A/N: We're into ROTS territory now, although not exactly the same as we're used to.
To Guest: Thank you for reviewing. No comment because spoilers!
To Mahogany Diva: All will be revealed in upcoming chapters. Thanks for commenting!
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Planning for the End Times.
Lost in thought, Sabé was only superficially aware of the blur of hyperspace out of the viewport ahead of her, or Gregar's comforting presence at her side. They were piloting Padmé's Nubian cruiser. It was a worryingly distinctive ship, but had been the only one available to them in a hurry. Upon emerging from his meditative state, Obi-Wan had advised them to fly in the direction of Kashyyyk, and they had collectively agreed to do so, unsure of any other course of action. Sabé knew that Padmé and Gregar joined her in trusting Obi-Wan implicitly, and following up on whatever small lead he had at least took them away from Anakin.
Closing her eyes, she recalled the sight of the Jedi Temple's smoke, dominating the skyline as they flew away from Coruscant's surface. They had no confirmation of what had actually happened, and the HoloNet was being typically speculative. In less than five minutes, Sabé had read eleven different versions of what had caused the fire, ranging from an unhappy accident to a full-scale Jedi rebellion. Obi-Wan had been so certain that something terrible had occurred, they had decided to leave before finding out the whole truth.
Beside her, Gregar sighed, and she turned to him. He was staring at nothing, much the same as she had been, turning his uniform hat over and over in his hands.
"You okay?" she asked him softly, careful not to startle him.
His eyelid flickered a few times before he straightened in his seat and returned her gaze. "Yeah. You?"
"Not sure," she confessed. "I don't like not knowing what's going on."
"I know what you mean. Obi-Wan knows what he's doing, though."
"I'm not sure that he does," Sabé mused thoughtfully. "He just…has strong instincts."
"Either way, I'll take that over whatever the HoloNet says."
"True."
They fell into companionable silence. In the part of the ship designed for passengers, Padmé had fallen into an exhausted sleep on a bench, worn out by a long day and the confrontation with Anakin. Sabé was pretty exhausted herself, but felt too wired to sleep. She'd left without a replacement bacta patch, and her healing injury was bothering her. Gregar didn't seem inclined to sleep either, although he hadn't mentioned how he was feeling.
Behind their seats, Obi-Wan sat cross-legged on the cockpit floor, deep in another meditation trance. Sabé knew he was desperate for answers, and had received nothing from the Force but the vague lead they were currently following. Still, meditating seemed to be soothing for him, replenishing some of the energy that he would have gained in sleep. A dim-eyed See-Threepio stood in a corner, deactivated so they could all get some peace and quiet.
"Can I ask you something?" Sabé spoke up, keen to focus on something other than their uncertain future. "Personal."
Gregar nodded, shifting in his seat so he could see her better. Sometimes his peripheral vision was limited on one side.
"You don't have to answer," Sabé added as a disclaimer.
"Ominous," he said, almost managing a light tone. "Go ahead."
"I was just wondering…being nosy, I guess," she admitted with a shrug. "Padmé didn't get her divorce from Anakin, and if he's truly allied himself to a Sith, it looks likely that she never will."
"You want to know if that makes a difference to me?" he guessed.
"Yeah." She wrinkled her nose. "That is nosy, isn't it? You don't have to answer."
"No, it's okay," he assured her, propping one foot up and resting his hat on his bent knee. "It depends on Padmé. If she feels in her heart…" He trailed off and started again. "She knows what I want. I know what she wants. But if she still feels tied to Skywalker now, then…maybe she won't feel comfortable moving forward. I don't know. We didn't have time to talk about it. It's up to her. I won't push her if she still feels bound by her vows."
He said it so plainly, Sabé had to simply stare at him for a moment. "Gregar, you can't be as calm as you sound. It's like…gods, it's almost like you have no emotional investment in this whatsoever."
He winced, shrugging one shoulder in acknowledgement. "Sorry, I guess it's an old defence mechanism. Trust me, Sabé, I'm so on edge about this I can't relax at all. Why do you think I'm not sleeping right now?"
"I assumed you wanted to spend time in my charming company," she quipped, drawing a small smile from him.
"Besides that, obviously," he said dryly, then sobered once more. "I just…I can't, in good conscience, offer her anything else. I don't know what I'll do if she says no now, on the verge of us finally being able to be together…but…I can't push her into choosing me if she still feels bound. Y'know?"
Sabé nodded. "I get it. You're too good, Gregar."
"I'm not the only one," he said, shooting her a knowing look.
Puzzled, she sent him a blank stare.
Her reaction prompted a quiet huff of laughter in him. "You seriously don't…? Okay," he said, amused and resigned. "You say I'm good, but who else do you know who's head over heels for someone tied to a serious commitment? Who else has decided not to push for what they want because that's what's best and most fair to the other person?"
Clarity dawned, and she gaped at him. "You mean…me? You mean me, don't you?"
"I mean you," he said fondly, seeming amused further by her incredulity. "I've drawn parallels between us before and you wouldn't listen, so my expectations are low this time. But really, Sabé. We're pretty similar."
She considered his point, grudgingly admitting that he saw valid patterns in their stories. "How did we end up like this?" she pondered aloud. "Valiantly doing the right thing and potentially ending up miserable?"
"I have no idea."
The console beeped, and there was a soft rush of movement as Obi-Wan got to his feet, seemingly wide awake. Sabé wondered how much he'd heard. Not that there were any secrets between them now, but still she wondered.
"We're within range," Obi-Wan said.
Gregar sat up straighter as the autopilot brought them smoothly out of hyperspace.
"In range of what?" he asked.
Before the words were even out of his mouth, a different alert noise started up. Sabé leaned forward to look at her side of the console.
"We're picking up a signal," she reported. "Some kind of escape pod."
"That's it," Obi-Wan said with certainty. "Can you get alongside it, Gregar?"
"No problem."
As the cruiser drew closer, Sabé saw a tiny pinprick drifting a short distance from Kashyyyk's orbit. Before too long they had flown near enough to recognise it as a basic escape pod. It disappeared from view beneath their hull, just as they were receiving a transmission. Sabé answered it, and a small hologram materialised above the console.
"Master Yoda," Obi-Wan greeted, sounding unsurprised. "I'm relieved to see you unhurt."
"And you as well, Obi-Wan," the wizened Jedi said. "That ship you're in…Senator Amidala's, it is, correct?"
"Yes, Master. The senator is here. There's a lot to discuss with you."
Sabé was itching to ask if Master Yoda knew any more than they did, but she remained quiet. It was for Obi-Wan to ask.
"We can't bring the pod on board," Gregar pointed out. "It's too big."
Obi-Wan acknowledged his words with a nod, looking pensive as he rested his elbows on the back of their chairs.
"Is it safe back down on the surface?" Sabé spoke up.
"No," Yoda answered at once. "Safe, it is not." He elaborated no more than that, and the following silence seemed heavy.
Sabé pulled up a star chart on her console, studying the immediate area. "What about Alaris Prime? It's not far, and it's habitable."
"Good idea," Obi-Wan said. "Master, is your pod capable of landing?"
"Yes. Not much of a pilot am I, but do that, I can."
"We'll meet you there."
Alaris Prime was the smallest moon orbiting the planet of Alaris. Since it was tiny and still within the Kashyyyk system, it seemed a relatively safe option for them all to talk. Like Kashyyyk, it was mostly forest terrain, and Gregar was able to set the ship down in a clearing while Sabé went to wake Padmé and explain what was going on.
Padmé had never been a heavy sleeper, but Sabé had trouble waking her. When her eyes were finally open, it seemed to take her a long moment to remember where she was.
"Are you okay?" Sabé asked her, pressing the back of her hand to Padmé's forehead. "Are you ill?"
"No," Padmé responded, blinking and haphazardly trying to smooth her hair. "I don't think so. I'm just exhausted."
Sabé eyed her warily, unconvinced, but changed the subject and offered to redo Padmé's elaborate bun, which had gotten thoroughly squashed from being slept on.
"I don't have anything with me," Padmé reminded her with a shrug. "Just braid it."
She explained the situation as she did so, and Padmé reacted with predictable relief that Master Yoda was alive. As the oldest and wisest Jedi, his loss would have been felt keenly.
Combing through the tangled waves of her friend's hair with her fingers while she talked, Sabé found herself grateful that Padmé hadn't worn it in the thick curls that she usually favoured. She managed to tame it into something somewhat presentable, and Padmé smiled her thanks as she stood up.
"It might be wise to take on a simpler look anyway," the senator mused, stretching her stiff limbs. "If I have to hide from Anakin like Obi-Wan seems to think I will."
"Master Yoda might have another plan," Sabé remarked as they headed for the door.
Obi-Wan and Gregar were already outside, having gone to find Yoda's pod. Sabé and Padmé waited for them by the ship's entry ramp, content to leave Threepio where he was, activated and guarding the cockpit. Sabé took a deep, appreciative inhale, enjoying the earthy scent of the forest. Amongst the towering wroshyr trees, they were safely concealed. The canopy of leaves that Gregar had gingerly negotiated would hide their ship from view should anyone come looking. But all Sabé could hear was the whisper of the wind in the trees and the cheerful chirps and calls from the moon's wildlife.
Before long, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps through the underbrush. Sabé dutifully raised her blaster, but was unsurprised when it turned out to be Obi-Wan, with a weary-looking Yoda clinging to his shoulders, and Gregar not far behind.
"I'm glad to see you safe, Master Yoda," Padmé greeted warmly. "We can talk in the ship, and you can rest."
"Thank you, Senator Amidala," Yoda replied, jumping down from Obi-Wan's back and following Padmé up the ramp.
Once they were all seated, and Padmé had apologised for the lack of refreshment – needlessly, in Sabé's opinion – Obi-Wan was the first to raise the most urgent topic.
"Master, what has happened? In the Force, I…I felt…"
"I felt it too, Obi-Wan," Yoda said, his gruff voice heavy with as much sorrow as a Jedi Master permitted himself. "Turned on me, my clone troopers did."
Sabé looked at him in shock, seeing similar expressions on the faces of her companions.
"Turned on you?" Obi-Wan repeated, seemingly unable to keep his surprise and alarm from his voice.
"Killed me, they would have, if the Force had not been my ally."
"This has happened everywhere," Obi-Wan realised, stating his sudden knowledge as grim fact. "All over the galaxy, the clones have all turned at the same time, and the Jedi…"
"Have fallen," Yoda finished. "Yes."
Obi-Wan's brow furrowed and he looked at the floor. Sabé could read him well enough to know that he needed a brief moment to let the information sink in.
"When we left Coruscant the Temple was burning," Padmé spoke up. "There were clone troopers there too. The HoloNet has given us no definitive answers."
"Out of nowhere, this attack seems to have come," Yoda said with a frown. "And yet the Dark Side has shadowed matters for some time. Return to Coruscant, we must, if answers we seek."
Sabé and Gregar exchanged a worried glance, not liking the thought of bringing Padmé back into potential danger. They were both too well trained to speak up, however.
"We may have some additional information," Obi-Wan said, glancing back up. "Before we left, something else happened." He looked to Padmé, seeking permission, and she nodded, lips pressed firmly together. "Anakin is on the verge of turning to the Dark Side, if he hasn't turned already."
Yoda listened in unnervingly-still silence as Obi-Wan relayed what had happened between Anakin and Padmé, finishing off the story with their theories about Palpatine.
"If this is true," Yoda said after a moment's reflection, "then even more crucial, it is, to return. Confront Darth Sidious, we must. And his new apprentice, if he has one."
Sabé's heart clenched in sudden fear as she watched Obi-Wan accept the solemn duty with a nod. She didn't know how she could possibly stand by and let him march into battle with the most dangerous Sith lord in existence. In the same instance, she knew that in the end she would do exactly that. If there was one thing an Order of Sanctuary warrior understood, it was duty.
Obi-Wan sent her a glance, and she wondered if she was broadcasting her distress. She kept her face neutral, trying to reassure him with the most convincing smile she could muster. Her muscles felt too taut to achieve much in that department.
"Senator Amidala," Yoda went on, turning to Padmé, "safe, you must remain, until the threat is neutralised."
Padmé nodded her agreement, although she too looked uneasy. "We will accompany you back to Coruscant, change ships and head somewhere discreet."
They were all aware that it was a risk to bring a well-known senator back to a planet that could be now ruled by a Sith Chancellor, not to mention the threat of Anakin, but they had no choice. Unless Obi-Wan and Yoda stranded them on Alaris Prime, there was no other course of action they could take.
The door slid aside, allowing See-Threepio to enter. "Oh, excuse me, Senator Amidala, but there has been a transmission received from Senator Organa. He requests you to respond as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Threepio, I'll be right there," Padmé said dismissively. As soon as the droid had left, she looked to the others.
"Could be a trap," Gregar obligingly pointed out.
Padmé pulled a face. "It could. I trust Bail, but if he's being manipulated…"
"There's no harm in listening to it," said Sabé. "You don't have to reply."
"True."
They all relocated to the cockpit, watching as Bail Organa's blue-tinted figure sprang to life above the console.
"I hope you're safe, Padmé," the message began without ceremony. "There are reports that you've gone missing. The Senate office is pleading for your safe return. They've been trying to contact you, you just missed an emergency session. Since I'm pretty sure you have good reasons for staying away, I'll sum it up for you. Palpatine has been attacked, you wouldn't recognise him anymore. He's blaming the Jedi, claims there was some sort of rebellion and that they became a threat that the army had to eliminate. He's 'reorganised'," Bail's fingers came up to form the sarcastic quote marks, "the Republic into an Empire, and he's calling himself Emperor. His powers are secure, permanent now, like we feared. If it's safe for you to contact me, please do so. We have a lot to talk about, and we need to decide how to act. You can reach me on this secure channel."
The message fizzled out as abruptly as it had started.
"I haven't received any messages from the Senate," Padmé said, confusion clear in her voice and expression.
"Uh, that was me," Sabé admitted a touch sheepishly. "I had a feeling they might try, and since we weren't sure about Palpatine I set them up to redirect to the automatic response message."
Padmé smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Your foresight is fantastic, Sabé."
Sabé shrugged off the praise, but caught Obi-Wan's eye. Despite the weight that now rested on his shoulders, he found it in him to send her an approving smile.
Gregar broke the momentary lightness by saying, "If you're 'missing' it could be that they consider you a traitor now. The pleas for your safe return could be a ruse that Anakin has set up."
"I agree," Yoda spoke up from his position in the co-pilot's chair. "Speak with Senator Organa, you should. Perhaps…"
His words were cut off by another incoming transmission, a recorded audio-only message. A series of beeps and clicks filled the cockpit, leaving her baffled. Obi-Wan and Yoda, however, looked at each other knowingly.
"What was that?" Sabé asked once the sound had faded out.
"A coded message," Obi-Wan explained. "It's recalling all Jedi to the Temple, stating that the war is over."
"But if there's anyone still alive out there who didn't get killed by their troops, they'll be walking back into danger," said Padmé, sounding horrified.
"If Master Yoda and I can get into the Temple, we can alter the message and warn them to stay away. I choose to believe that there are more Jedi alive than just us two," Obi-Wan said, but it seemed as if his belief was a strain for him. "If that's so, we can't risk them falling into this trap."
Yoda nodded. "A good plan, Obi-Wan."
"So you two will go to the Temple to do that and find out any additional information," Padmé summed up, business-like, "while we will stay out of sight and meet up with Bail to see what we can find out. You can come and find us when you're done." The last sentence sounded more hopeful than sure.
"If we can," Obi-Wan assured her gently, although he was looking at Sabé as he said it.
"Likely, it is, that I will have to face this new Emperor," Yoda added gravely.
"Not alone, Master," Obi-Wan insisted.
"Alone," Yoda repeated, his tone calm. "Seek Anakin, you must, and determine where his loyalties lie."
The words hung sombrely over the group, the silence broken only by a quiet, "Oh dear," from Threepio.
Padmé occupied the co-pilot's seat on the flight back, which gave her an opportunity to talk to Gregar, but left Sabé at a loose end. She joined Yoda and Obi-Wan in the passenger lounge, but found herself frustrated. After a period of inward reflection, she realised she was frustrated with the lack of privacy. She wanted to talk to Obi-Wan, but not in front of Yoda. At the same time she realised that she had nothing to say that hadn't already been said, and what she would like to discuss was strictly off-limits.
Throughout their time as husband and wife, she had set aside her conviction that she was the only one risking her heart and had grudgingly come to accept that Obi-Wan felt something for her. It was a truth she had pieced together from glances, actions, vague conversations where he had hinted as much as he was able without actually saying anything. She would leave the marriage knowing that they had a unique and profound connection that they both valued, even if they were both determined to never act on it. And yet…
Annoyingly, part of her just wanted a normal life, where they could go somewhere to be happy together. She knew – had always known – that that simply wasn't an option, but she couldn't stop herself wishing for it. It was a stupid thing to do, to put herself through a thought-process that would only cause her pain.
On the opposite side of the room, Obi-Wan met her gaze and held it. Surprisingly, there was solidarity in the simple interaction. Although she knew he couldn't hear her thoughts, Sabé believed for a short moment that they were much the same. And so she did the only thing she could do, because she loved him: she looked away. He needed to concentrate, to prepare himself for the potential battle ahead of him. She couldn't be a distraction.
She leaned her head back against the bulkhead and feigned sleep. When she cracked open one eye a little while later, she saw with satisfaction that Obi-Wan had joined Yoda in meditating. Drifting into meditation of her own, she calmed herself, kept her emotions as controlled as possible. There were dark and difficult times ahead.
