Chapter 34: Tracking
Anakin POV
It was all over the HoloNet: The Sith had struck, and everyone was on high alert. Two Senators, a handmaiden, and a Jedi Knight had been captured by a Sith Lord, and on Coruscant surrounded by guards. This was the first act of the Sith since I had died, which was almost a year ago, and everyone was in a panic. That included the Jedi. We looked at the security tape, and saw that it was Dokoo that took my family. Yoda and Mace Windu were both concerned about how a Sith got onto Coruscant without any Jedi noticing.
I was a wreck, bouncing back and forth between a full on panic attack and rage. I saw the security footage, he gassed them, then dragged my wife, my mother, and my adoptive sister, along with Satine, onto some ship and took off. This was three hours ago. They could be on any ship, and jumped to any corner of the galaxy, by now. He was going to take them to Sidious somewhere, and Sidious was going to make them suffer because of me.
Obi-Wan was working with his head clone, Lee, to coordinate if there was going to be any kind of ransom from the senate. I put the screen down and stumbled over to Obi-Wan. I felt my blood boiling as bile raised in my throat, but I swallowed it back down. I tried to tell myself that they were all still unconscious from the gas and could not be in any pain yet. Finally I got over to Obi-Wan.
"And make sure you contact Senator Amidala's and Senator Kryze's families and brief them on how to respond to any ransom demands. These are senators, and whoever did this could be after money," he said.
I tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. "They're after me."
"What?"
"It was Sidious, and he is after me." I gave him the holoscreen that had the security footage on it.
"That's Dookoo," said Obi-Wan wide eyed. "So this is not political at all. This is to invoke Darth Vader in you!"
"Yes!" I said through clenched teeth.
"Well, you need to calm down Anakin, or it is going to work."
"Calm down?! Do you know what they did to my mother? The way those things tortured her? And now they have Padme and Ashoka! Also they have your fiancé. Why do I always have to calm down, why can't you get a little more angry?"
Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Qui-gon's calm demeanor. "We are angry, Ani. Angry and scared. But we cannot let our emotions take us to a dark place. That will do our loved ones no good. If we are to find the girls, and quickly before they are in a lot of pain, we must be calm."
I took a deep breath and nodded. Okay, I thought, getting mad will not help Padme, Mom, or Snips, so I'm gonna have to be calm. I can do that, I think.
"Where would they take them?" I asked.
"I don't know," said Qui-Gon. "We must turn to Yoda for guidance."
Yoda met us in a meditation room that was big enough for six to sit comfortably and meditate. He came in quietly followed by Mace Windu.
"Attacked the Dark Lord has," said Yoda.
"Yes Master," said Obi-Wan, "and he has taken hostages."
"Palpatine will torture them," I said darkly.
"Fear not, young Skywalker. Met them, I have. Strong they are in the Force. Resist the pain, they can. But delay, we shall not," he said, getting on a stool.
We all got on the chairs, and sat cross legged.
"Clear your minds must be. Feel the force around you, and discover their location, we will."
I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. No one said anything for a minute as we all breathed deep and meditated in the force.
"They were all taken to the same place," said Obi-Wan. "I sense their presence together."
Images flashed through my mind. Ashoka, Mom, Padme, all of them came in and out of my head. First they were laughing, then they were crying out in pain. "They are in pain," I said through my teeth.
"Sense your fear, I do, Skywalker. Trust the force, you must," said Yoda.
"They seem to be in some sort of temple," said Qui-Gon. "I see high walls and dungeons."
"It's a Sith temple," I said. "But I cannot place it."
"Been there, I have. Moraband, it is called. Dark place, it is," said Yoda.
"Moraband. That's in the Outer Rim. We have to hurry," I said standing up.
"Wait, Anakin," said Obi-Wan, "we can't just rush in there with guns blazing. We need a strategy."
"They want me as a Sith, right? So we go there, and I say I have given myself over to the darkside. While I am doing that, you, Qui-Gon, and Rex go find the girls and break them out. Then I fight the sith and we bust out of there."
"No," said Yoda sharply. "Give yourself to the Dark Side, even in deceit, you can not. Corrupt you, it will."
"I agree, Anakin. It is too risky," said Obi-Wan.
"Well, then I am open to suggestions," said Anakin.
"I have an idea," said Qui-Gon. "I suggest that Anakin and Rex lead an air strike against the temple that gets many of the droids away from the temple and into the atmosphere. Then, Obi-Wan and I go into the temple and free the captives. We escape by gunship, and that way Anakin is not even around Sidious to get seduced."
"How does that sound, Anakin?" ask Obi-Wan.
"I don't like it. If Anything happens to Mom or Padme or Ashoka, Im gonna-"
"Padawan, nothing is going to happen. I promise."
"All right. Let's do it."