Part 13

Luminara and Barriss returned to the cockpit to find Anakin maneuvering through an asteroid belt above the planet of Geonosis. He didn't spare either of them a look as he threw the ship around the obstacles with deceptive ease. Anakin was renown, even in the Jedi order, for his abilities as a pilot, but watching him was breath taking. Barriss remained standing in the doorway to the cockpit, unable to tear her gaze from Anakin's face as he flew.

There was something in his expression, something she recognized that rang an answering bell in her own mind - the pure pleasure of doing something he loved. It was the same feeling she saw on his face that she felt when she healed someone else. It was the joy of knowing you were in your element, of wallowing in something in which you were unmatched.

Luminara's none too subtle Force push propelled Barriss from the doorway and back towards her seat. She managed not to flush at the pointed, cautionary look her Master sent her way as she strapped back into her crash webbing.

Anakin directed the ship into the Geonosian atmosphere just as she buckled the last of the ties and the ship shuddered with the atmospheric friction. Anakin dialed down the inertial compensators and the shudder disappeared. He cast a sheepish look over his shoulder at the other Jedi.

"Sorry."

Barriss turned her attention to the scanners. "What am I looking for, Master?"

"Anything that will get us inside the main subterranean hive."

"Like what?"

"Heat vents." Anakin spoke up from the controls. "Waste ports, anything where they'd vent steam or dangerous particles from the foundries."

Barriss sucked in a sharp breath, narrowing the scanners on an energy signature. "Are those what I think they are? Droid Federation control ships?"

"Correct," Luminara had pulled up Barriss' sensor data on her own screen. "Our ship is small enough to avoid detection for a short period of time. Anakin?"

"Got it."

Barriss frowned and then gasped as the ship suddenly tilted and Anakin sent it hurtling towards the ground. Her stomach hit her boots before they leveled out close to the surface, the terrain speeding by on all sides. The words popped out before she could stop them. "We're not in a pod racer!"

Anakin's laugh was full of delighted mischief. "Nope; we're in something better! Relax, you're in good hands."

Despite his reassurance, Barriss kept her eyes glued to the screen in fascinated horror as the ship swayed back and forth, ducking under overhands she was certain they'd hit before barely clearing a cliff ledge at an almost completely vertical angle. They turned sharply, following a canyon rim before Luminara's calm voice finally penetrated the tension that was starting to seep from Barriss' consciousness.

"There. That will do nicely. Five degrees to starboard."

"I see it." Anakin banked the ship in a tight turn and dove straight into the ventilation shaft without hesitation.

Barriss squeezed her eyes shut, unable to look, and certain they'd be dashed against the rocks at any moment.

Anakin's low chuckle echoed through the cabin. "So little faith you have in me, my friend. I've been flying since I could walk."

Taking a deep breath, Barriss forced herself to open her eyes. She was rewarded by the ever slowing view of the shaft walls as the ship approached where Anakin would land it. She exhaled noisily as the ship finally settled with barely a bump to the surface Anakin had chosen. From what little she could see of it - for the view port was facing the chasm the ship threatened to fall into - the ledge was built for service craft.

"Safely down," Anakin's voice was soft, barely carrying over the click and snap of the controls as he powered down the ship, but there was no mistaking the smug satisfaction in it. He glanced back over his shoulder at her, his eye twinkling with mirth. "You fly like my Master, Barriss. I told you that you were in good hands."

"I prefer solid ground, thanks."

Luminara seemed to pay their exchange little heed and was already on her feet standing at the cockpit entrance. "Get your bearings and see if the transmitter will reach Coruscant; I will return in a minute."

Both Padawans looked at her startled, but the Master was already gone, the sound of the ramp lowering reverberating in the near silence of the ship. Anakin, already free of his crash webbing, moved to stand next to Barriss before crouching beside her chair and quickly assisting her with the buckles of her own restraints. Their fingers brushed, freezing for a moment over the same buckle before Barriss pulled back as if burned. Anakin's lips thinned into a tight line and a moment later all of the remaining buckles sprang free, releasing her from the confines of the chair. He stepped back, rising to his full height once more as he gave her room to get free.

He busied himself testing the ship's systems; including the portable transmitted he would carry with him, for power levels and signal strength. Apparently satisfied with their performance, he placed the unit on his belt at the small of his back before rummaging through one of the compartments near the door. Barriss said nothing as Anakin turned and led the way from the cockpit, placing several more items on his belt as he went. She wasn't surprised, however, when they entered the rear area where she and Luminara had spoken, when he finally turned to her.

Gone was the exuberance of flight. The carefree smile that had lit his expression so totally was masked behind eyes of penetrating ice. "What did she say to you?"

"Isn't this a bad time?"

Anakin glanced towards the hatchway leading to the ramp area at the far end of the room. "We were told to wait - it might be the only time we've got."

"But the mission-"

"Barriss."

She took a steadying breath and then smiled faintly. "Master Luminara spoke mostly of her own... indiscretions as a Jedi."

"Her own?" He echoed the words, his surprise clear, though his tone encouraged her to proceed.

Barriss nodded. "She's noticed how close you and I are getting and wanted to... to curb any kind of emotional attachment that might hinder our development as Jedi."

"What did you tell her?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing." He sounded like he didn't believe her. Anakin stepped closer, one eye on the hatchway, his senses casting outward even as he lifted his hands to Barriss' shoulders. "What is it exactly she wants to curb, Barriss? What does she think she can do? This... whatever this is, is between you and I, isn't something easily controlled."

"I know that." Her hands came up to light encircle his wrists. "Don't you think I know that? I know what I saw when I was healing - you and I are entwined in our destinies. We're meant to help one another, I just don't know how yet."

"You ground me." His hands shifted, caressing her cloth covered shoulders as they slowly slid towards her neck. "You... you make me feel whole, invincible, Barriss. How can I give that - give you - up?"

She stared at him mutely as his hands gently cupped her face, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks. His azure eyes were solemn, conflicted, as if he fought an inner battle she couldn't see or feel. Yet the evidence was there. His fingers shook as they caressed her skin.

"I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, Barriss. The very idea..." he paused, as if searching for the right words. "It hurts. I can't breathe. When I think about living a life without you... life seems pointless. You're in everything I see and everything I touch."

"I don't-"

"Barriss. Anakin."

They jumped apart as if burned when Luminara's voice drifted in from the hatchway, but she didn't appear as expected. The Padawans looked towards the entry way, nervously exchanging a strained look as they silently wondered what the Master might have seen and heard, but Luminara didn't show herself.

"Master?"

"Come here."

Barriss moved forward but Anakin's hand shot out to grasp her arm. He shook his head once, imperceptibly, his lightsaber already in hand, before stepping forward cautiously. He motioned her to one side of the hatchway, mindful of the Master's comments about Geonosians, and took up position. Peeking out, he encountered Luminara's amused - but approving - gaze. Luminara beckoned with one hand before turning away, crouching low and disappearing from sight.

"Really, Anakin," Barriss scolded with a grin, "don't you think I'd know if my Master was in any danger?"

His smile was sheepish. "Sorry; habit."

They descended the ramp, Barriss hanging back and to the side, her lightsaber in hand as Anakin took point. She turned his words over in her head, a part of her desperately seeking a way out, while the better part of her was thrilled. She hadn't meant to affect him so greatly, but it appeared he was just as affected as she when it came to whatever it was between them. And just as out of control.

The sight of her Master waiting patiently to the side and just under the ramp of the ship as they hit ground was enough to bring her thoughts back to the present - and shield the wayward emotions she found harder to fight by the moment. Whatever was happening between her and Anakin, it was like wild fire. The more time they spent together, the larger it grew and she knew no matter what her Master tried, curbing it would be next to impossible.

And a part of her, a very secret part, didn't want to curb it - she wanted to see what would happen if it was given free rein to grow.

Luminara crouched, motioning for them to do the same, and then began drawing in the dirt of the landing platform with one finger. "Best as I can tell, we're on the same side of the refinery as their main attack droid factories. That means that through that access hatchway," she pointed vaguely to her left, "there is going to be a tunnel with several side corridors. The main tunnel should lead directly into the heart of the refinery itself. I'm confident one of the side corridors leads to the interconnected under city and Obi-Wan." There was more scratching and a drawing of what appeared to be a multi-level cone appeared in the dirt. "This is the base layout of a Geonosian hive; several of these interconnect to form great colonies. From what I observed as we descended, we are almost in the heart of the largest colony on the planet."

"How many Geonosians live in a hive?"

"Several thousand, possibly tens of thousands, depending on the size of the hive. The cluster we're facing is likely to house several hundred thousand - possibly over a million."

Anakin and Barriss exchanged looks and Barriss spoke before he could. "And we're supposed to pass through undetected?"

Luminara's answering smile was faint. "Not completely. Geonosians are pacifists by nature. They engaged in combat only when threatened and tend to use swarm tactics. Don't misunderstand me," the look she pinned on them was deadly serious. "They will kill you if you make it necessary. They will also, likely, choose to capture you for their games rather than kill you so you can entertain the entire colony and not just themselves. They are society oriented, almost fanatically so, and will sacrifice themselves for the greater good."

"Sounds like a weakness."

Anakin snapped his jaw shut as Luminara turned glittering eyes his way, her hood casting her feature in shadow and lending her a more dangerous appearance than usual. "It is, but it is also their strength. They think nothing of their own lives, Padawan Skywalker. I'm trusting you to obtain the information the council needs and to send it off before doing something rash."

"I won't let you down, Master."

"We." Barriss corrected softly. "We won't let you down. Where do we rendezvous once the information has been sent?"

Luminara nodded towards the ship. "Here, if your access isn't completely obstructed."

"And our secondary meeting point."

"You say that as if you often use a secondary meeting point, Anakin."

He shrugged with a half-smile. "Master Obi-Wan and I often find our primary point of exit is... obstructed."

"Or destroyed." Barriss slanted him a knowing look. "Geonosians are space worthy, correct?"

Luminara shook her head. "They are not. They do travel with others and are advanced enough to encourage trade. Their hangar bays should be here-" she touched a part of the map almost on the other side of the complex from where she figured them to be. "Of course, if I'm right, Obi-Wan will be here." Another finger touched the map and both Padawans winced. They'd landed almost in the middle. Luminara would need to backtrack with Obi-Wan to get to the landing pad if they couldn't reach the Nabooian ship.

"Would you like a diversion, Master?" Anakin's eyes glittered. "I'm certain we could arrange something."

"If you haven't heard from me in thirty minutes, I'll take you up on that." Luminara slapped her hand against the dirt, obliterating her crude drawing. "Questions?"

Both Padawans shook their heads and Luminara nodded once. "Then may the Force be with you."

Anakin and Barriss echoed the sentiment, but they did it to air. Luminara was already gone, disappearing into the hatchway across the platform and ducking into the Geonosian labyrinth. They shared a look and Anakin opened his mouth to speak - to continue their earlier conversation.

Barriss placed her hand over his mouth. "Not here. Not now. You and I both know the cost of traveling the road you're asking me to take. When this mission is over, once Master Kenobi is rescued, you can try and convince me to give up my dreams - or to alter them."

His eyes flared as if she'd struck him, but her words held a wisdom Obi-Wan usually voiced. Reluctantly acquiescing, Anakin nodded and forced himself to sweep his wayward emotions into the back of his mind. Barriss turned away as Anakin composed himself, struggling against the hurt her words had released. He couldn't afford to be distracted and while having this discussion now would have helped him, he knew why Barriss didn't want to get into it right then. And, more importantly he respected it.

They had a job to do - and it wasn't going to be easy.