rose slowly from her seat at the head of the room, half-reaching towards her son and brother, sheer horror in her eyes. "Ben..." she whispered so quietly that the vaulted ceiling barely had a sound to make an echo with, "Ben, what happened?"

Stopping just before the throne, every knee bowed, showing the Chancellor the proper respect before anyone spoke, "Takodana has been attacked, Mother." Gasps and cries reverberated through the room, only to fall silent when Ben stood slowly, drawing himself to his full height, his eyes flashing dangerously and the light glinting off of his right arm. "They took every Padawan that was below the age of eleven, including our children – T'arla, Jar'lek, Leia, and Powers help them, Han. The Knights of Ren have come out of the shadows once again, and are responsible for these heinous acts, including the torture of the Padawans – Anakin has a special connection to Leia; he has felt it. We are formally requesting the authority to act as we see fit to return them to safety." There was an angry outburst of outrage at what the Knights had done that was silenced only when Leia rose from her seat once again with fire in her eyes.

"You have my permission, Master Solo, to do whatever you deem necessary to return these poor children to the safety of Takodana. I will even send a few contingents of troops for backup until the rest of your own forces can arrive. However, I have one question. How did this happen? How were you not prepared?"

Ben narrowed his eyes in irritation, but understood that this was part of the political game that they must now play. Bowing slightly, he spoke again, "Chancellor, we were caught completely unawares. There was no sign that this was the action they would take; their movements have been shielded from our sight by the Dark Side. Whoever their new Master is, he must truly be powerful to hide them from us. Even Master Skywalker was unable to sense the direction of their plans. It wasn't until an outside source informed us that was knew where they would strike, and they waited until the most powerful of us were here, at your summons, before they struck."

"And who might this outside source be?" Leia asked, playing the game right alongside her son.

Something happened then that neither could have predicted. The Force crackled and snapped as Han Solo appeared between Ben and Leia. General Antilles, who stood behind the throne, smirked as his old friend caused quite the panic, and enjoyed every minute of it. "That would be me. I knew there was no way they'd reach the planet in time, so I've been keeping an eye on the children. They're doing their best to fight off their captors, but they're fading, and quickly. The Knights' plan is to force the children to turn to the Dark Side and kill all who refuse. If I were you, I'd stop screwing around and get your asses out there and look for my grandchildren." Han vanished again, leaving silence in his wake and a glint of amusement in Leia's eyes.

Clearing her throat, Leia spoke again, "Well. That clears that up. Very well, Master Solo. You have my leave to go. And, Ben?" she called as they turned to go, "Bring my grandchildren home safely." The fear and worry in her eyes shone openly for a moment, but was quickly replaced by the steely look that any who were close to her knew meant that she had no intention of staying out of this fight.

As they headed for the doors, Anakin paused, "Father? Hold on a moment, I think I...Eugh!" On an odd gagging, coking noise, Anakin doubled over, clearly in pain and vomited messily all over the marble floor of the Throne Room, his eyes staring blindly towards his father. As Ben and Rey lunged for their son, the twins just behind them, Anakin's head jerked up, "I can see her! I can see Leia! What have they done to her?" He choked again, gagging as tears rolled down his face, "They've beaten her and...other things. Things I don't have words for. It's awful."

Ben's mouth drew into a thin, hard line, "Easy, now, son. What can you see? Is there anything that will help us find them?"

Anakin shook his head, "No, but she knows I'm there. She's reaching out, saying my name. Help, she says. Naboo." Anakin's eyes cleared as the connection faded. "Dad...I think...I think they're being kept on Naboo!"

Ben closed his eyes for a moment, searching the Force for answers, "I believe you may be right, son. Well done." Turning back to his mother, Ben gave her a sharp nod before turning a sweeping out of the Throne Room, the rest following behind. No one said a word until they were back on board the Falcon. "Okay. We have the location of the Padawans. Any suggestions?"

Rey was sitting, her eyes unfocused, and her face slightly green, spoke quietly, "We should get the children, obviously. I can't believe you even have to ask, Ben."

Ben laid his hand on Rey's shoulder, "Of course, but what I meant was more to the effect of what's our first step? Do we alert the others and wait, or do we go now? Either way, I feel that we will most likely need the reinforcements. So, I will ask again: Any suggestions?"

None was willing to speak for a long moment and to the surprise of all, it was Thamian who broke the silence, "I say we go now. I get the feeling the children will need us sooner than later. They've already been in the hands of the Knights for two weeks now, and I don't give them much more time before the Knights give up and decide that turning them isn't worth the trouble. I'm thinking they'll just slaughter them all; it'd do pretty much the same thing. If we can't defend our Padawans, how can we possibly defend the galaxy? I say we alert Takodana and head for Naboo ourselves."

Ben was nodding in agreement, "That makes good sense. Any other opinions? No? Good. Poe; please alert Takodana as to what has happened. Huur, I'm sure you want to get to a ship where you can actually stand up; we'll meet you on Naboo."

Huur dipped his head respectfully, "Very well, little friend. It is there that we will see you."

Within minutes, both ships were primed and ready to take off. The Council had, of course, been disgusted by the information provided by Anakin's unique connection with Leia. Lilia sat beside her father in the co-pilot's seat, worrying, "Father?" Poe glanced up at her, "What if we're too late? I can't help but think that this wouldn't have happened if I'd done a better job at defending our home..."

Poe was already shaking his head and reaching for her hand, "Hush. That's nonsense, and if you'll stop blaming yourself for one second and just think, you'll realize that you're not the only one that was out maneuvered here. We all were. The Knight's didn't just wake up one day and think, 'hey, I think it'd be fun to attack Takodana.' They've been planning this for a very long time, probably since the end of the war. You're not the only one who was taken by surprise, and I doubt you're the only one feeling like you were duped. If you really won't take my word for it, then there's only one thing you can do. You'll have to kick some serious ass when we get to Naboo, now won't you?"

Lilia smiled, "Thanks, dad. Now; what do you say we get this bucket of bolts moving?" Poe punched in the coordinates while Lilia made the calculations for the jump to hyperspace. Before long, they were sliding into a hyperspace channel and hurrying towards Naboo.

Leia and Han

Leia woke, sore and disoriented. "It's alright," said T'arla from her right, "You're back in our cell, with us. You're going to be okay. We managed to heal the worst of the damage."

Leia nodded, "Thank you. Where's my brother? Have they taken anyone else?"

T'arla shrugged, "Han's fine, but they haven't taken anyone for three days, since they dropped you back here, more than half-dead. It took every healer we've got, just to keep you alive. How'd you piss them off so bad?"

Leia smiled humorlessly, "I refused to scream. They didn't like that very much. Okay, so; they're probably planning their next move. Gather everyone, I have news." It took only a short time to gather the other Padawans and group around Leia, "Thank you for listening to me. I hope I haven't led anyone anywhere they don't want to go. However, I think your faith in me will be rewarded, and soon. I managed to get a message to my brother while they were torturing me; Anakin and I have always had a special connection. There is no doubt that by now, my parents know where we are, and are either on their way, or working out a plan to come save us. If I know my Grandmother, she will send an army with my parents, but they won't be here for a while, either way. We don't have much time left before they get here, so we have to be strong until then." Cheers broke out among the Padawans; they could see the end of their imprisonment, and the atmosphere was electric.

Just then, the door to their cell opened, and the air of celebration vanished, "Well, I can't say that I'm surprised, little one. It seems your friends have patched you up admirably, but I am not here for you." The Knight who had tortured Leia gestured, and two-dozen Knights streamed into the cell, shoving through the children with no thought to injuries. "Take him," shouted the head Knight. Leia's blood when cold when she heard Han's terrified scream as the Knights dragged him out of the cell.

"NO!" Leia screamed, but it was too late. The door slid shut, and cut her off from her baby brother. She pounded on the door like a wild animal, ramming her tiny body against it time after time, but it stubbornly remained closed. "No, please. Please, don't hurt him."

T'arla came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder, "Stop, Leia. You've got to think. Look how many of us there are! We've been acting like scared kids for long enough, don't you think?"

Sense returned to Leia's eyes as the logic set in, "You're right. Thank you, T'arla." Turning to the rest of the younglings, Leia raised her voice so it would carry, "Alright! The time has come for us to fight back. We need to soften these jerks up before my family arrives; we've got to give them all the help we can! I'm sure they'll have our weapons around here somewhere. Once we get out of this cell, the largest of us will take out the Knights and steal their light-sabers and they will give them to those who have the most skill. There are six guards; that's six blades that need to be distributed. Once we've done that, we'll figure out where our light-sabers are and head there, taking out anyone who's in our way. Then, when we've armed ourselves properly, we will find my brother. After that, we'll try to find our way out of here and to the surface. Everyone agree?" The roar that met her inquiry was answer enough.

Leia barked orders, sounding so much like her Grandmother that if her father had been there, the hairs on the back of his neck would have stood on end. At last, they had arranged themselves in a protective ring around the youngest of their number, and those who had not yet earned their light-sabers. The most powerful with the Force were on the outside, protecting those who were best with a light-saber. The only exception to this rule was Leia; she was equally gifted with blade and Force, so she took point. Though she was diminutive in size, her power was potentially greater even than her parents'. Together with the others in the front ring, Leia aimed a powerful Force-Blast at the door of their cell. After only the first blow, the door exploded forward with such force that it knocked their guards to their knees.

Wasting no time, Leia and the others swarmed the six guards, making sure that they were fully unconscious before stripping them of their light-sabers and distributing them as planned. Leia was one of the six that was handed a light-saber, and her skin crawled as she handled the unfamiliar weapon. It was as though the hilt was covered with slime, and it turned her stomach, just to touch the infernal thing. However, it was a weapon, and Leia knew she would only have to touch it until her own blade was back in her hands. Quickly and silently as only a Jedi can move, the group slunk as one down the hall, each feeling through the Force for their light-sabers. Suddenly, each head snapped up in unison and turned in the same direction, as though they had been called. It would have been funny if the faces of the children weren't so uncharacteristically fierce. Together, they streamed in the direction of their weapons, moving as fluidly as water over rocks.

As they flew around the final corner, a group of Knights froze in shock at the sudden appearance of their supposedly helpless captives. Leia wasted no time, "Cover us! Take them out and break down the door!" A massive Force-Wave burst forth from the unarmed students, nearly knocking the Knights to their knees, giving the armed Padawans the opportunity to jump forward, lighting their stolen light-sabers in unison. Leia sunk into her stance, as she'd been taught from the moment she'd begun to show Force-Ability and ducked beneath a blow that she'd hardly even seen coming, moving with the speed that comes with youth and training, and swung her stolen blade in a curving arch, slicing her opponent's leg and severing it. As he fell, she hesitated only a moment before slamming the blade home, ending his life. Leia stumbled back, shocked for only a moment at the reverberation through the Force. Understanding came to her at that moment, why her parents always told the Padawans that killing is never something to be made into a game or a joke. Leia knew she'd have to deal with the fallout of her actions eventually, but now was not the time.

Spinning, Leia met the next attack mechanically and dispatched him just as quickly. Looking around, she saw the others still grappling with their opponents, each seeming to hesitate to strike the final blow. "Don't go easy on them! Remember, they intend to kill us all!" Leia's shout seemed to do the trick; each of her fellows that were already armed set their faces into determined expressions and redoubled their efforts. In a few moments, there were no Knights left standing. Rushing to the door that stood between them and their weapons, the Padawans readied another Force-Blast which buckled the door in, granting them access. With relief, they dropped their stolen blades and called their own weapons to them. The air was suddenly filled with the heat and buzz of a hundred light-sabers, and suddenly the children were not so defenseless.

Around the corner, a new wave of Knights came at them; Leia sank to her knees, calling for time to find Han. Her fellows nodded grimly and formed a protective barrier around her. Their defense was so fierce that the Knights were taken by complete surprise, and it gave Leia just enough time to locate her brother. She surfaced quickly, lighting her own light-saber and Force-Jumping over the line of her friends and launching herself into the fight, hacking and slashing with wild abandon at kneecaps or whatever else she could reach. Within moments, the battle was over, and Leia was leading the way to her brother. At last, they turned one last corner, and standing before them stood the Torturer.

"Well, I must say, I am impressed. Who would have thought that youngsters like you could handle such highly trained warriors, such as ourselves? But then again, enough ants can kill a spider, so perhaps it is not such a surprise, after all. What is it that you plan to do now, little one?"

Leia said nothing, but brought her blade to the front of her body in a defensive position. The Torturer laughed and lunged at her, lighting his own blade. He was at least twice her size, and by far the strongest she had faced yet. The others swarmed around them, taking on other Knights as Leia battled fiercely with the massive man. She met him, blow-for-blow, and managed to block every attack he aimed at her. Leia tumbled and lurched to her feet, slashing viciously at his back. Her opponent screamed in pain and fell to his knees, just as Leia's blade came down on his shoulder, cutting in diagonally and stopping his heart. "Don't. Touch. My. Family." She hissed through clenched teeth. She turned, sprinting for the door and blasting it out of its frame. There, strapped to a metal table, was Han, unharmed save for a red mark on his cheek where he'd been slapped. Leia breathed a great sigh of relief as she waved a hand over the restraints and laughing as he flung himself at her, wrapping his arms around her neck and began to cry. "It's okay, I'm here. They're not going to touch you again. I need you to do something for me, okay?" Han drew back to look at her as she wiped his face with her sleeve. "I need you to stay in the middle, where you'll be safe, okay?" Han nodded and Leia helped him get down.

Hurrying outside, they found the others waiting for them. The crowd began to cheer when they saw that Han was safe, "Okay, you lot! Lets find our way out of here!" With that, the Padawans swarmed through the base, seeking the exit through the Force. Leia smiled to herself; she was proud of her friends and how well they had handled themselves. She knew, now, that it would only be a short time until her parents arrived to save them, and hope blossomed, unrestrained in her chest as they hurried on their way.

***Author's Note***

Wooo! Padawan justice! I've been looking forward to the epicness of these Padawans! I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I know I did! Thanks for reading, all.