They landed in the busy hangar bay, stabilizers firing to steady them as they set their shuttle down with a gentle whump. Running quickly through the landing and shutdown cycle, they lowered the ramp, as the engines were whining to a stop. Two cloaked figures disembarked into the organized melee of the secluded base, hangar bay personnel and droids scurrying to and fro amongst the various speeders, shuttles, and fighters, seeing to various maintenance tasks. Ignoring the buzz of activity around them, they made their way unerringly through the maze of tunnels. They had made this walk before, and no one questioned their presence. Arriving at their destination after several long tense minutes, the taller of the two reached out and keyed in the security code, turning to the other cloaked figure and wryly remarked, "Well, let's see what all the fuss is about, shall we?" As the door activated and silently whisked open, a silent nod was the only reply.

Padme and Obi-Wan entered the secluded control room of the hidden base, buried mostly deep underground. Passing quietly by various map displays, droids, and whirring machines, they headed for the middle of the room, ignoring the subdued hum of activity at all the various comm and workstations around them, as they traversed through the beating heart of the Rebellion. Dressed in her all-black assassin's gear, mask affixed to her face, Padme paid most of it no mind, her dark brown eyes firmly fixed on the central control station, the nucleus of the room, where Bail Organa and Mon Mothma stood, conversing quietly as they observed the holoprojection in the center of the transmission display.

Obi-Wan wore a dark brown hooded cloak, which hid his face from view: Most of the higher-ups in the Rebellion knew who Obi-Wan was, but many- if not most- of the general soldiers and ancillary personnel did not. It wouldn't do to have one of them be captured and then telling the Empire all about the Rebellion's most helpful Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. There were other Jedi helping the Rebellion, of course, but most of these, like Anakin's former padawan, Ashoka Tano, were scattered in hidden locations across the edge of the galaxy in the Outer Rim territories. They mostly helped with reconnaissance and intelligence and rarely went on battle missions for their own safety, as they were still being actively hunted by Vader and the Empire. Only Bail and Mon Mothma knew of each of their exact locations.

They approached the table, drawing the immediate attention of the two key Rebellion leaders. "Senator Organa," Padme greeted solemnly, "Senator Mon Mothma." These were the only two people in the Rebellion who knew who she really was, and they would take her secret to the grave, she knew, but she also wished her friends didn't have to hide her secret either. It put them in that much greater danger; although, perhaps, they were already putting themselves- willingly- in so much danger just by heading the Rebellion in secret while they appeared to be 'normal senators' in the Galactic Senate, so that it didn't really matter.

Mon Mothma smiled serenely at Padme and tilted her head at them in greeting. "Nightblade, Master Jedi, thank you for answering our summons and coming so quickly."

"Of course, Senator," Obi-Wan replied politely, bowing, his hands folded carefully in the arms of his cloak. "You have an urgent mission for us, I take it?"

"Yes," Bail replied, nodding as he pressed a few buttons on the control panel to bring up another map. "This is the planet Kauron," he pointed to a greenish-brown sphere toward the edge of the screen, "It's an Outer Rim planet in the Meram sector near the Kauron asteroid field and, other than being the hideout for the Cavrilhu pirates, of seemingly little importance to the Empire being so far from the Core. However, most disturbingly, we have been getting reports of increased Imperial activity in the vicinity...and we want to know why." Bail looked at them, grave concern etched on his face.

"So, it's a spy mission, then?" Obi-Wan asked, arching his eyebrows questioningly. Padme could hear the frown in his voice without needing to look at him. "Don't we," he indicated himself and Padme with a flicking gesture of his hand, "normally carry out assassinations?"

"Yes," Mon Mothma agreed, "However, there are rumors of high level Imperials suddenly going to that system. If that is, indeed, the case, we need to know why and of what import this planet could be to the Empire. Based on your previous successes, we trust you two to handle the situation discretely. And, if there are high-ranking Imperials, we trust that they will mysteriously be...dealt with accordingly."

Padme glanced over at Obi-Wan, wondering just what he was thinking. She herself felt…wary of this mission. Something seemed rather...odd about it, disturbingly so, but she couldn't put her finger on just what it could be. It wasn't just that it was different from the others. No, it was something else...Though, honestly, she was perfectly okay with occasionally taking on missions that didn't end in death. This one however…

"And, your sources," Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully, contemplating the holo display for a moment, then hesitantly said, "You're sure they're reliable?" His blue-green gaze, reflecting concern, darted between the Rebellion leaders.

Bail and Mon Mothma exchanged a look of surprise. "Of course, Master Jedi," Bail replied, "We're sure that they're sure of Imperial activity in the sector. We just don't know why. That is what we need you to do. Verify the Empire's presence and find out why they are on Kauron."

Obi-Wan still deemed dubious. "Well, it's certainly possible that they're using an unimportant world to hide their activities in the area, using Kauron to deflect curiosity away from their true objectives in the sector, but this could also be a trap."

Bail and Mon Mothma glanced at each other. "It could be, yes," Bail conceded, "But, to be fair, all of our missions could lead into a trap. You know this already."

He had a point. Anytime they sent out Rebellion troops on a mission - no matter the nature of the endeavor- they ran the risk of walking into an Imperial trap. In fact, some of the missions were quite obviously traps and were undertaken for the sole purpose of springing said trap, usually allowing them the luxury of additional time to complete other missions - or sometimes merely to frustrate and confound the Empire...just for the hell of it.

Still, this one felt…different somehow. If it wasn't a trap, though, and there really were Imperials up to no good, Padme knew she couldn't risk the consequences of that. "We'll do it." She spoke up firmly, earning her a sharp glance from Obi-Wan. "We'll depart immediately and contact you the moment we know what's going on. If it does happen to be a trap," She shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's not like we haven't escaped traps before. We'll just do it again, if it is." Obi-Wan turned and looked at Padme like he wanted to retort, but for some reason, seemed to think better of it. Exhaling sharply through a grimace, he turned his attention slowly back to the two senators, obviously resigned to acquiescing on the matter.

There was a moment's silence as Bail and Mon Mothma looked at Obi-Wan for his answer. Finally, the Jedi Master sighed. "Fine," Obi-Wan said, "I suppose she's right. We can't simply allow the Imperials to have any more advantages than they already do."

Padme relaxed a little as Bail nodded. "Alright. I'll send the encrypted coordinates to your ship. Use the Level V decryption sequence to retrieve. Report back your findings immediately. Dismissed." It was a little strange that her own friends had to dismiss them, but this was a military operation. They had to follow the rules and proper protocols...same as everyone else.

But, as they turned to leave, Bail reached forward and gently stopped her with a hand on her forearm. "Are you doing okay?" His voice was soft, lowered to avoid being overheard, his expression full of concern.

Behind the mask, she smiled softly, even though Bail couldn't see it. He was a good friend, a good man, and a good leader. Under his guidance, the Rebellion would prosper. "I'm fine," she promised him softly. "The children are doing fine as well. How are you holding up?"

Bail sighed and shook his head. "I'm alright...it's you I'm worried about, Padme. I know…I know you accepted this mission, but…" he broke off. They'd already had this conversation before. She'd had this exact same conversation with almost everyone she was close with (save for her mother, who didn't know of her duties for the Rebellion). So far, none of them could talk her into making different choices. She chose this path, and she would see it through to the end. "Ok. Just...Be safe out there. You hear? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I sent you to your death. Or worse."

He didn't have to mention what that meant. Vader. There was always a chance he would kill her, yes, but there was also a chance - should he ever discover she was alive- where he'd take her and claim her for himself, a prisoner with a fancy name, "Lady Vader, 'wife' of Lord Vader" to disguise what she'd become to him. She shivered at the thought...whether from fear or something more primal she didn't want to consider. "I'll be careful," She promised. "Thanks."

He nodded, releasing her arm and stepping away, and she turned and left, feeling his and Mon's eyes on her as she went.

He could never know she'd survived. She had to make sure of it.


Force, he wished he could have brought the Executor, but his flagship was too recognizable, even here in the Outer Rim territories. He highly doubted any assassin, let alone the one he was looking for, would come snooping around out here if they knew he was nearby. That wasn't to say there hadn't been attempted assassinations on his life since he'd become Darth Vader. There certainly had, but he'd always had a premonition from the Force and foreseen and destroyed them before they could have a chance to harm him. As a result, it had been a while since anyone had attempted it.

It was a bit boring, actually. He enjoyed a good challenge, and, directing his thoughts back to his present dilemma, this particular assassin was certainly that. Vader smirked. In all honesty, he really shouldn't be enjoying this chase as much as he was. But, he couldn't help it. The thrill of the hunt was intoxicating, and he was looking forward to this woman's capture.

The importance of Kauron to the Empire hadn't exactly been over exaggerated. They had started to use the planet for its resources, namely its vast supply of several key mineral deposits. The only thing Vader had done was allow the informants, that had been previously been unable to get communications through to distant worlds to suddenly 'break' the Imperial code. Right before he allowed that to happen, he'd doubled Imperial troops to the point where it looked like something important was happening on the planet, when in actual fact, if they lost Kauron, it wouldn't actually bother the Emperor in the slightest.

Still, once the signal had been sent out, (untraceable, unfortunately) he had to rely strongly on the Force to time it just right. He remained on the planet, meditating in his private quarters, waiting for the day when he got the impression from the Force to signal for the trap to spring open. On the outside, it looked as if they hadn't heightened planetary security, but in reality, every ship, Imperial or not, entering the planet's atmosphere flickered across Vader's personal datapad. So far, none of them gave him the urge to take action.

But soon…he could feel it in his bones. The air was thick with anticipation. Soon…They would come.

The moment he'd been eagerly anticipating arrived. He sat in his secluded quarters meditating, well aware of the Stormtroopers and officers giving the room a wide berth, when the Force seemed to push at him to go to his personalized TIE fighter. He had expected the Force to do so, but he hadn't expected the intensity of the sensation. It felt as if he needed to get into the fighter now or he would find himself dying. He stood abruptly, staggering for a moment as he found his footing, before straightening up and managing to dampen at least some of the feelings surging through him. Every hair on his body stood on end, shivers rippled across his skin in waves, and he was suddenly very glad for the suit, because otherwise, he was sure he would have had a peculiar expression on his face and a feral gleam in his eyes, as he left the room to rush to his TIE fighter in the hangar bay. On the way, he pulled out his comm, pressing the frequency he needed.

The helmet of Boba Fett appeared. If he was surprised, annoyed, or any other emotion, Vader couldn't tell, nor did he care, as long as Fett did his job well. "Sir?" Short, curt, and to the point. Good. It would save them time.

"It's time. Get in position." There was no room for question in his stern, commanding voice. Fett was wise enough not to. He simply nodded, and the communication was cut.

Using the Force, Vader vaulted into the cockpit of his TIE fighter, ignoring the gawking stares of the troopers around him. If this were a normal mission, these men would be rallying to join him in the assault. But, this was no ordinary mission. He was not looking to have this assassin and her companion destroyed. He would disable her ship, capture them, and take them alive. Firing the engines, he engaged the throttle and launched, easing the ship easily through the upper atmosphere and into space, where a Star Destroyer orbited lazily over the planet's surface. It was not uncommon for a Star Destroyer to orbit an Imperial-controlled planet. Vader was sure that whoever this assassin was, she probably had enough resources to have an Imperial code that would clear through the security aboard the star cruiser. Unfortunately, such things were becoming more and more common as the Rebellion gained ground.

He would change that soon enough.

But first, he needed to deal with the problem at hand...this elusive assassin and her cohorts.

He moved the TIE fighter close to the Star Destroyer. Not wanting to be disturbed at this critical juncture and risk having his identity revealed, he sent his clearance code to the ship before they could hail him. He needed to concentrate. He needed to seem like just another TIE fighter making its rounds around the ship. There were a few other TIE's out as well, practicing their formations. Even though his ship was unique, from a distance, no one could tell the difference. Besides, it wasn't often that he used it. It wasn't common knowledge that he even owned it.

Another pull of the Force tugged at him. He turned the TIE fighter casually in the direction it was coming from, waiting…A ship appeared. A Star Commuter 2000. A typical civilian transport ship. There was nothing special about it on the outside, but Vader knew this was the one he was looking for. Tapped into the Star Destroyer's frequency, Vader listened in intently, stretching out through the Force."We have you on our screen now," a bored voice droned over the intercom, "Please identify."

There was a brief pause. Vader's senses probed the ship—he could sense only one Force presence, the same presence that he had felt before at the mining compound, the one strong in the Force. He frowned: Whoever this Force wielder was, they were trying to do a good job of hiding their signature in the Force. Had Vader been anyone else, it might have worked; however, he was not just anyone else. Now that they were here, and since it was obvious that this Force wielder was obviously cloaking the assassin's presence, their concentration was spread out. That made it easier…Wait.

Why did it seem…familiar to him?

He had his answer simultaneously as an accented, cultured voice Vader knew so well came over the speakers. "Shuttle Transport 47682, requesting access…"

Anger exploded within him in a white-hot detonation as long dormant memories, unbidden, were drawn to the surface of his consciousness by the achingly familiar voice of his former master: Obi-Wan Kenobi. Vader's whole body tensed. Memories of years of training in the Jedi temple, of the battle on Geonosis, of various missions both before and during the Clone Wars, of a man he had once considered to be a brother. A man who had ultimately betrayed him.

Memories of Mustafar, of their battle there, as the mining facility crumbled beneath them into the river of lava below, flashed through his mind. Their blue lightsabers, flashing and clashing furiously against one another. He had experienced many lightsaber battles in his lifetime, but none were as intense as that one. It was, of course, because they knew each other too well, and at the end of the battle, as they fought their way through the facility out onto the massive metal walkway that had become dislocated from the mining facility's main structure, Obi-Wan had disarmed him, taking Vader's lightsaber. Vader, in his fury, had tried to swing the cable he had been on back to attack. He knew now that had he done so successfully, he would have been killed. But, a massive explosion of lava separated them, and the next thing Vader knew, Obi-Wan was gone, having jumped and landed safely on a floating platform, watching as the walkway tumbled over the side of the lava falls.

Vader would have died that night, had he not spotted a small, but sturdy flying droid hovering over the lava river as he'd fallen. Leaping and catching onto it, he'd directed it to the safety of the solid ground below just above the river bank. Having a cliff to climb, by the time Vader had managed to get back to the landing platform, only his personal fighter had been left there. Padme's Nubian cruiser was gone, and Obi-Wan was gone with it…and so was Padme. His heart constricting in his chest, he'd frantically searched for her, desperately calling out her name, but finding no trace of her, feeling her life slipping away, until finally, he couldn't feel it anymore. It had snapped, leaving behind an awful, gnawing, gut-wrenching emptiness. Dropping to his knees, Vader had screamed with the agony of it, crying out and begging the Force to give him back his beloved wife and unborn child.

But the Force had ignored his weeping and his wishes.

The next, and last, time he saw her, watching from the shadows, unable to come closer for fear of losing what little control he had of himself, was at her funeral procession to the ship that would take her and their unborn child to the transport that would take her to her final resting place, buried on Naboo. He had wept silent tears, feeling a black void growing inside of him at the loss.

The memories brought back a rage that tinged his vision in an angry blur. His hands gripped the controls in a durasteel grip. Obi-Wan had stolen his wife from him. She had died because he hadn't been there to save her, hadn't even known where she was…and their unborn child had died along with her. His wife, his family...gone forever. All because of Obi-Wan.

"What was your request?" a startled voice brought him back to reality. Obi-Wan had broken off the transmission, and now Vader could feel the other man stretching out through the Force, beginning to probe his presence…Incensed, Vader threw his ship into the fastest gear he could, bringing it racing towards the shuttle. At the same time, the shuttle, normally a slow-moving civilian transport, whirled quickly around, zooming away from the Star Destroyer at a startling speed. Obviously, the ship had been modified, but so had Vader's. His TIE Advanced x1 was literally designed to be one of the fastest ships in the galaxy, if not the fastest.

Sensing him gaining on him, Obi-Wan (or at least he assumed it was Obi-Wan) turned the ship, making a break for the nearby asteroid field, as if the obstacles there would slow Vader down. He scoffed, laughing darkly, though part of him wondered why Obi-Wan would dare try such a trick. He knew Vader was the best pilot in the galaxy...and an asteroid field didn't scare him, especially not one as small as the Kauron Asteroid field was. He'd safely flown through much larger asteroid belts before. This would be far too easy.

Still, it was a daring, gutsy move for this pilot to make. Vader was impressed.

So, he pressed on, diving into the chaos that was the asteroid field, dodging expertly up, down, around, and over the floating rocks, weaving expertly through the field at a near breakneck pace. The ship in front of him did the same, not slowing down one bit. In fact, it actually increased its speed. Vader frowned: That certainly wasn't Obi-Wan's style. He hated flying. He always had, often complaining that flying was for droids. Sure, his old master could use the Force to help him in his flying, but he wouldn't ever dream of taking the risks this pilot was. Clearly, this pilot was brave, courageous, and highly skilled. Vader respected that. No. Obi-Wan wasn't the pilot, then.

But, Obi-Wan was not escaping him this time.

With a raw surge of primal fury, Vader changed his plan, as he fired on the fleeing ship. He was not aiming to maim and capture, as he had originally planned. Not any more. No assassin, no matter how intriguing to Vader personally, was worth letting Obi-Wan get away alive. Again.

The fleeing ship swerved, Vader's shots missing, but he continued to fire. One shot hit the rear stabilizer, and though it caused damage to the ship, it didn't cause as much as it should have. Clearly, the shields, like everything else on this ship, had been modified as well. That didn't bother Vader in the least. His ship had stronger fire power than any TIE fighter ever created. It wouldn't take long to wear those shields down.

His comm pinged. Using the Force, he answered it. Fett's voice rang through the cockpit of his TIE fighter. "I'm in position. I see you now." Anger still boiled through his veins like wildfire, but the sound of Fett's voice brought him back to reality, as he swung his fighter into a tight spiral roll, deftly avoiding two asteroids that collided behind him with a tremendous CRASH, sendingshockwaves out that quickly engulfed his ship, forcing him to adjust his speed and pitch to ride out the turbulence and prevent himself from slamming into a larger nearby asteroid.

The plan. He had a plan.

Obi-Wan was clearly allied with this female assassin…which was strange, now that he paused to think about it. Had the oh so noble Obi-Wan sunk to such a level as to resort to crime and sleazy tricks? Although his every instinct screamed at him to destroy the ship…the question was indeed curious. Once again, this assassin had an ability that he wouldn't have ever thought possible: Turning Jedi-by-the-book Obi-Wan into a killer or, at least, an accomplice to one.

With tremendous effort, he forced himself to slow the TIE craft just a little, shooting in such a way that the pilot would be forced to go a certain way. "You're sure you're hidden?" Vader rumbled.

"I'm positive."

"Good." He cut the transmission and continued to fire, keeping his shots aligned in such a way that he herded the ship directly towards where Fett lay in wait. Conveniently, it was also a perfect place for them to jump into hyperspace, but if they timed this just right, they could catch them before they could do so…

But, right as they passed where Fett had hidden the Slave I, their ship rapidly accelerated, as if they expected a trap. Fett's ship rushed from its hiding place, moving to engage, but a split second later…

A presence. Just a tiny glimmer of one.

It was as if Obi-Wan had lost control of the Force, just a little, and in that one brief moment, his lapse revealed a flash of a different presence in the Force, a presence that made Vader pause, just enough of a pause that he didn't fire like he was about to. He knew that presence. Hewas sure ofit! WhyWho? He began to wonder…

Suddenly, they made the jump to hyperspace, and both Obi-Wan and the other familiar presence were gone. Vader hissed an angry curse in Huttese, slowing his TIE fighter, and slamming his fists against his thighs in frustration. The comm pinged again. He angrily switched it on. "You were supposed to intercept them!" Vader snapped, his voice booming across the frequency. Inwardly, he knew that Fett had moved at the right time, but whether by Obi-Wan's intuition from the Force, or the pilot's own ingenuity, they had sped up at just the right moment to narrowly avoid the trap.

"You were supposed to disable the ship." Fett calmly pointed out. He was very lucky that he was not standing before Vader, because that comment would have gotten him immediately cut down by Vader's lightsaber. Still, even as Vader shook in rage, a small part of him whispered that the boy was right. He should have easily disabled their ship. He would have, but…

Fett was speaking again. "I managed to attach a homing beacon to their hull. We can follow their signal, maybe even root their base out."

Well. It wasn't perfect, but it was still something. "I'll set a course. They won't get away from me. Not this time." He snarled. "Send the tracking information now."

Obi-Wan would die at his hand, he averred, and he would find that assassin and get his answers. Then he would be rid of her too, and he could go back to his normal duties.

His navcomputer pinged. Fett had transmitted the coordinates. Flipping on the sublight engines, Vader turned his fighter to the projected course and accelerated into hyperspace.

The hunt was on.


As the swirls of hyperspace appeared outside of the spaceport, Padme sat back in her pilot's seat, shaking. "You Skywalkers," Obi-Wan groaned, his eyes closed, face pale and sweating. His hands were gripping the arms of his seat in a death grip, his knuckles white. "You're going to be the death of me! Do you know that?! Force, you fly just like him! " He leaned his head back against the chair headrest.

Padme attempted to smile at what she normally would have outright laughed at, but she couldn't muster it up. Obi-Wan had sensed Vader's presence, had cut off speaking in the middle of giving the clearance code to the Star Destroyer. The look he'd given her, the horrified dismay in his eyes as he whispered, "Vader," had chilled her to the bone. She'd wasted no time in turning the ship around and making for the asteroid field while the Hyperdrive prepared itself. She hadn't really expected to get away: Anakin…No,Vader was the best pilot in the galaxy, and a Sith Lord, at that. She'd expected to be blown to bits.

But, they weren't. They were still alive and headed back to the planet where they usually dropped their first ship off before taking another unmarked ship back home to Gandle Ott. That they were not dead or captured told her that this had been a setup, a setup they'd managed to narrowly avoid. The other ship that had come out behind them after Obi-Wan had sharply ordered her to speed up had been meant to intercept them. Had she not listened to Obi-Wan, they'd be in his clutches, captured by Darth Vader. It would have all been over. Everything she'd striven to become, everything she'd tried to protect…all of it. Over.

And yet…

She punched in a few keys, wishing absently that they hadn't given Artoo to Bail for safe keeping to maintain the pretense that she really had died so that the droid could have done this. "The systems are assessing the damage to the rear stabilizer." She said, her voice carefully neutral as she stood. "I'm going to lie down for a bit."

"That TIE fighter has way more advanced guns to have torn through the modified shields," Obi-Wan was muttering absently as he watched information flicker across their screens. As she began to leave the cockpit, the second part of what she'd said seemed to hit him. "Hold on a moment, are you sure…?"

"I'm sure." She cut him off, not even turning around to look at him. Any second now, and her hard fought composure would crumble. She didn't bother to wait for Obi-Wan's response before she left the cockpit, heading into one of the sectioned off private quarters she'd had modified when they'd modified the whole ship.

Alone in the room, Padme sat down heavily on the plain cot that was a poor excuse for a bed, staring at the blank gray wall. Her heart hammered in her chest, starting to slow into an aching pain. That had been the first time she had been so close to him since everything had happened on Mustafar. The last time she was even remotely close to him was, so she'd been told, at her 'fake' funeral procession, where she had lain in the open casket under the heavy dose of a drug that produced a convincing death-like state. As a result, she hadn't even realized how close he had been until Bail told her that he'd been deep in the shadows by Darth Sidious' side, watching through that awful mask, arms crossed…

She tried to shove the image out of her head, wishing that it would just go away and she could concentrate on her mission. She'd been foolish to pretend that she'd never have to face him again. Obi-Wan had warned her. Yoda had warned her. Bail had warned her. Mon Monthma had warned her. She kept saying she knew that, but it didn't fully hit her until he had been chasing after them, and it had taken all of her piloting skills - especially the ones he'd taught her- to just barely scrape away from him.

Angry tears began to fall silently down her face. She was angry at Vader for killing the man she loved. She was angry at the Emperor for leading her husband astray and destroying her marriage and everything else she'd worked so hard for, for the galaxy. She was angry at the Clone Wars, and the Jedi for their stupid no-attachments rule, which had led to Anakin's fall in the first place. Most of all, she was angry with herself. She had been so focused on politics, on her career, on the war, and on her pregnancy, that when she finally noticed that Anakin was struggling and drifting away from her, and when she had asked for him to leave with her, it was too little, too late.

Now, here they were. Anakin was consumed by Vader, now the scourge of the galaxy. The Emperor was a tyrannical power-hungry despot. The Jedi were scattered to the four winds. And, she...she was an assassin and supposed to be dead. When the Empire was destroyed and Vader actually dead, what would be her future then? One day, her children would grow up and move on. Her mother would die. Obi-Wan and Yoda would eventually re-establish their Jedi Order. So, where would she be? Where did that leave her? She didn't know.

For once in her life, Padme Skywalker had no long-term plan, and that was a very scary thought.


Phew! That was an intense chapter, to say the least. Just a reminder, my Vader in this fic is still in possession of his regular body (minus the arm that got cut off by Dooku). He just uses the suit to protect his identity from the Galaxy, and because I think it's cool.

The song for this chapter is, of course, "The Asteroid Field" by John Williams. Last May the Fourth, I was at a symphony concert that was dedicated to the music of Star Wars, and when they played that song, this chapter basically wrote itself in my head. Now I'm going to go listen to it again...

Review!

Love,

Sarah