Anakin managed to negotiate his way past the outer planetary defenses of Cato Neimoidia with ease. Thanks to the contact that had been created and the true to description cargo of questionably procured gemstones, it was no problem at all. In preparation for landfall Anakin deconstructed his lightsaber and inconspicuously stowed it away in two of the several pockets that ran down the sides of his pant legs. It was disassembled and reconfigured into miscellaneous bits and pieces that looked harmless enough.

To the untrained eye or even the better trained, it would remain undetectable as a weapon. If he found himself in a pinch, he could reconfigure it in the span of a second and have it in hand in the next. It was an exercise that Master Tholme made him run through thousands of times during their stent as Master and Padawan. It was also a skill that had proven useful many times over.

There were a few configurations he knew by heart that had become second nature to him, one of which was a hydrospanner. The other most used was a compass, but it took longer to reconfigure, even if only by a second or two. Having it separated in a handful of different parts always proved the quickest and most efficient upon reassembling. Tholme had disliked the method, calling it sloppy and unrefined. He said that the reconfigured form always needed to serve another function. Anakin didn't much care. But that dynamic had been the theme of their relationship from the start.

Tholme, well meaning and understanding as he was, had a particular way of doing most things. It took some adjusting for him to understand Anakin's seemingly haphazard tendencies. Over time the two of them better learned to adapt their differences into a more synergetic exchange.

Anakin understood that Tholme, while unorthodox and vastly deviated in many ways from mainstream Jedi thought, had a rigid adherence to his own personal code. Most of it had much to do with skill in stealth, and how to craft one's own skill as close to perfection as possible.

While Anakin appreciated Tholmes many deviations, he had a hard time with any sort of rigid and strict obedience to anything. Anakin's style was something blended from many different domains and qualities, into something that fit best for him. So Tholme accused his stealth skills of being lax and undisciplined. Anakin preferred the idea that his way of doing things was strategically calibrated for each situation at hand. His approach did tend to be more flexible than that of Master Tholme in most cases, or so he thought.

And that was why Anakin was a General on the frontlines, while Tholme led the charge by means of stealth operations. He crafted a network of covert agents- carefully handpicked Jedi. By the time the first year of war had come and gone Tholme had established either contacts or full fledged agents in nearly all the cartels and syndicates that were involved in fueling the opposition. His systematic prudent approach was good for those sorts of things.

Anakin did learn much from Tholme, his appreciation for stealth being one of the most far reaching. He learned how to get the jump on the enemy, and how to finish out with a strong offensive. In other words, hit first, and hit hard. Admittedly, his tactics had a reputation for accruing a large number of casualties, but not nearly as many as some generals, Krell to name the most infamous. It was true that Anakin took great risks, but more often than not they resulted in great successes, in one way or another.

Coming near to one of the many bridge cities Cato Neimoidia had to offer, Anakin angled his craft for Senator Lott Dod's palace, setting down on the landing pad outside. According to the prior contact made, he was to negotiate trade directly with Senator Dod. However, he found the likelihood of that occurring straightaway rather slim.

He expected to get put off all afternoon, where any other seller would be asking and insisting to see the Senator to get straight to the business, Anakin would be glad for the downtime. They could make him wait. All the better for him to investigate, find Padme and leave before they even had the chance to know any better.

As he exited the small ship, Anakin was greeted by a couple of Neimoidian ambassadors, along with a face he was forced to pretend he didn't recognize. At the same time he prayed that the man wouldn't recognize him, either. Simultaneously he wanted to strangle the life out of him. He restrained himself from doing so, for the sake of the mission.

"You are Tobian Bendix?" Clovis asked, extending his hand for a firm, cordial handshake. Anakin obliged, relieved that the man was playing along. Already he could sense that in spite of acting otherwise, Clovis very much recognized him. Anakin had been in the company of the Chancellor and other Senators enough to be a familiar face to those in the fold.

"Yes, I am. And you are?" Anakin asked, giving a showman's smile to Rush and his company.

"Senator Rush Clovis of Scipio, at your service." Rush said, smiling nervously at the two silent Neimoidans, who were beginning to look more like personal guards than part of a welcoming party.

"I don't mean to be rude Senator, but I believe it was Lott Dod that I was supposed to be meeting with in regard to a trade opportunity." Anakin said casually.

"Yes, yes of course. Senator Lott Dod is a busy man, but he will be available to speak with you tonight about your trade proposal, over dinner." Rush said formally.

"I understand." Anakin said, nodding. "I look forward to it."

"In the meantime, I can show you to the guest quarters you'll be privy to during your stay." Rush said, ushering the group inside. Anakin tagged along agreeably, attempting some banter with the otherwise stoic Neimoidians that followed them. As predicted, such efforts proved unsuccessful.

"I don't mean to seem rude Mr. Clovis, but what is a Senator of Scipio doing out here, greeting someone else's guests?" Anakin asked benignly.

"The interests of Scipio and Cato Neimoidia are tied in many trade and civil obligations, I'm sure you understand. While I'm here to discuss some business, mostly I'm here in a friendly capacity to Senator Lott Dod." Rush said in a measured tone that hid his true feelings beneath.

"I see. Well, how friendly of you." Anakin said flatly.

Rush didn't respond by much other than a nod before changing the topic. After winding through a short labyrinth of hallways and lobbies, they arrived to the guest quarters.

"And here you are. Feel free to rest up or wander around a bit. Dinner will be served in four hours in the main hall." Clovis said, his hands pursed tightly against one another.

"Thank you Senator." Anakin said with a slight bow. An uncomfortable pause hung between them as Clovis held onto Anakin's gaze with a shine to his eyes that spoke of desperation and fear. The Trade Federation had him pinned, some way or another. There was no other reason for the obligatory silent guard, or for Clovis to be running such lowly errands for Dod to begin with. The whole act wreaked of a power play, one not well hidden at all.

Anakin retired to the guest quarters for a few minutes until he was adequately sure that the hall outside his room was empty. He knew without a doubt his room was bugged. Every room and hall in the palace was bound to be under surveillance. As long as he was quick enough, it wouldn't matter. He knew Padme was alive, he could sense her presence somewhere close- definitely in the palace. The only problem was that the palace was a giant place. He would need to zero in on her location before he risked breaking cover.

Deciding a leisurely stroll wasn't going to attract any attention, Anakin headed out into the hall to stretch his legs. It took a certain amount of self discipline to maintain proper body language, to keep from casing the palace like he wanted to. He could nearly hear Tholme's voice in the back of his mind, coaching him to have patience, to stay true to his cover. A well maintained and convincing cover was key, or so the old man told him over and over again.

Before Anakin had much time to focus on zeroing in on Padme's position, he ran into Clovis again, this time without his twin Neimoidian babysitters.

"Senator." Anakin said carefully, a question in the word.

"Skywalker," Clovis said, his eyes darting about as his voice lowered near inaudibly.

"I beg your pardon?" Anakin countered.

"I need your help." Clovis whispered, hunching as if to conceal his words even more. "You have to get me out of here."

"Only if you tell me where Padme is." Anakin said, his tone turning serious as his cover bled away. He could reach for it again if the need presented, but hopefully that time was past. Sneaking around and working under cover, while he was more than adequate at doing so, stressed him more than being able to act overtly. He was a man of action, more than he would ever be a man of stealth and tricks. It was one of the reasons he didn't feel that he had ever been able to truly please Tholme. But it was just as well. He hadn't ever sought out his approval, really.

"They're holding her in the central tower, at the very top." Clovis divulged, pain in his emerald eyes. "There's countless security checkpoints and safeguards between us and there. I don't know how you're going to make it."

"There's always a way." Anakin said, his battle resolve taking hold. He would cut down tens of hundreds of men and droids if he had to.

"You have to promise you'll get me out too." Clovis insisted.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure the Senate is going to have tons of questions for you to answer when you get back. Along with a cozy concrete cell for you to rot in." Anakin ground out.

"I'm innocent!" Rush whispered frantically. "I swear it! Just let Padme tell you. She'll attest."

"You better pray she does." Anakin said, finding it difficult not to be menacing.

"I never meant for any of this to happen." Clovis lamented. "They're using her against me. They'll hurt her if I don't do what they want me to. I've already killed a lifetime's worth of investments and business relationships to keep her safe. But I don't have anything left for them to take. And when they find that out… they'll kill her. And me too, probably."

"Don't worry about that. I'm going to get her, and then all of us are going to leave. After that you can plead your sob story to the Senate." Anakin said dryly.

"What can I do to help?" Clovis asked, ignoring the cynical remark.

"Nothing. Just stay out of my way. Meet me at my ship in one hour." Anakin said, heading to the turbo lift.

"You're just taking the elevator? You think they are just going to let you walk right in?" Clovis asked irritably.

"Never mind what I think, just be ready to meet me at the ship. It would be a shame if you got left behind." He replied smartly, watching Clovis frown as the doors to the lift shut behind him. It was time to get to work.

….

Obi-wan ran through the crowd of civilians that amassed near the closest turbo lift with a tail of disgruntled syndicate thugs chasing after him. Just as Vos had promised, he had provided a small enough lapse in security for him to slip away. The only problem was the part where he couldn't use any force enhanced powers to do it. And there was the additional issue of at least one broken rib and a throbbing headache to slow him down.

Regardless to say, there had been better days. Much, much better days. The thoughts that came to mind pulled strings in his heart that ached badly. Strings tied to memories of simpler times. Hardly anything was simple anymore.

"You're letting him get away!" One of the grunts shouted as Obi-wan slowed his run to a casual ramble as he headed towards the turbolift, his hood pulled up over his face to hide the smeared blood and bruises beneath. He didn't want to make a spectacle of himself, the key was to blend in, afterall. Although he was working hard to project a vague disinterest about his presence to the others that surrounded him, it was difficult to say if that alone was going to be enough.

He heard commotion in the crowd as the group of thugs began to crash through, tearing off hoods and investigating every masculine looking bipedal figure in their sight. Thankfully Obi-wan made it to the lift before they reached him, and he was several levels up before he sensed they suspected he had gotten away.

It had been the tail end of night when he had pulled himself from the lower levels to the bar where they had plucked him, and now as he ascended he could see the trailing light of early morning stream through the towers above. It was nearly time to start his shift at the dinner, if he wasn't late already. It would be a grueling shift, but better than being bound and tortured.

Dex did tell him to exercise discretion, so he probably knew that Obi-wan hadn't been too prudent. And when Obi-wan walked through the backdoor making a beeline for the fresher, Dex eyed him with that dull unsurprised look that told him he was all but transparent in his eyes. Closing the door and locking it behind him, Obi-wan pulled off his cloak, wincing as he lifted his arm. The pain of his ribs was really starting to settle in fiercely. His face was a mess, and his clothes were thoroughly soiled with blood and grime from his loathsome adventure.

He doubted he could lift a single rack of dishes without doubling over from the pain it would have caused him. He didn't need to be starting his shift, he needed to be soaking in a bacta tank for and hour or two until it didn't hurt to breathe any more. He needed that and a list of other wishes that he would never be granted, too. Obi-wan put it out of mind.

Taking a wad of paper towels Obi-wan dampened them and began to work at cleaning the blood from his face and neck, then from his shirt. He didn't need to be gleaming to work in the dishpit, anyhow. After he had cleaned up as well as he was able without going home, he opened the door with a heaving sigh, cut short from another shooting pain in his side.

Turning the corner to the main kitchen, Obi-wan saw Dex standing in the dish area leaned up against the steel drying line, two of his four arms crossed over his chest with a frown on his face.

"What?" Obi-wan asked, his head cocked to the side irritably. Suddenly he became aware of just how tired he felt. The drinks from the night before compounded by the drug they had given him felt like nothing with the adrenaline that had fueled him in his escape. The pain had given him an even sharper focus. But now, he felt tired. Truly exhausted beyond compare.

The only thing he could liken it to was the few times he and his late Master would stay up for days on end during missions out of necessity. And then, they hadn't been making it harder on themselves by drinking or using tranqs. They had even taken a stim here or there to stay alert, if they didn't have a few minutes to spare to meditate past the fatigue.

Dex chuckled with amusement. "Obi-wan, go home. You look like hell."

"But it's my shift-"

"Your shift started half an hour ago. But that's not the point. You never listened to what I told you." Dex said sadly. "And now you've gone and paid the price."

Obi-wan looked at the man with a confused frown. "Are you firing me?"

"Firing you?" Dex let out a genuine roar of laughter from deep in his belly that washed over Obi-wan in a wave of relief. "No." He said, slowing down to a chuckle as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Oh," Obi-wan chuckled then winced, holding a hand to his side.

"Now that would be an insult to injury, wouldn't it?" Dex said grimly. Obi-wan gave no reply. "Now didn't you hear me the first time? Get out of here. Go home." He said in a lighter tone with a friendly smile on his face. "A little bacta wouldn't hurt either."

Obi-wan sighed. "Thank you Dex. I really don't know what I would do without you."

"Me neither kid, me neither." Dex said, shaking his head.

Before he was told to leave again, Obi-wan grabbed his tattered cloak and headed for the door. "I don't want to see you for at least two days. Take the time and rest up, I get the feeling you need it. And when you do come back, make sure you're on time!"

"You got it." Obi-wan said with a nod as he left, the door shutting slowly behind him.

With a heaviness in his step, he made his way back to his apartment. While he needed the time to heal, it was both a blessing and a curse to actually have time off. It meant he would be alone with his thoughts, which were still very dangerously close to derailing him emotionally altogether. With no other suitable options, he consigned himself to wallow. This time, he would have to do so without the aid of alcohol. Having so many days off of work, it wasn't a luxury he could afford.

….

As the turbo lift set into motion for the highest floor that he was allowed without extra security clearance, Anakin carefully disengaged the camera before he removed the top hatch of the car and climbed atop. He set the hatch back perfectly, so that hopefully, no one would be the wiser. Or by the time that they were, he would be long gone. Padme with him. And Rush, too, if he managed to get to the ship in time.

Anakin had meant what he said. He didn't have much stock in seeing Clovis out alive, and he didn't really care either. He knew that he should have cared, and the Jedi inside himself knew he was supposed to be better than that, but he was still void of the capacity. He supposed that Padme would insist on making sure he got out, too, and that would be good enough for him. If Padme set her mind on it, there was nothing he could do to dissuade her anyhow.

Finally the elevator lurched to a halt. Looking to his right Anakin saw a series of rungs that lead all the way to the top of the shaft. Grappling on, he began climbing, being sure to miss the pressure sensors that were set to trip for an intruder. Thankfully most intruders weren't force sensitive and trained from childhood, or else the security measures would have been much more difficult to get past.

Making his way onto the top floor's entrance he looked above, seeing a ventilation duct large enough for him to fit through. Pulling out the screws that held the guard plate in place, he jumped up to catch a hold of the edge of the passage and pulled himself up. It was a tight squeeze, and a rather uncomfortable one that made him less quick than he would have liked, but it was better than the alternative of entering through the elevator doors. It was better to stay hidden for as long as possible, at least that's what Tholme would have cautioned.

Finally coming to a point where Anakin sensed minimal life forms, he pulled lifted the grate from its slot in the air duct and gracefully leapt down to the hallway below. It was somewhat surprising to see the entire place empty, but with only one objective on his mind he brushed the thought aside as he sought out Padme's cell.

He sensed her near as he carefully walked down to the door that sat at the end of the hall. It was protected by a keypad for entry. He was sure he could figure out the passcode if he truly wanted to, but his patience ran thin. Pulling all the parts of his saber back together as it returned to his hand, Anakin cut the locking mechanism through with a bright slash of his blade and pried the door back on its track until there was enough of an opening for him to squeeze through.

"Ani?" Padme croaked out, her face stained with streaks of black mascara where tears had washed out her carefully painted face. Her lips were cracked and red from neglect, and her face looked shockingly gaunt. Upon realizing it really was him, her warm brown eyes lit up with a spark of hope before they brimmed over with tears of relief.

Anakin went to her, slashing her restraints that pinned her to the wall and catching her as she stumbled forward. Padme collapsed against him, her knees giving out the moment they held her full weight. A surge of emotion flooded through her- vulnerable hopelessness giving way to sudden grief.

"I… I thought-" Padme started, afraid to voice what stirred inside of her. Anakin could feel the shame that surrounded the core of her muddled emotions. Between starvation and whatever torture she endured, she had given up any hope of rescue.

"It doesn't matter, you're safe now. I'm getting you out of here." Anakin assured her.

Shaken, Padme nodded her head, still clinging to him for support. "Do you think you can walk?"

"I'm… I'm not sure…" She said hesitantly, her legs shaking under her weight. Anakin saw the red raw marks on her wrists and ankles. She had probably been bound to that wall for the entire week she was missing.

"Here, I got you." Anakin said, hoisting her up into his arms. "Just hold on, alright? We're getting out of here."

Padme wrapped her arms around his neck weakly, her hands grabbing onto his clothes for better purchase. "What about Clovis? We have to get him out, too. They'll kill him." Padme said, her voice warbling.

Before Anakin had a chance to answer, he heard the echo of footsteps down the hallway. "See? I told you, he's here just like I promised!" Clovis shouted.

"Don't let him get away!" A Neimoidian voice said as hands began to work at prying the door open the rest of the way.

Holding Padme securely with one arm, Anakin held his saber in the other, slashing the blade through the opening in the door, severing off a few fingers and hands as he did. Horrified screams echoed in the hallway beyond as a few Neimoidians clutched their wounded limbs close to their chest, the smell of charred flesh rank in the air.

Blaster fire flashed past the broken door, forcing Anakin to retreat behind the cell wall. Padme clung to him tighter with her limited strength, arms shaking with effort. Anakin eyed the door, cutting down another guard that attempted to advance on them. Quickly and as gently as he could, he set Padme down to lean against the wall at his side.

"I just need to get rid of these guys, wait here." Anakin said, slicing through the next person who thought it would be a good idea to enter the cell. Already there was a small pile of shorn limbs and fingers on the floor from the various guards that now whimpered in the hallway as fresh, intact bodies waited outside for him to appear.

Anakin peered around the corner, reached out and pushed a blast of force energy down the corridor, knocking most of the guards over. Clovis cowered at the back corner of the hall behind one of the injured Neimoidians, his small irritating eyes glimmering with fear.

A new rush of blaster bolts aimed straight for him raced down the hallway at a blinding speed. In Anakin's mind the scene slowed to the point that he could see each incoming bolt with clarity. He refracted each one in kind back to its source, killing all of the guards and leaving Clovis untouched.

"You killed all my men!" Dod shouted from his place, huddling behind Clovis.

"I can extend my services if you wish, Senator." Anakin said, standing square in the center of the hallway before he started marching towards them. "It would be my pleasure, really."

"No, no- just get out of here. Take Senator Amidala with you, that's who you came for isn't it? It seems her usefulness has expired."

"Oh, I will. And when we get back to Coruscant, i'm sure the Senate and Council would just love to hear about you taking another Senator as a prisoner. Oh not to mention extortion- if that's what really was going on here." Anakin said angrily, glaring down at Clovis.

"You can't prove anything." Dod insisted, rising to stand, shaking a finger in Anakin's direction. "Senator Amidala was being held for violation of Neimoidian law, it's all been thoroughly documented. Clovis has been here on business. And you were unlawfully intruding a detention facility. There's nothing illegal about any of that, is there?"

"We'll see if the Senate sees it that way. Somehow, I doubt it. Nice try though." Anakin said smugly.

Going back to the cell, Anakin took Padme back in his arms and turned to walk down the hallway, through the heaps of dead bodies, and disembodied limbs.

"You'll pay for this Dod. You can't talk your way out of this one." Padme spat as Anakin called the elevator.

Finally the elevator reached them and the doors opened. When Anakin stepped inside, Rush moved to follow after him. "What do you think you're doing?" Anakin asked, thoroughly amused.

"You said you would get me out, too." Rush said, more of a question than assertion.

"That was before you betrayed me to Dod. You can stay here and work things over with him. I'm sure there's going to be lots for you two to talk about." Anakin said as the doors closed, leaving Clovis alone with Dod on the top floor.

"You should have let him come, too." Padme sighed. "Dod was using me against him. Clovis gave up all of his investments and property just to keep me alive."

"And then he betrayed you." Anakin said simply.

"He was scared. He's a coward, you know that." Padme returned.

"I can think of two other people who share my feelings on the matter." Anakin said stubbornly.

"How are they doing?" Padme asked reluctantly, knowing the answer in part.

"Honestly, they're broken over what's happened. Bail had to beg the council just for them to give me the mission. I think they would have called me sooner, but I was on the battlefront. The moment I got back they called me in. Bail was nearly in tears. Breha isn't doing so great about it either." Anakin said, not wanting to skew the truth.

Padme took a breath, on the edge of tears. "I never wanted them to worry," she sniffed, clearing her throat.

"Well good luck with that one." Anakin said in a short laugh that made Padme smile.

"I guess you're right. But they know I can't just stop everything because they don't want me to be in danger. The job always comes first, before everything else. Even them." Padme said sadly.

"They know that, too. It doesn't change the fact that they are going to worry about you." Anakin said bluntly. "You can't blame them."

"No, I suppose not." Padme agreed.

The short jaunt to the ship was awkward and uncontested by the guards that milled about. The one good thing about Trade Federation cronies was that they always knew when to give up. They weren't interested in fighting a losing battle. And going up against Anakin was very much that.

Climbing aboard the small freighter still brimming with jewels, Anakin laid Padme down on the retractable med table and administered a nutrition hypo to help her get some strength back. Then he went and kicked the ship into hyperspace and sent out a short message to Bail and Breha that Padme was alright before he helped move her to the more comfortable loungers in the midsection of the ship.

Already Anakin noticed some color return to her face. Taking off the week-old smeared makeup probably helped her look in better sorts, he figured. Padme smiled at him with a tired, sad smile that slowly changed into a frown that just barely held back tears. That same shame stirred in her again, he could feel it as if it were his own.

"Oh Ani," Padme gasped, clutching a hand over her lips, her cinched eyelids spilling tears that fell down her lashes. "I gave up. I thought… I thought I was going to die in that place." She cried out, holding back sobbs as well as she could. Of course a few made it past her tightly held defenses.

"It's over now, Padme." Anakin said consolingly, taking her hand in his.

"But I gave up." She choked out. "How could I?" She laughed bitterly.

"You were malnourished. That has a way of changing the way your mind works." Anakin stated in fact.

"But I gave up so fast. Three days. It only took three days." Padme said, on the edge of more tears.

"Bail and Breha would be so ashamed of me if they knew…" Padme cried.

"No they wouldn't." Anakin said seriously. "They love you."

"I just want to forget that feeling. I don't think I can." Padme said, jaded.

"Padme," Anakin said quietly, looking into her pained eyes. "I know what it's like to feel helpless. Powerless. And no, you won't ever forget what that feels like. But-" Anakin said, pausing as a wave of memories flooded him.

Being naked, used up in a Sith ritual. Being roughed up by his Master's hands, by someone who was not at all the man he called Master. Being beaten by thugs to hear his mother suffer terribly in the next room while he couldn't move. Helpless. Powerless. That feeling crawled on his skin, as real as the first time he had felt it.

"I promise, there is more. There will be more, and it will get better. And just because that happened, doesn't mean you're weak. Breha and Bail would never think less of you for it. I don't think less of you for it." Anakin said truthfully.

"Thank you Ani." Padme said, this time tears of relief falling down her sodden face. "Thank you."