Chapter 15 - Can't Even Visit a Friend Without Something Going Wrong

Sulani was incredibly happy to be back on Coruscant, she had caught up with all her younglings, and thankfully hers were on the older end or she may have trouble getting them to understand why she was gone so long. Luckily, Anya, the oldest now that Ahsoka was a Padawan, had managed to keep things smooth sailing while she was gone. She was grateful and she had missed them all, but given the proceedings of the war, and how much she had gotten involved already, she imagined she would be out with Anakin a lot more than she already was. Anakin was thankfully on retreat, two weeks of it, so that meant Sulani had at least that long to do what ever she wished. She decided catching up with Padme was next on her agenda, which meant she found herself at the Senate building where Padme was no doubt going to be.

It was as she was walking to Padme's office, that she saw her walking towards her alongside Senator Organa. "Padme," she calls to her, "just the person I was hoping to see."

"Oh, Mother Sulani," she says with a smile, "what an unexpected surprise."

"Yes, now that I have some time on my hands, I thought I might take the opportunity to check in with you, see how things are going here in the Senate," she explains.

"Well, that would be lovely," Padme starts, "Senator Organa and I are on our way to a meeting to discuss the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill, something we hope to stop from happening."

"Well I don't want to stop you from that, I might as well tag along."

"That would be great Mother," Padme says.

As they were walking towards the lobby to meet with the other Senators, Sulani noticed the odd way Padme was holding herself. It looked almost like she was hiding something within her sleeves. She did not want to be nosey so she let things be for now. She continued to walk with the two Senators and they eventually entered the lobby where other Senators were waiting. After most had arrived, Senator Organa wasted no time in bringing up the issue. "We cannot allow the Chancellor to move this Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill forward."

It was at this moment that Sulani felt a disturbance in the Force, coming from within the Senate, she even felt an air of death, something that raised her proverbial hackles. However, as Senator Philo spoke of their agreement, she was too late to do anything as the doors opened and two outsiders entered. One was a droid, the other an armed humanoid who fired their blaster into the air. Sulani quickly assessed the situation and realised that with this many Senators with her, she had no way to deal with both assailants and protect them as well. She would have no choice but to blend in with all of them. She quickly took her lightsaber off her belt and slid it discreetly up her sleeve, using the Force to hold it in place so she would not look suspicious. Guardian Mothers did not generally dress in the same robes as other Jedi and she hoped this would keep her cover as just another captured Senator. Although it was a simple dress, it was definitely not Jedi robes.

She looked over at Padme and noticed she was holding her arms closer together and she wondered again what it was she was hiding.

The mysterious assailant stopped firing and spoke, "Morning Senators. You should all consider yourselves to be in my power."

And as if on cue, two more entered through another doorway and as he continued, someone else from yet another doorway, "As long as everybody behaves, this will be quick and painless."

Judging by the amount of assailants in the group, Sulani quickly realised that blending in had been the right call; a trained Jedi she may be, most Guardian Mothers would be hard-pressed fighting this many sentient opponents even without a group to protect. This many Separatists droids? No problem. A group of enemies that know what they're doing? No chance.

She took a quick look at all the Senators and realised something, the way the Senators held themselves, it was with dignity and importance, something they needed to portray in the brutal political world in order to be taken seriously. This went equally in regards to hostage situations. Sulani on the other hand, though her dress was different than a Jedi, she was currently holding herself like one; she was standing calmly and peacefully despite the current threat. She adjusted herself to match Padme, who was thankfully blocking her from the one who was clearly in charge, the one she figured was most likely to notice how she stood compared to the others. She released into the Force her peace and tranquillity, and allowed herself to exude an air of regalness and self-importance, she would not make this more difficult on the Senators by allowing the enemy to notice a Jedi was among them.

Some of the Senators had even eyed her for a few moments, most quickly looking away when they realised what she had done, knowing their stares could possibly give her away. She adjusted her stance slightly so that she could now observe the leader more clearly without being noticed. "Do nothing," he spoke, "and it will all be over soon."
It was at this moment, that Senator Philo stepped forward, "I don't know who you think you are, but I, for one, have no intention of listening to this kind of insolence."

The leader pulled a blaster on the Senator as he tried to leave, shooting him immediately, causing screams and murmurs amongst the Senators that remained. Sulani mourned the loss of life and hoped that no more had to die. "All right then," he says as he swings around his blaster, "If you'll all gather at the centre of this lovely atrium, my co-workers and I will relieve you of any communication devices."

"I see five of them here in the room," Padme whispers to Sulani and Senator Organa. "If we-"

"What are you going to do?" he interrupts, "It's not like we carry weapons, and Mother Kenobi can't do much in this situation."

"He's right Padme," Sulani says, "we have to wait for the moment. If I intervene, I risk any one of you getting hurt."

However, Padme had started looking thoughtful at the mention of weapons, and this made Sulani a little uneasy. Afterwards, the leader walked away to contact someone, who she quickly realised was the Chancellor. Once the line went through, he spoke, "Sorry to bother you, Chancellor, but I've taken control of the East Wing of your Senate building, and the occupants are now my hostages. If you care about them, I'd advise you to free Ziro the Hutt from your detention centre."

Padme and Sulani shared a look at the mention of Ziro the Hutt, the one they had captured together all those weeks ago. "You should know that the Republic does not take kindly to such threats," Chancellor Palpatine says in return. "If you have attempted such a foolhardy action as to kidnap a senator, I assure you that it will be met with appropriate force."

It was at this moment that the power went out and the back up generators then kicked in. Clearly this meant that there was another member of the group somewhere and they had more control over the building than they initially realised. "I'm in control," the leader informs the Chancellor, "I make the rules now."

He then ended his call with the Chancellor, turning back to face the group of Senators, a rather smug look on his face. As the group relieved them all of their communication devices, which Sulani was thankful she was not wearing her military issue one, Padme started to look worried, and she turned to face Sulani and Senator Organa, "I can't let them search me," she said, though this confused Sulani as she was the one who needed to be careful with her hidden lightsaber.

"What?" Bail questions, "Why not?"

"I have something they must not find," she explains.

"What is it?" he asks.

"It can't possibly be any worse than the lightsaber I have shoved up my sleeve Padme," Sulani interjects.

Padme has an almost startled look on her face, but Sulani does not have time to ponder it before the leader is upon them and he talks directly to Padme, "Well, hello there, little lady. And who might you be?"

"I am Padme Amidala," she replies, "Senator from Naboo, and I demand that you release us immediately. The Galactic Senate will not treat with terrorists."

"Ain't you awful young and pretty to be a Senator?"

Sulani noticed it barely seconds before Padme looked in that direction, but she had felt Anakin's anger spike in the stands above them. She had no time to wonder why he was even here before the leader was firing in the same direction Padme had just sent her gaze. Anakin had to come out of hiding and run to escape the blaster fire. Sulani wondered why he was not turning the blaster fire back on him and simply retreated, unfortunately though, the leader recognised him, "Skywalker? After him."

Padme had a concerned look on her face, no doubt worried about Anakin, so Sulani stepped closer to her and gave her a reassuring look. That being said, Anakin's arrival had meant she no longer had to worry about them searching her and finding her lightsaber. At least for the moment. Sulani, now knowing help was around, closed her eyes and followed Anakin's presence in the Force. Outwardly, she tried to portray a worried Senator, but inwardly, she focused as hard as she could on him. He appeared to be running, and this confused her more and more. Anakin Skywalker did not run from a fight, the only reason he would need to would be if he lost his… And her eyes snapped open, sending her gaze towards Padme.

She'd been hiding something this whole time, something she did not want them to find, and Anakin was running from a fight he could clearly win, but only if he had his lightsaber. Padme noticed her look, clearly her face said it all because Padme flinched and very discreetly pulled her hidden object from her sleeve. Sulani only got a quick peek, but it was undoubtedly Anakin's lightsaber. She had to rein in her outward reaction, but inwardly, she was moaning in horror, thinking back to all the times she had heard Obi-Wan tell Anakin his lightsaber was his life and now he did not have it when he needed, and all of them needed him, to have it. Sulani focused back on Anakin in time to feel him use the Force, from what she could tell, it had been a Force suggestion being used on his organic pursuer as she felt him leave where Anakin was hiding. The organic went upstairs, and the only reason she could guess the droid went down was because Anakin had too. She felt his aggression rise, meaning he was probably dealing with the droid, however, the organic must have heard something, because she felt him heading back towards Anakin.

She was pulled out of her own mind by Padme yanking on her sleeve, she realised why when she noticed the leader walk determinedly towards her, "What are you doing there?"

"I was trying to remain calm," she says, trying to instill nervousness into her voice, "things are getting rather terrifying."

"Well," he says, "we just need the Chancellor to come through and for Skywalker to be dealt with, then all you Senators can go on your merry way."

He thankfully did not start to ask who she was like he had Padme and proceeded to go back over to his corner to talk to the female member of their group. Sulani waited for a few moments to go back into herself, but then she felt the presence of Anakin's Weequay pursuer nearing the door. He entered and the leader noticed the missing droid immediately, "What happened? Where's the droid?"

"The droid's gone," he explains, "but there's good news. The Jedi is unarmed."

"What?"

Sulani and Padme share a look, this did not bode well for Anakin, now that they knew he was without his lightsaber.

"It doesn't look like he has his lightsaber," he explains.

"Go," he gestures to the Weequay and the female Palliduvan, "Bring him back to me."

Padme then turns to Senator Organa, "The lightsaber," she says to him and looks at Sulani, "I've got it."

"What?" he says in surprise and after she shows him he can't help but ask, "Why do you have a Jedi's lightsaber?"

"The question is whether we should try and get it back to An- the Jedi Knight or use it ourselves," she says.

"Most definitely getting it back to Anakin is the better option," Sulani cuts in, "you most definitely are not going to attempt the use of a lightsaber, I'd much rather you kept all your limbs where they should be."

Padme could not even attempt to respond as the leader fired his blaster into the ceiling, "Everybody quiet. I've got a call to make."

He wasted no time in contacting the Chancellor again, "So here's what you're going to do. First you're going to make a pardon disk, you can give it to your friend there."

Sulani could just make out the other holo-image beside the Chancellor as Orn Free Taa, the Senator of Ryloth, whom the leader was clearly referring to. "My ship will come and pick him up and take him to the prison. Once Ziro has been released and is handed over to me, then your associates will be released. Understand?"

"Oh, I do," the Chancellor replied gravely. "But I feel it is my duty to warn you that you will end up paying for this outrage."

"I can live with that."

He finished his call with the Chancellor and Sulani was beginning to worry about the way things were going to turn out. As if to reaffirm that belief, she felt Anakin's presence spike with pain before he slips into unconsciousness. Things were starting to look even worse now that Anakin was out and she began to wonder if she really would have to do something. There was only two of them in the room now, if she timed it right, maybe she could take them out without the Senators getting hurt. She hesitated too long and the doors opened, the Weequay and the Palliduvan dragging Anakin in behind them. A Patrolian walked in behind them, no doubt the one who had interfered with the power. Padme stepped forward slightly and Sulani reached over to grip her hand in comfort.

The leader walked over to where they let Anakin go, "Young Skywalker," he says with condescension, "not so impressive without your lightsaber, are you Jedi? Toss him in with the others."

He was dragged over and tossed before the Senators and Sulani, Padme along with Sulani kneeling down to check on him. "3D," he says to whoever was with Senator Orn Free Taa, "are we on schedule?"

"Arriving at the prison now," the voice of a droid replies.

After hanging up with the droid, he then turns to his other lackeys, "Go and get the- the parting gifts."

His hesitation meant it was not hard to figure out what he really meant by the statement as the Weequay took something from the Patrolian's bag. It looked an awful lot like a bomb, and it turned out there were many, and she was right, they were bombs. They began placing them around the room.

After hearing from the droid that Ziro was free, the leader then contacted the Chancellor again, "Well, Mr Chancellor, thanks to your calm leadership, the crisis is passed. I got what I want, so I'll return your Senate and your Senators. Enjoy them, but don't try anything until the sun has set. Understand?"

He hung up and turned back to his team, "We need to get to the landing platform. Is everything ready?"

"Yep-yep," the Patrolian replies then walks away.

"Turn on the field," he says and the other members of his team activate what Sulani thought were bombs, but were actually a laser field, "If you so much as breathe on one of these lasers, the whole room will blow up."

Okay, so they kind of were bombs, this deadly dual function was not something Sulani was prepared to deal with on her own.

"Senators, Jedi," he says, "I bid you all a most respectful farewell. Let's go."

With that, he and his team were gone, and Padme goes back down to where Anakin had been resting on Senator Chuchi's lap. "Please, Ani," Padme calls, "wake up."

Sulani could feel his conscious start to flutter and knew he was waking, his first sight was Padme's face, "What are you looking so sad about?"

He tried reaching for her, but she quickly stopped that with a brief look around them, hoping no one caught his mistake.

"The bounty hunter said we should just sit here," Senator Onaconda Farr said beside them. "I think we should just sit here."

Padme helps Anakin to his feet, "Well," he starts, "that's not a very good idea. Too bad I don't have my lightsaber."

That's when he spotted Sulani, "Wait, Mother, might I borrow your lightsaber?"

Sulani just turned away from him and clipped her lightsaber back onto her own belt, Padme pulled his lightsaber out of her own sleeve, "You mean this. I found it where you dropped it."

She ignited it to cut his restraints before handing it to him. "Now quickly," he says, "We don't have much time."

He then used his lightsaber to cut a massive whole below them, he was nearing done when everyone heard a high pitched noise coming from the bombs. They could only guess they were activating. Anakin's timing was perfect, just as the bombs exploded, they had already fallen through the floor onto the level below them. Many fell hard and there would no doubt be bruises on all of them, but at least they would all live to see another day. They all started to stand, some even coughing from the smoke, and Anakin helped up Padme and Sulani. "Another daring rescue, Master Jedi," Padme says to Anakin.

"I do my best, Senator," he replies and Sulani had to try really hard not to roll her eyes at them.

He then turned to Sulani, "Mother, what were you even doing here?"

"I was visiting Padme when the situation escalated, and…" she started as she anticipated his next question, "intervening might have cost some of these Senators their lives, so yes, I hid the fact I was a Jedi and blended in with the crowd."

"Well, at least you're okay, Master would not be happy if anything happened to you," he says.

"Oh Ani, you best hope he never hears about how you…lost…your lightsaber."

His almost fearful look was worth the stressful morning she had just had.

A/N: so here we have the final episode of season 1 written out from Sulani's perspective in the chapter that is the longest to date in my story so far. Over 3k long, wow, longest chapter I've written ever in my history of FF writing if you can believe it, but I wanted to get the entire episode in one chapter because I knew there wouldn't be enough for two chapters, one longer than normal one is better than two pitifully shorter than usual ones. So I give you a long chapter with lots going on. Also lots of Sulani wondering why Anakin is, well, himself, all the time. Anyway, season 2 chapters are right around the corner no doubt, so until then,

Seza, out