Note 1: Star Wars and its affiliates do not belong to me, only the contents of this Verse.
Note 2: Thank you to my betas LordAedan and Young at Heart21.
Chosen: Restoration
Chapter 25: Jumping Ship
By WrittinInStone
"What's taking them so long?" Padmé murmured, nervously tapping her fingers against the armrest of her chair.
Anakin and Obi-Wan had been gone for hours now without any word. It worried her; usually they would have checked in by now. This total lack of communication was unlike them.
"What should I do, R2?" she asked, turning to the small, blue droid. "Should I go down there and risk being seen?"
The astromech droid let loose a string of beeps that was clearly a call to action.
Padmé couldn't help but smile at its antics. Perhaps R2 wasn't the best one to ask; the droid was about as reckless as she was.
"Maybe I'm overreacting," she reasoned, rubbing her temple, trying to massage away some of the tension there. "I'll just watch some holovid and relax. They're probably just busy with the Council which is understandable considering the problem they're facing. They'll contact me when they can."
Satisfied with her explanation, she leaned over and clicked on the holovid. What she saw made her mouth drop open. The heading "Breaking News" was running across the top of the screen while a 'vid played of an obviously aggravated Anakin and a quietly frustrated Obi-Wan being forcibly pushed into a squad transport.
"Breaking news!" the female reporter gleefully announced. "Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker were arrested earlier today on suspicion of kidnapping Senator Padmé Amidala. The popular senator from Naboo has been missing for about a month now and had been reported so by Queen Jamillia of Naboo after attempts to locate her were unsuccessful. Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker were implicated by an anonymous, but trusted, source of the leader of the Galactic Senate: Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Investigation into these claims are now underway. Kenobi and Skywalker have denied these charges but particles of DNA on their clothing indicate that they have been in close proximity to Senator Amidala within the last 48 hours. They are currently being held in high security cells by the Coruscant Security Force where they will be questioned—"
Padmé had heard enough. With a loud thump she shut off the holovid, closing her eyes and leaning back against her chair.
This… this was simply unbelivable! If it wasn't one problem, it was another!
"They were arrested, R2! For my disappearance!" Padmé wanted to be angry with Queen Jamillia, but she knew this was not her doing; this had to be Palpatine's work.
R2 rolled up to her, beeping in concern. It was clear what he was asking and it was equally as clear what needed to be done.
"You know what we're going to do, R2," she answered, eyes gleaming with determination. "We're going to break them out of prison."
#*#*#*#*#
Their situation, if possible, seemed to be getting worse with each passing moment.
Upon reaching the prison, the Coruscant Security Force had immediately thrown Anakin into a cell and posted guards at the entrance.
What was worse was that they had separated him and Obi-Wan, even going so far as to place them on opposite ends of the floor so that they could not communicate. Anakin cursed the foresight of Coruscant's police. It was a wonder that they had done so as there was no policy that would prompt such an action. It had to be Palpatine's work, again.
If the Chancellor was trying to get Anakin to hate him then he was doing a fine job of it.
Taking a deep breath, the young Knight drew on the Force, seeking peace and guidance. The first thing he needed to do was assess his surroundings. Opening his eyes he began to inspect his cage. It a very small cell, having a small slit of a window on the steel door and being made of nothing but stone. There was only way in and one way out; it would be a very difficult escape.
"Skywalker," one of the guards spoke, opening the small window, sneering his name as though it was something filthy. "You have a visitor."
Anakin stood at attention to meet this new development head on. Hopefully it was one of the Jedi to explain what in the Sith hell was going on.
It did not take long for his visitor to show himself and when he did, Anakin felt dread and a terrible anger flood through him.
"Hello, Anakin," the intruder greeted cheerfully.
Chancellor Palpatine.
#*#*#*#*#
Padmé stood in front of the door with a confidence she did not feel. She placed her hand on R2's dome, suddenly glad that he and 3PO had refused to allow her to go alone.
This was a bid for help, one she knew was quite desperate; but she had no other option. She could not seek the Jedi; they had to follow the dictates of the Senate and there was simply no one else who could help considering the circumstance. No one, that is, except the ship.
So, that was why Padmé was now standing in front of the entrance to Célosige, praying that it would help.
Feeling more than a little foolish, Padmé steadied herself and placed her hand on the door, mentally begging entrance.
She felt her heart began to pound as the door opened. With the droids trailing silently behind her, she made it to the command center in record time, taking little notice of the startling changes in the ship; the walls which were once a pearly white were now an obsidian, somehow translucent black, similar to the crystal, making the green veins therein glow even brighter than before.
Steeling herself, Padmé entered the room, ignoring the innate heaviness that seemed to permeate every particle of the atmosphere. She was Padmé Amidala Skywalker, senator and former queen. She had stood before people who wished to kill her, people who spawned hate at her with every breath they took and she had survived—no, she had thrived; she would not be intimidated by a ship, living or otherwise.
Squaring her shoulders, she spoke softly but firmly, "My name is Padmé Amidala and I need your help. My husband and friend are being held captive on Coruscant. I don't know what your capabilities are, but I need you to help us escape to the Yangau. Please."
There was nothing but silence.
"If you can hear me, if you're alive, please give me a sign," she cried desperately, spinning in a circle, hoping to see any sign of life, hear any confirmation. But only silence remained.
Exhaling in frustration, Padmé quickly turned on her heel and left, heading toward her suite. She had followed a hunch and it hadn't panned out, so, she would just have to do this alone. As though sensing her thoughts, R2 beeped up in offense, bumping her gently to make its presence known.
Understanding R2's beeps, 3PO immediately pitched in to agree, although Padmé could hear the fear in the protocol droid's voice. "We are right here to help you Mistress! We will do whatever you say!"
Smiling in gratitude, Padmé nodded, thankful to have such loyal droids.
Reaching her room, she quickly went inside and beckoned the droids close. "Okay," she whispered to them. "This is what we're going to do…"
#*#*#*#*#
"Chancellor Palpatine," Anakin greeted coldly. "So nice of you to visit me in my incarceration."
A sly smile spread across the older man's features, a malicious glint shining his eyes. "Now Anakin, you know I would never allow a friend to wallow in this place. I assure you I am doing everything I can do get you out."
"I'm sure you are," the Knight countered, aching to wipe the smug smile off of Palpatine's face. "Friends must be hard for a Sith Lord to come by."
The older man smiled mockingly. "They are indeed, young Skywalker."
"So you don't deny it?" Anakin asked, gritting his teeth against the swell of anger rising within him.
"Why ever should I when it was I who allowed you to discover the truth in the first place?" Palaptine asked and the conceit in his voice made Anakin's stomach clench in fury.
"Then you must know that I will stop you," Anakin spoke softly, unable to keep the rage from his voice it. It felt like the fire of a thousand volcanoes was erupting in his chest. It was because of this man that he was sick, because of this man that he was in jail; he would pay.
"No," the Chancellor shook his head self-assuredly. "I don't think you will."
"And why is that?" Anakin countered scathingly.
"Because you want to save your wife."
And then, time stood still.
The Jedi Knight opened his mouth, but found that words wouldn't emerge. Swallowing, he tried again. "What are you talking about?" he whispered, eyes widening slightly.
"I think you know what I'm talking about, Anakin," Palpatine returned gently, eyeing him meaningfully. "The dreams."
"I've been having no—"
"Come now, Anakin, don't you think it's time for us to stop lying to one another? You've been having dreams of Padmé dying in childbirth, have you not?"
Anakin began to back away from Palpatine, shaking his head. "How do you know that, I haven't told anyone about those nightmares!"
"You should know by now that I've been keeping a very close eye on you, both in the physical and through the Force," the Chancellor watched Anakin carefully, his face morphing into seriousness. "Join me, Anakin, and I will help you save your wife."
"You lie," Anakin bit out. "How could you help her?"
"You have not heard the tragedy of Darth Plagueis?" Palaptine asked mockingly.
"That's a myth," Anakin replied tersely, turning away from the Chancellor.
"You think so?" the older man countered, eyebrows raised. "It is true. Darth Plagueis was so powerful and wise that he could persuade the midichlorians to create new life, even to stop people from dying. The tale is only so misfortunate because, despite this great power, he was unable to save himself."
Anakin was silent, turning to face his opponent again, hating the fact that he was listening despite himself.
"Turn to the Dark Side of the Force, it is the only way to save your wife." The words were low, seductive, pulling Anakin into their depths.
"No," he replied desperately, shaking his head and covering his ears with his hands. "Get out! Get out of here now!" He would not listen to these lies; he would not allow this man to manipulate him anymore.
"Very well, I will go. Think about it," Palpatine grinned at him and for a moment, Anakin saw a flash of sickly amber eyes before the Chancellor turned away. "You have three days, Anakin."
With that, he exited, leaving a very confused and conflicted Jedi Knight in his wake.
#*#*#*#*#
Anakin withdrew into a deep meditation to drive the Chancellor's words out of his mind. Palpatine had finally revealed his hand; he wanted Anakin to become his apprentice, to turn to the Dark Side to save Padmé.
He couldn't do it; to turn to the Dark Side was to follow the path of evil. It represented everything that the Jedi avoided and the thought of turning repulsed him.
It was true that he had drawn on the Dark Side before, but that was very different from becoming the apprentice of a Sith Lord. He would be turning his back on peace, justice and serenity while taking up the mantle of might, aggression, and passion.
"I will not become a Sith," he murmured softly, resting his forehead against the cold stone. "I will not."
Padmé could never love a Sith Lord, would be horrified if he ever became such.
But does that really matter? An insidious voice whispered to him. She can't despise you if she's dead. Isn't her hate preferable to her death?
"Shut up," he told the voice aloud, quietly.
What will you do in a world where there is no Padmé Amidala, it continued silkily. How much will your pitiful principles warm you when your wife is being lowered into the ground—
"Shut up!" Anakin screamed, falling to the floor, covering his head with his hands, ignoring the guards who were gazing at him in pity and distate from outside the cell.
He… he couldn't do what Palpatine asked. He… shouldn't…
But… what would he do without Padmé? How could he possibly continue without his beloved wife? She was everything to him… everything…
Anakin shook his head. He couldn't be considering Palpatine's offer, he couldn't be.
But Padmé…
The vision of her standing on the veranda of 500 Republica months ago came to his mind. She had been in a silk nightgown, her long, dark tresses flowing down her back as she brushed it with deliberate and unhurried strokes. He remembered how she to turned to smile at him, how the very light of her soul seemed to shine on her face. She had been so beautiful it had made his heart clench painfully in his chest. It has struck him like a physical blow that she belonged to him, that she loved him, Anakin Skywalker, the least worthy of all men.
Could he really live without her light in his life, her love?
Force help him, but he would not, absolutely could not live without her.
To save Padmé, to save his wife; Anakin would do anything, even sell his soul to the devil. He could win her love again, as a Sith Lord, he could…
Anakin buried his head in his hands as sorrow began to overwhelm him. Did this mean that he was actually—?
Suddenly, the Knight's head whipped up as the alarm klaxons began to sound, the large red lights blinking furiously.
"Go check it out," he heard one of the guards call as he moved to peer out of the small window, trying with little success to see what was happening. Before they could move, all the lights went out, plunging the floor into darkness.
Shouting, his guards blindly moved to meet the threat. Anakin could only wait as the sound of blaster shots filled the air followed by the yelling of his guards. Moments later, the lights came back on. There was more shuffling and then—
"D4! Over here!" A deep guttural voice rang through the darkness. "Knight Skywalker, step back."
Anakin immediately moved to comply, wondering who'd had the nerve and motivation to break him out of prison.
Seconds later, the door was blasted open and a very small, chubby and masked sentient hurried into the room. "No time to explain," it said, throwing him a cylindrical object. "We must rescue your master, they know we're here. Let's go!"
Anakin looked at what he had caught; it was his lightsaber. He frowned as he ran behind his pudgy rescuer.
"Who are you?" he yelled over the ringing alarm, suspicion in his voice.
"We can discuss that when we're out of here," his rescuer replied, running toward the other end of the floor to Obi-Wan's cell.
The Coruscant Police Force did indeed know they were there; as soon as they rounded the corner before their destination, they were bombarded with blaster fire.
"Dammit," his companion hissed, as they both jumped behind the corner to avoid the barrage. "There's two whole squadrons out there! How are we going to get rid of them?"
"Leave that to me," Anakin said, shifting to the front. Closing his eyes, he drew on the Force and then pushed out with all of his strength. Opening his eyes, he found that all the soldiers was on the ground, unconscious and devoid of their blasters.
"Come on," his rescuer said, wasting no time. "We must get Master Obi-Wan."
It only took a moment for D4 to blast the Jedi Master's door open. Obi-Wan nodded to Anakin as the Knight threw him a lightsaber, sending only a curious glance at their rescuer before falling in step behind them.
"What do we do now?" Anakin asked, deflecting a sudden blaster bolt back at the guard who fired it.
"There should be a transport waiting for us nearby," their companion replied, stepping over the guard's unconscious form.
Nodding, Anakin and Obi-Wan continued to follow their rescuer, hoping that he was genuine and not a puppet of Palpatine's. Taking a sharp left, they ran up a set of stairs leading to another floor. In front of them was a long hallway, the end of which shone bright with light; an exit.
As they ran to it, Anakin's heart began to thud hard in his chest; they were going to escape.
But as soon as they passed into the sunshine, the Knight knew he had celebrated too soon. Stormtroopers and police officers were everywhere and they had their blasters pointed at them.
They were surrounded.
#*#*#*#*#
Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, only barely cognizant of the reporters snapping shots and 'vids behind the troops surrounding them.
There was nowhere for them to go; they were completely hemmed in on all sides.
"Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and hostile, surrender immediately!" A voice bellowed.
There was a slight commotion before another voice took its place. "Anakin," the speaker began. "Don't do anything rash."
It was the Chancellor.
Palpatine stepped forward through the troopers, the very picture of concern and pleading in the face of the media. "Please, put down your weapons. We can work this out."
Despite the man's demeanor, Anakin could almost feel Palpatine's smugness. The Chancellor thought that he had him, that he would give in gracefully and become a Sith Lord's willing slave. As Anakin felt the Chancellor's glee, his heart hardened. He would feel the discharge of a thousand blaster bolts before giving the Sith the satisfaction of seeing him surrender; Palpatine would not take him alive.
The Jedi said nothing in response to the Chancellor's words, only held up their lightsabers, their companion holding up his blaster. Anakin glanced at Obi-Wan, trying to tell his Master without words that to die with him was an honor.
Obi-Wan nodded slightly, understanding his friend's unspoken proclamation, returning them.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Anakin allowed the image of his wife to float through his mind. Padmé, he thought with horrifying sorrow, feeling for a moment as if his body wouldn't hold under the weight of the pain. I'm so sorry.
Opening his eyes, he raised his chin in determination, his eyes on Palpatine. If he should die, he would take the Sith with him.
It was then that the light of Coruscant's sun seemed to go out.
"What the…?" Their rescuer exclaimed, head toward toward the sky.
As Anakin followed his rescuer's gaze, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open at what he beheld.
It was a ship, but it was unlike anything that he had ever seen before.
Smooth and sleek, it was a study of black and lime green as it glided through the air like the light from the sun cut through the atmosphere… it was Célosige!
Everyone watched, dumbfounded, as it descended, sending the troops scattering.
Where the hell is the rest of it? The inane thought ran through Anakin's head as he continued to gaze at the now very unfettered ship before being shaken out of the thought when their rescuer grabbed both him and Obi-Wan and began pulling them to the ship.
"Stop them!" A voice shouted with savage fury.
But they were already running through the startled and disorganized troops toward the ship. They reached it just as a strange looking hatch opened, allowing them entrance.
As they entered, dodging blaster bolts the whole way, a gruesome sound filled the air. It was full of anger, of wrath. It only took a moment to realize that it was Palpatine's futile cries of rage as his prize rocketed away.
It made Anakin's heart glad.
#*#*#*#*#
The three of them collapsed as soon as the hatch closed with a definitive thud. Through the window, they could see troops below continue to fire on them, but the ship avoided it with incredible ease.
Moments later, they were in space.
The three of them sat there for a moment, trying to digest everything that had happened.
Taking a deep breath, their rescuer pulled off his helmet. When Anakin saw who it was, he could only roll his eyes, exhaling in both annoyance and relief.
"Padmé," he groaned. "I should have known."
"Yes," she replied with a grin. "You should have."
"For Force's sake, Padmé, you're pregnant!" her husband cried in frustration.
"I know, Anakin, but I had to rescue you guys; there was no one else who could." The look on her face begged him to understand and not chastise her.
Acknowledging her unspoken plea, Anakin nodded although his face was still furrowed in a frown.
"And the D4 unit?" Obi-Wan asked, still trying to catch his breath while he eyed said droid.
"R2 in disguise," she said with a sly smile. "And 3PO was the one who turned off the lights." She bit her lip as she thought about the loyal droid. "I hope he's okay—"
"Oh, Mistress Padmé, you're here to rescue me!" a voice cried in joy. Walking quickly toward them was 3PO. "It was terrible!" the protocol droid begin dramatically. "This horrible ship just took me from the escape transport without any warning! I was terrified—"
With an exasperated beep, R2 bumped into 3PO, herding his companion away from them. "How rude!" 3PO cried, and they all shook their heads as the two droids began to bicker.
"Nice to see he's okay," Padmé said in exasperation, shaking her head as the three of them finally rose from the floor. "But I cannot believe we just did that! We ran from the police! We ran from the police! We're fugitives."
"I know," Anakin said, eyes gleaming with excitement. "That was awesome."
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan chided, trying unsuccessfully to hide his grin. "That was not awesome. Did you hear what Padmé said? We're fugitives now. Let's just be thankful that they don't know who our accomplice is."
"That is a plus," Anakin admitted. His eyes widened as he noticed the changes within the ship. "Célosige saved our hides."
"It certainly did," Obi-Wan agreed. "I wonder how it got rid of the bit that was Twilight's Rain?"
"If our lives aren't dependent on that information, I say we allow that mystery to remain unsolved," Padmé retorted, as the three of them began to walk toward the command center. "I've had just about enough of playing detective. I still can't get over the fact that we really just escaped Coruscant and in front of the media! The galaxy will hear about this within the hour, I promise you. What are the Jedi going to do now?"
"I don't know, Padmé," Anakin said, grinning apologetically. "But it hardly matters now, we're long gone from that place."
"Yeah, about that," Padmé said, frowning as she stopped to lean against a nearby wall. "Where exactly are we going?"
::I take you to the place you seek.::
They all stilled as the words echoed through the hall.
"What the hell was that?" Anakin asked quietly, eyes darting around.
::It is I, Célosige. I take you to the place you seek; I take you to my Makers.::
"Obi-Wan," Padmé whispered loudly, her voice a measure of awe and fear. "Is the ship talking to us?
"It appears so," Obi-Wan responded in kind, his eyes huge.
::We will arrive in one trec.::
"What is a trec?" Anakin asked, confusion marring his face.
But there was no answer.
"I guess she's done saying all she's going to say," Padmé said with a sigh.
"She?" Obi-Wan asked, eyebrows rising.
"Well I don't want to call Célosige an 'it'." Padmé explained, knowing she was being ridiculous but unable to come down from her adrenaline rush. "It's rude. Besides, the voice is fem— Oh, Force! Anakin!"
Obi-Wan immediately turned at the sound of her scream just in time to see Anakin Skywalker to collapse to the floor.
The Jedi Master was at his friend's side in a second, leaning over to check the younger man's pulse.
He wasn't breathing.
End of Chapter 25: I was so sad as the lack of reviews. So many people read but only a few reviewed… please take a moment to comment.
Chapter 26: The Yangau: The trio meets the Yangau
A/N: This was supposed to be the last chapter, but the last one was so long I decided to split it into two despite my dislike of posting in anything other than multiples of five… (cough). Next chapter will definitely be the last.