Chapter 8 - Mentin (Ramona)

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. We only own the characters we have invented from Earth. =)

"Weird that the Separatists seem to be going to the planet the same time as a mysteriously missing Jedi," remarks Teagan. I nod my agreement. It's rather unsettling. I get the feeling something much, much bigger is going on, and we're only seeing a very small portion of it.

"Very suspicious," agrees Anakin.

"I wonder what kind of mess we'll be ending up in there. Or rather, that they've have already run into by the time we arrive," I comment, my mind wandering to Obi-Wan and Ariana. I hope they're not going to be in too much trouble.

"We'll probably have to save Obi-Wan again," Anakin muses, smirking.

"And Ariana," my sister reminds. I don't want that happening. She already got captured once, and I don't like the thought of it happening again.

Silence falls over us for a moment, and my gaze drifts to the viewport. "You said you sensed darkness in the future," Anakin says finally, completely changing the topic. I turn my attention back to him.

"Maybe it has something to do with the return of the Separatists?" I suggest.

"More like with the return of the Sith," Anakin objects darkly.

"The Separatists are the Sith's army," I murmur.

I shift uncomfortably. I wish I knew what the Sith were planning. Unfortunately, since nothing like this happened before, I have no idea how anything will work out. Besides, we already realized that we're not in the original timeline; it's a divergent one, and we have no way of knowing what else is different from what we already know. Everything is extremely unpredictable. The only thing I know is that the Sith are planning something big. At least we have the Chosen One on our side this time. That certainly does make me feel a little better.

"Exactly," Anakin concurs.

"And they're definitely up to something," adds Teagan emphatically.

We drift into our own thoughts, brooding over the sudden changes the possible futures which are confronting us. What will happen now? Where will we go from here? I let myself think about the clones. Over time, we've become quite friendly with many of them, especially Rex and Cody. They were never de-chipped that I know of because it was one of those issues which got tangled up in the Senate along with the clones' futures. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they are all free, but I can't stop myself from asking: what if they're not?

With the return of the Sith, the Council would be foolhardy to allow the clones to remain as is, but if the Sith move faster, they could still have millions of weapons – men – at their disposal. They could do so many things. If they work through their puppets in the Republic, they could even have the Jedi declared traitors. The Order could be banished or dismantled. We could end up on the run from the Republic or worse, from an Empire.

No. I need to stop thinking like this. No good will come from dark thoughts of this nature. I must trust in the Force, trust that it will guide us accordingly. The Force isn't our master, but it's not our slave either. It's an entity unto itself. That's why it brought us here in the first place. I wouldn't give up my current life for anything. I have friends now, people I know I can trust. What else could I ask for? Even if the Republic turns against us, I can still have faith in Anakin. In Obi-Wan. In Ahsoka. In Padme. In all the people I've met and come to love.

I don't know how long I'm lost in thought when I feel a warning in the Force, but it's not for us. It's through a bond. Ariana! I flinch, turning towards the others, wide-eyed. "Something's happening with Obi-Wan," Anakin comments lowly, tensing. His jaw clenches, eyes narrowed. He's not happy with whatever it is he thinks is happening. Oh no. That's what I was afraid of. They must have walked right into a trap or something.

"And Ariana," Teagan adds quietly.

"At least we're already on the way there," I remark. That knowledge doesn't make me feel too much better about it, and I'm sure the same is true for Teagan and Anakin. It'll be a couple more hours before we arrive at our destination, and we have no way of knowing what situation they'll be in when we arrive.

Anakin stares stonily at the control panel for a few moments before sighing. "Artoo, show me the Death Star plans," he suggests. The droid beeps before what's on the computer screen at the front of ship changes to display the schematics. I study them grimly. Anakin probably understands them far more than I ever will, but I can tell that it depicts the Death Star.

Anakin begins inspecting them, and I try to take in as much as I can, which is admittedly little. It seems to be a general plan of the surface, which is useful for planning a surface attack, but not an infiltration. Many of the technicalities seem to be missing, so Artoo must not have gotten far before they kicked him off. Or maybe the detailed plans weren't in this database, which is certainly possible as well.

"I wonder if they're building the Death Star near Geonosis again," Teagan mutters.

"I don't know how long it's going to take them to build it…" I add, and then a horrible thought crosses my mind. I don't even want to think about it, but it is a possibility, as much as I hate to say so. "What if they decide to use the Death Star on the Temple?"

"Wouldn't they destroy all of Coruscant if they did that?" inquires Anakin, glancing back at me.

"They can have it on different intensities, so not necessarily," I reply worriedly.

"We don't need any Alderaans," Anakin states flatly. I nod my agreement. There's no way any of us will let that happen. I think that was arguably the worst thing the Empire ever did. Of all the people it killed, only once did it destroy an entire planet and the billions of innocent people there, not to mention all the living things.

Artoo changes the projection to display the droid factory plans.

"These are a little different from what I remember. It seems to be better protected," Anakin declares finally.

"It seems like they're improving the design for their return," I comment darkly. Maybe everything we thought was wrong. Sidious's death hasn't changed nearly as much as we'd hoped, especially since the Sith are still around, and as long as they exist, they will keep trying to form an empire. When will the galaxy ever get some rest and time to rebuild? Or is the problem that there's not enough people to rebuild it yet?

"This is not looking good," Anakin says right before I feel a change in my bond with Ariana. The other end suddenly goes still.

"Uh oh," exclaims Teagan fearfully.

"What?" Anakin frowns.

"Ariana must have just gone unconscious," I inform him, trying not to panic.

"Obi-Wan is still alright," Anakin assures us, "We're going to be there in one and a half hours." He glances at the control panel before turning back to us.

"Hopefully they can last until we get there," agrees Teagan.

"So, it's just our luck that we're heading there," I concur. Somehow, our lives always seem to be full of such strange coincidences. I can only hope Ariana and Obi-Wan will be able to hold out until we arrive. Who knows what kind of mess they're in?

"Artoo, as soon as we exit hyperspace, send all of this information to the Council and tell them that Obi-Wan and Ariana seem to be having some trouble and we're going to rescue them," he commands the droid.

"Ariana seems to be becoming a master at getting caught," I remark, nearly laughing. It really shouldn't be funny. It really shouldn't. But for some reason, it is. This is the second time she's been captured, the first being half a year ago by Sidious not long after we first appeared here.

"That's because I can't be anymore," replies Anakin, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing that she's getting your reputation," I quip.

"Probably both," Teagan chimes in.

"You get used to it eventually. Just get used to the unexpected," he advises.

"That's been the definition of our lives," I offer.

"Then you should be used to it." We are, though we've never been captured or kidnapped by Separatists or Sith.

The next ninety minutes in hyperspace pass uneventfully. We exist right above the greyish planet of Mentin. It seems sinister, foreboding even, and for a moment, I get a glimpse of something. Pain. Fear. Desperation. I shake the strange emotions off, deciding to consider them later. Whatever the future holds, that planet will not only be important, but it will be the site of something major, something dark.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I look at the control panel when something beeps. It looks like the tracking beacon we've been following is somewhere nearby.

"Artoo, track that ship," Anakin commands, taking over the controls and speeding towards the surface. Less than two minutes later, he's flying low, barely two hundred meters off the ground in a bid to avoid detection. We don't need anyone knowing we're here.

"There's not supposed to be any sentient life here," he remarks as Teagan and I stare out the viewport, studying the planet's surface.

"I guess there is now," I remark. I shouldn't be surprised that something like this is happening, especially considering how the rest of the week has gone.

"There must be something like a Separatist – or Sith – base, I'm guessing," muses Teagan. I nod my agreement. After all, what else would a Separatist ship be heading here for? More than that, I wonder our mission lead us to the same place as Obi-Wan and Ariana. Frankly, I'm worried. I don't know what kind of trouble they're in, but we'll be getting there as soon as we can. Please be okay. The closer we get, the more uneasy I become. Hopefully, they're okay.

"I have the landing location pinpointed," Anakin informs us tersely. His grip tightens on the controls, slowing the shuttle as we glide closer. On first glance, what I see ahead vaguely resembles the factory on Geonosis as we saw it in the movie when Anakin and Padme arrived. That realization sets off every alarm bell I've ever had in my head.

Anakin lands on a cliff, as close to the factory as we can get without being seen. I think the rocky walls towering over us will do an excellent job in concealing the ship, though it will give us that much more climbing to do. As long as we're safe, I don't mind. Tilting my head to the side, I can see the columns of steam just over the hillside ahead of us. This is the best hiding spot we'll get, so it'll have to do.

Teagan lowers the ramp and walks off the ship, stepping onto the ground and glancing around warily. I can sense her scanning our surroundings with the Force, and I do likewise. Anakin and I join her on the ground, Artoo rolling behind us.

The entire planet as far as we can see is completely barren and mountainous. The only sign of life aside from the factory is small amounts of grass and bushes scattered randomly throughout the terrain. What really surprises me is the low level of oxygen in the air. I take a few deep breaths, trying to adjust to the new climate. Good thing it even has oxygen on it at all, I suppose, or we'd be dead.

"Let's try calling them," Anakin advises, pulling out his comm and attempting to contact Obi-Wan. I simultaneously call Ariana. No response. Teagan and I exchange worried glances. Something is clearly very wrong, or they'd be answering. What could have happened to them? Anakin attempts to reach Obi-Wan again to no avail. "Something must have happened, or he'd be answering," Anakin observes, concern lacing his tone.

"There's no reason they'd be ignoring us," I agree. Reaching out to my bond with Ariana, I sense that it's still mostly dormant; she's still unconscious or very near.

"Which means that it is time for us to rescue him and Ariana," Anakin concludes before turning to Artoo, "Do a scan for life forms in the area."

The droid raises his scanner, rotating it as he does the scan. After a pause, he whistles a response.

"How many?"

Artoo beeps again.

"Twenty-one?" Anakin exclaims incredulously, shaking his head. "Well, two of them are Obi-Wan and Ariana." I shift uncomfortably. I don't like how this is sounding. There shouldn't be so many large life-forms – assuming they're not predators or anything – and if this is really a droid factory, who knows how many of those are here? I probably wouldn't be as concerned if there were only droids – actually, that's not true. They can be just as dangerous as sentients, though far easier to fool.

"And another will be the being on that Separatist ship," Teagan adds.

"Artoo, try calling their ship," Anakin commands. The droid rolls back onto the ship, probably planning to access the longer-range transmissions, leaving us waiting impatiently for a response. I just want to get moving. The whispers of danger through the Force are increasing by the second. I want to find them and get them out of here as quickly as possible. We need to move. And fast.

Finally, Artoo beeps over Anakin's comm. "So, they've been gone for several hours," he reports to us then turns back to communication device. "Have the other ship brought over here and prepare for takeoff when I tell you to." He pauses for a second, then looks over at my sister and me. "I'll follow my bond with Obi-Wan." We stand silently for a moment while Anakin focuses. His presence in the Force is simply incredible; it's like looking at a supernova, and I could probably get drunk on the feeling. I shake the thought aside. Now isn't the time.

Anakin is clearly still deep in concentration when he begins leading us away from the shuttle. After walking for a few minutes, he suddenly freezes, and we immediately come to a stop behind him. "What?" we demand simultaneously.

"Listen," he orders. We immediately fall silent and listen, using the Force to enhance our hearing. Sure enough, very faintly, I can hear the sounds of machinery. Uh oh.

"That's the sound of a factory. Like a droid one," Anakin informs us gravely.

"How suspicious." This is getting worse and worse by the moment. It almost feels like Geonosis all over again. Hopefully, the darkness we feel isn't the galaxy descending into war again, though thinking about it I get the feeling that it very well might be. We take a few more stepson the rocky ground before Anakin suddenly looks back at us again.

"Stay close." With that, he drops to the ground and starts crawling across the ground on his stomach. Lucky him for having so much experience. I'm afraid I'll probably do some serious damage to my hands if I follow his lead, but I don't have a choice. Teagan immediately follows, as do I, much more hesitantly. I can't explain why I'm hesitant to do so. It's just the ground we're crawling on. It won't kill me. It's just rocks and dirt. What's to be afraid of?

I reach out with the Force, keeping all my senses wide open. About a hundred feet ahead is a cliff. The drop is far higher than anything I've dealt with, but I'll just keep trusting Anakin and hope that he knows where he's going. If we can still feel Obi-Wan and Ariana, it's not like they were thrown of the cliff or anything, right? No. That's not a thought I'm willing to entertain, and just as I banish it, I feel a violent surge of pain through my bond with Ariana. If this is only a fraction of what she's feeling, what's happening to her?! A similar sensation from my bond with Obi-Wan follows only moments later.

"I think they're being tortured," Anakin whispers, suppressed fury in his voice.

I wince. I don't even want to think about it. "Seems like it," I reply. The anger rippling through me gives me the strength to keep moving as we move closer. Anger surges through me as we continue. I don't take kindly to anyone hurting those I care about.

Anakin motions to us to stop, as he moves the last couple feet, peering over the edge of the cliff. From what I can see, it must be around a fifty-foot drop. Whatever he seems must not be good, because I hear him mutter something in Huttese – probably curses – before saying, "I'll go down there. When the time is right, follow me."

He leans further when he suddenly goes rigid and stands up. Without sparing a glance at us, he leaps over the edge, igniting his lightsaber on the way down.