Chapter Ten

"Anakin!" Padmé Amidala ran onto the terrace, interrupting her husband's training session with his Padawan, Kyle Katarn. His former Padawan, a Togruta, Ahsoka Tano, had been helping Skywalker with the session. She did that a lot. She didn't take on a Padawan just yet; she had just been knighted, and she didn't want to jump into anything just yet. Both her and Kyle quietly excused themselves and slipped away when the Senator entered.

"What is it, Padmé?" The Jedi Master asked, trying to sound calm. He shut down his lightsaber and hooked it onto his belt. He walked over to his wife, concern in his bright, blue eyes. "Are you alright?"

"It's not me you should be worried about," The former queen of Naboo pursed her lips, taking on the façade the public saw of her; the politician. "It's Leia and Han,"

"I knew I sensed that something wasn't right," Anakin growled, running his fingers through his chin-length dirty blond hair. "Did you get in contact with them? I tried to speak to Leia through the Force, but she wouldn't answer and-"

"Their ship crashed," She interrupted him. She started to pace the room, her hands behind her back. "Leia managed to comm me a couple of days ago; looks like they're stuck on Naboo for a little while. They're staying at my sister's house, so it looks like they'll be fine, but-"

Anakin felt a flash of betrayal ripple through him. "Wait, she commed you a couple of days ago? And you're only telling me this now?" He clenched his jaw, a habit that always showed up when he was on the verge of anger.

"I'm sorry, Anakin, but she said to wait a little while before I told you. She wanted to comm me again once they settled everything. I didn't mean to upset you,"

He took a deep breath, and exhaled, his anger flowing out with his breath. "It's alright, Padmé. As long as my daughter and the prince are safe, everything's fine."

"Chase! You have to focus!" Ben Kenobi instructed his Padawan. He turned off the small laser-shooting robot and put it back on the shelf. "Something is troubling you. I sense it," The Jedi declared, stroking his auburn beard, speckled with gray. He leaned against the wall. "What is it, Chase?"

The boy sighed, turning off his lightsaber. He slipped it into a special leather holster he made for it on his thigh. He was very skilled with crafting all sorts of items; each of the Amidala-Skywalker children had their own special talents. Luke had a knack for music; he played guitar, violin and drums, just to name a few. Leia was gifted in academics; she was valedictorian of her graduating high school class, and won numerous awards during her time as a student. The youngest Skywalker thought that his so-called 'talent' wasn't such a big deal. He sometimes felt as if he was neglected compared to his older siblings; not by his parents or Obi-Wan, but by the rest of the galaxy.

"It's my sister, I guess," He twisted his lips, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Mom told me what happened to her; I just hope she's alright," He felt slightly odd saying that; he and his sister didn't have the best relationship. They'd bicker and tease one another constantly, and they just didn't have that connection that Luke and Leia had, or that Chase and Luke had. It seemed as if Luke was compatible with everyone. Chase Skywalker had never heard someone say that they didn't like his brother. It was practically impossible to dislike him.

Obi-Wan approached him, a small but reassuring smile on his face. "I'm sure she's perfectly alright, Chase," He clasped the young man's shoulder. "You know your sister. She always is."

"I still don't see how this could have happened," Luke muttered, running a hand through his shaggy blond hair. I should get it cut soon, he mused. "I mean, Han's an amazing pilot! It had to be a fluke, or…or…" He fumbled for the right word, but gave up.

"Look, I'm sure they're fine," Mara assured him, resting a hand on his wrist. "Your mom even said that they're staying at her sister's house…they'll get a transport, and either come back here, or go to Bespin like they were supposed to," The cool late afternoon breeze ruffled her hair, sending her red locks flying in all directions.

"You're probably right," Skywalker admitted reluctantly, resting his chin on his hand.

"Aren't I always?" She teased, smirking. Turning serious once more, she laced her fingers with his and gave him a gentle squeeze. "I'm here for you if you need me, okay? If you need someone to talk to, anything. Just lemme know, okay?" Luke, surprised by her kindness, simply nodded. He didn't know what to say; Mara was always so hard, so cold, even to him. She occasionally showed her softer side, but it was extremely rare. "I should probably get going; it's almost supper time. My mom might get mad if I'm late," She pulled her hand away from his and began to walk on the path out of the courtyard.

"Wait, Mara!" Luke called, jumping up from the bench. He jogged to catch up with her, putting a hand on her shoulder to spin her around.

"What is it, Sky-" He cut her off with a passionate kiss. He didn't know why he did it, or where he got the guts to do it. He wasn't even really sure of his feelings for her yet.

He pulled away after a minute, breathless. The Jedi took a step backward, clearing his throat. He felt his face heat up, and he internally cursed himself. "I-I just wanted to say t-thanks,"

"You didn't have to do that," She muttered. Luke noticed her cheeks were flaming as well, the color almost as red as her hair. "I told you, I'm here for you no matter what. I don't need thanking. You're my friend, I care for you, and that's that,"

She left without another word.