Going Under
By Serena Kenobi
Author's note: GAH! You guys are TOO awesome!! You all get free lightsabers for being such wonderful reviewers. But before we get to the story, I have some news. I just started my own Star Wars forum titled: Serena Kenobi's AU Roleplay. You can also discuss this and my other SW stories, too, like if you have any questions about characters or upcoming chapters, etc. So check it out!
Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I don't own Star Wars. (checks again) Nope, still don't own it.
Part II, Chapter XI
Han swore again in Corellian, slamming his fist into the prison wall. He couldn't remember a time when he had been so furiously enraged. He never got this angry. Unless, of course, it had something to do with Leia.
And this, most definitely, had something to do with Leia. That deranged Falleen Underlord had her in his reptilian clutches – and with those cunning, irresistible pheromones of his, would Leia be able to resist him?
"Of course she can, she's Leia," Han grumbled aloud. A second later, he groaned and rested his head into his arm. "Great, I'm talking to myself."
Chewie barked something at him.
"Don't tell me to shut up, fuzball," Han snapped, irritated. "It's not my fault we're stuck in this Hoth-hole."
Chewie barked something else.
"Look, I didn't know we would get in with Black Sun. And how was I supposed to know he was after Leia?"
The Wookiee moaned.
"I don't know what Luke's up to; I just hope the kid's all right. He can barely take care of himself, much less rescue anybody…"
Chewie roared out a reply.
"Hey," one of the guards shouted from outside the cell, "keep it down in there!"
"Keep it down yourself!" Han yelled stubbornly.
Chewie muffled a laugh and then barked something else.
Han looked at him, surprised. "Luke? A Jedi Knight?" He shook his head. "Chewie, he's just a kid with some… issues. He is my friend, though. Probably the only real friend I've ever had–"
An objective bark interrupted.
"I mean other than you! A human friend! Ya know, guy to guy! Or guy to kid, I guess."
Nice to know I'm appreciated, Chewie growled.
Han rolled his eyes. "Look, we shouldn't be fighting, we should be trying to figure out a way to get outta here and find Leia."
I agree. But how?
"Ah, there's the real problem," Han muttered.
"Can't you just, you know, use that blasted lightsaber of yours?" Lando shouted as they ran through the streets of the lowest section of Coruscant.
"I don't want to kill anyone!" Luke shouted back. "And in any case, it wouldn't be wise for me to show anyone who I really am! With the price on my head–"
"There's a frelling price on all our heads, Skywalker!" Lando was beginning to become out of breath.
Padmé had been ignoring the gambler's constant complaining and was looking for any special underground exits or tunnels. It was hard to spot such passageways, but they could be found, if looked for hard enough.
A few blaster bolts screamed past them, and she drew out her sporting blaster and, not bothering to look behind her, fired her gun upside down over her head at the pursuing stormtroopers. From the pained sounds that followed, she knew she had hit something.
"How in Vader's name did you do that?" Lando squawked, astonished.
She shrugged and continued to run. "Practice."
Luke looked ahead and noticed a few more stormtroopers. "Uh-oh."
Padmé followed his gaze, pointed her blaster, and shot them all with perfect aim. They were down before they even knew what had hit them.
"Quick, drag them over here," she ordered, and ran up to one of the downed troopers, taking hold of him and dragged him into a dark and narrow alley. Luke and Lando followed; the former surprised at Padmé's strength, and the latter simply struggling to perform his task.
Padmé turned, her back against the alley wall, and shot the last of the stormtroopers that had been chasing them. Once certain they were down, she nodded and placed her blaster back into her holster.
"We'll need to disguise ourselves," Luke stated.
"I agree," Padmé nodded, and promptly reached out and pulled a trooper's helmet off.
Luke barely had time to register a beautiful pair of doe brown eyes and dark brown cropped hair before she slid the white helmet on. But from what he did see, he was incredibly shocked to discover that she was younger than he had imagined. Younger, beautiful, and somehow, pained. He had half expected her to be an alien of some sort. But no, from what he had seen, she was human.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he put on the armor and placed the helmet on his sandy blonde head.
"You guys ready?" Shadya's voice betrayed no emotion, but Luke felt that she was strangely excited and hurt at the same time.
The men nodded.
"Let's go. We should be able to find an underground corridor and get inside." She turned and walked down the alley.
Lando walked next to Luke and muttered, "Where did she come from?"
Luke shrugged. "I don't know. But she knows what she's doing."
"She gives me the creeps."
Luke, feeling strangely angry at Lando's comment, turned on him. "Don't talk about her that way!"
Shadya turned back to face him. Don't, he heard her, felt her whisper. Don't be angry.
He didn't know why, but he calmed down immediately and continued to follow her.
Meanwhile, Anakin and Dash were trailing the three missing people, but soon found that their trail had led to a dead end.
"Where could they've gone?" Dash asked, frustrated.
Anakin reached into the Force, felt for his son's presence. It glowed so brightly; it was hard to actually ignore it. But what if the Emperor found him first? Pushing away that unpleasant thought, Anakin glanced around and jogged to his right. "They came this way," he stated.
Dash followed him until they came upon a group of dead stormtroopers. They had obviously been shot. Dash whistled.
"Wow. Whoever did this had a nice aim."
Anakin's brow furrowed. "Indeed. Expert shot."
"You think this was Shadya's work?"
Anakin paused, opened his mouth, and realized that he hadn't thought of that. "It might have been," he remarked. "If it was her doing, I'm impressed." He grinned, despite himself. "She's gotten better."
"Gotten better at what?"
"Shooting, obviously. Come on, let's keep moving. We're catching up."
Padmé led the way through the supposedly inaccessible corridor that was only available, supposedly, to the extremely rich and famous. However, with a few Jedi mind tricks and stun bolts, they were on their way to Xizor's palace via the underground corridor.
After a few turns, Lando halted, leaning over to catch his breath.
"We need to keep moving," Padmé informed him brusquely, her helmet swiveling to gaze around the corridor.
Luke noticed the fine details and beautifully managed gardens to the right. "These hallways must be exclusive to the rich," he remarked.
Lando straightened and panted, "Not anymore."
Padmé looked at him. "You ready to go, hotshot?"
Lando glared at her. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" He jogged up to them, and they continued down another hallway.
"There's going to be a sizable amount of guards in the entrance to Xizor's palace," Padmé said.
Luke nodded. "I think we can handle them."
"I'm sure we can." Padmé, under her helmet, grinned at her only son.
Indeed, they were correct, for fifteen minutes later, the group of guards was all stunned or dead on the ground, and the three were on their way into the lowest level of the palace.
"Luke," Padmé said, "I think we should split up. You go and find Captain Solo and Chewie, and I'll find Princess Leia."
Luke frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked. "I mean, what if you get caught?"
Padmé grinned under her helmet. "I won't. Don't worry, Luke," she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can take care of myself. And even if I did get caught, I've suffered worse. Like getting my back ripped to shreds by a nexu in the Geonosian area…" she jogged down another corridor until she was out of sight.
Luke and Lando stared after her.
"Is it just me, or does it seem like there's something going on with her?"
Luke glanced at him. "It's not just you. Come on, let's find Han. The prison will most likely be on this level." He turned to move down another hallway.
"And what if we run into any guards?"
Luke glanced at their uniforms. "We should probably change into the castle guard uniforms, just in case," he decided. "Let's go back and do that before we go any further."
"Shadya's not wearing any disguise, except for her stormtrooper outfit."
Luke's mouth twitched. "I have a feeling she'll be just fine."
That's that chapter. In the next chapter, Padme/Leia reunion! Well, they meet for the first time, I mean. And also more exciting things, so stay tuned!!
Oh, before I forget, I'll be posting: Across the Stars: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast soon, so be on the lookout for that!
MtFbwy,
- Serena Kenobi