Chapter 11: Shadows Of The Past

Padmé sat down on the bench beside Sola, just as Artoo dimmed the cabin lights and the blue-green image flickered and materialized over the holopad on the small table in front of them. She watched, her expression both concerned and puzzled, as Senator Bail Organa's image looked back at the both of them.

"It warms my heart, indeed," the dark haired, ruddy complexioned senator said, his somber countenance growing more relaxed for a moment as he smiled at Padmé, "to see that some things in this ever changing universe remain the same."

"What's that, Senator?" Padmé asked, returning his polite smile as she looked back at him, curiously.

"That even the most disturbing and troubling circumstances," Bail sighed, "become at least somewhat bearable just at the appearance of your lovely face."

Sola smiled, and turned and watched Padmé as she spoke. "Thank you very much, Senator," Padmé said with a gracious smile. "It's very kind of you to say that."

"It's wonderful to see you again, Padmé," Bail said, a kind smile on his face. "Your calming presence has been greatly missed in the Senate the last few years," he said.

"And I must apologize for the unexpected nature of this call," Bail said, nodding his head as his expression grew more serious, "but, to be honest, you were the only person that I could turn to at this moment," he said, "and the only one that I knew that I could trust."

Padmé glanced back toward her sister for just a moment, and then turned her puzzled, concerned expression back toward Bail's image. "I'll be happy to help you in any way I can, Senator," she said, nodding her head and leaning a bit closer to his image on the display. "But I must admit," Padmé said, "your transmission came as something of a surprise to us, especially considering the encryption key you're using."

Sola smiled, softly, as she listened to Padmé's calm, strong voice as she spoke; she had always been amazed at her younger sister's skills in situations like this. Padmé's years of experience, both as Queen and as a Senator to the Republic, had given her an ability to deal with unknown situations that few could ever hope to attain; Sola wouldn't even have begun to know how to address a senator, much less question one, and she watched with a growing sense of pride as she listened to her sister immediately take control of the conversation.

"I'm sure you'll agree, Senator," Padmé said, turning her head and looking at him inquisitively, "that it's a bit strange to see a communications signal from a Republic senator arrive via one of the Order's keys," she said, and then she looked down and tapped the control pad on the table in front of her, and watched as the key's authentication information appeared on the small display.

"Specifically," Padmé said, looking back up at him curiously, "a key assigned to Jedi Master Windu."

"I see that a few years away from the Senate Rotunda have only served to sharpen your skills and intuition, Padmé," Bail said with a nod. "And yes, you are correct," he said, his expression growing more concerned. "This is highly unusual, but you must believe me when I say that the urgency of this situation demands it."

Padmé nodded her head, slowly, as she heard the urgent tone in Bail's voice; he was one of the few senators she had served with that she had truly considered her friend. Indeed, Bail was one of the few people outside of the Jedi Order, or their family, that knew of Anakin's promotion to Jedi Knight, and the fact that he was still a member of the Order. He had never given her any reason not to trust him, and, for whatever reason, something inside her told her that she had no reason to doubt that trust now.

"I understand, Senator," Padmé said, nodding her head again. "You'll forgive me, if I seem a bit over inquisitive in regards to the encryption key you're using," she said, and then she paused for a moment. "You'll indulge me, I hope," Padmé said with a gentle smile, "that with everything that's going on, I'm a little over protective of my husband, and those he serves with."

"No indulgence or forgiveness is necessary, Padmé," Bail said, nodding his head as his image flashed for a second, and then stabilized again. "In these dire times," he said, with a long, somber sigh, "I'm afraid that none of us can be too careful."

What's going on, Bail?" Padmé asked, as she looked at his image intently; she could sense the deep concern in his voice, and see it in his worried face.

"It's your husband that I was hoping to speak with," Bail said, his brow furrowing as he took a long, deep breath. "Have you heard from him recently?"

Sola looked at Padmé, as she paused for a moment, and then shook her head, slowly. "Not in the last few hours," Padmé said, her countenance growing more concerned. "I spoke with him early this morning, but that's the last time I've talked with him today," she said, "but I expect to hear from him soon."

Padmé watched as Bail nodded his head, slowly, and then leaned back in his chair and took another long, deep breath. "I was hoping that you might," he said. "That's the reason that I contacted you."

"I have information," Bail said, his tone and expression becoming deeply serious, "very sensitive and vital information, that I must get to someone in the Jedi Order," he said. "And I need your help."

Padmé was confused, and she didn't like it; something about this didn't make sense. 'But, Bail," she said, cocking her head a bit and looking back at him, deeply puzzled, "you're using one of Master Windu's encryption keys. Why can't you just relay this information to him, or someone else on the Council, yourself?"

Bail raised his hand, nodding his head at her perfectly legitimate question. "If you'll bear with me for a moment," he said with a reserved sigh, "I'll try to explain why I can't do that."

Padmé watched as Bail glanced at Sola for a moment, and then looked back at her. "I trust," Bail said, "that it is safe to speak in your present company?"

Padmé glanced back at Sola, and then looked back to Bail's image and nodded her head. "This is my sister Sola, Bail," Padmé said, and she watched as Sola nodded politely, as Bail did the same. "My trust in her is exceeded only by my trust in my husband," she said. "Anything that you need to speak with me about, you can say freely in front of her."

"Very good," Bail said, nodding his head again. "I just wanted to make sure," he said, and Padmé and Sola watched his image, as he paused for a moment, and then continued.

"Master Windu came to see me, in secret, two nights ago," Bail said, his countenance growing deeply serious. "Has Anakin shared anything with you about what's been going on in the Republic the past few days?" he asked.

"Yes," Padmé said, nodding her head firmly. "He has, a great deal, actually," Padmé said. "I'm assuming that you're referring to what the Council has learned about Chancellor Palpatine?"

"Yes," Bail said with a firm nod. "How much do you know about what's happened?"

Padmé looked back at Sola, her expression somewhat puzzled. "Only what Anakin's told me," she said, as she looked back and watched Bail listen to her intently as his image flickered again. "He told me that the Council had met, and agreed that they needed to gather the evidence they need to confront the Chancellor," she said.

"And if I'm not mistaken," Padmé said, as she looked back at Sola for a moment, "Anakin said that Master Obi-Wan was in the process of gathering that evidence right now."

"I believe that he may have been successful in obtaining that proof," Bail said, and he paused and took a long, deep breath as Padmé and Sola both watched his image with rapt attention.

"I'm unable to contact anyone on the Council," Bail continued, "and I believe you have the best chance of speaking with Anakin before we can reach anyone else. I need you to relay this information to him as soon as you possibly can."

"What you're about to hear," Bail said, his expression softening somewhat, "may be very disturbing to the both of you," he said. "Can I rely on you to relay this information to him?"

Padmé's thoughts shifted immediately to the dark, terrifying sensation that she had felt earlier in the day; she turned and looked at her sister, worriedly, for a long moment, and then turned her attention back to Bail's image. "Of course, Bail," she said with a nod, her own voice betraying her apprehension at what he was about to tell them.

Padmé turned and looked toward Artoo as he sat as the communications console. "Artoo," Padmé said, as the little droid swung his sensor dome toward her and whistled softly, "record Senator Organa's transmission, starting right now," she said, "and encrypt it using Anakin's personal encryption key, not the Order's."

Artoo whistled obediently, and Sola and Padmé watched as the small panel just below Artoo's optical sensor dome popped open; they could see Anakin's key held securely in his long, metal pincers, and they watched as he placed it in the slot on the communications station's recorder. He spun the wheels at the control station, as he retracted his pincers and closed his access panel, and then turned his sensors back to Padmé and whistled brightly.

"Alright, Bail," Padmé said, nodding her head as she looked back at his image on the holopad. "Artoo's recording everything you say," she said, and then she took a deep breath and swallowed hard; Sola looked down, as she felt Padmé reach over and take her hand, squeezing it tightly. "Now what's happening?" Padmé asked, softly.

"Just over an hour ago," Bail said, his tone growing deeply serious, "Chancellor Palpatine called an emergency meeting of the Senate," he said. "He has just placed the entire Republic under the rule of martial law."

"What?" Padmé asked, her sharp voice ringing through the cabin as she leaned forward, looking at Bail in stunned disbelief. "He can't do that," she said, "not with out the approval and support of the Senate."

Bail's words had struck her like a bolt of lightning; martial law had never been declared in the Republic before. Padmé felt her heart begin to pound in her chest, and she squeezed Sola's hand tightly as she listened in silence as Bail continued.

"The Chancellor has implemented Article thirty-seven of the Constitution," Bail said, as he looked back at Padmé's stunned expression.

"I understand how Article thirty-seven works," Padmé said, shaking her head as she spoke. "But he still has to have the approval of two-thirds of the delegates in the Senate to invoke martial law," she said, her tone growing aggravated as she spoke.

"Not under our current circumstances," Bail said, shaking his head, slowly.

"Yes he does, Bail," Padmé said, her tone growing more frustrated by the moment. "He has to have…"

"Padmé," Bail said, raising his hand and cutting her off as gently as he could, "Two years ago," he said, "Ister Paddie and Mas Amedda proposed an amendment, shortly after the attacks that destroyed the colonies on Yavin IV that made provisions for the Chancellor's powers to be increased during a time of war."

"Specifically," Bail said, as Padmé listened, shaking her head slowly in disbelief at what she was hearing, "it grants the Chancellor the power to invoke specific protectionary measures when he has been granted emergency power by the Senate," Bail said. "And one of those measures is the implementation of martial law."

Sola squeezed Padmé's hand gently; she could tell that Padmé was upset, and growing more so by the moment. "What you're saying, Bail," Padmé said, her voice trembling with frustration as she spoke, "is that the Senate signed away the checks and balances that have existed for over a thousand years," she said, "to prevent just this kind of thing from happening!"

"You are correct," Bail said, nodding his head slowly, his own face reflecting the same anger and frustration as her own. "Many of us opposed the amendment, as vocally as we could," he said, "but after the massive number of deaths in those colonies, the outlying systems felt exposed and vulnerable."

"When it came up for a final vote on the Senate floor," Bail said, shaking his head forlornly, "the representatives of those systems folded under the pressure and allowed the amendment to pass."

"Oh, Bail," Padmé said, closing her eyes and shaking her head slowly, as she squeezed Sola's hand tightly. "What you're telling us is," she said, her voice trembling with frustration and anger as she turned her deeply saddened face back toward him, "is that that bastard Palpatine now has complete control of the entire Republic, and the Senate has no power to do anything to stop him!"

Padmé turned her eyes down again, and she paused as she took a long, trembling breath. "And now," she said, turning her deeply troubled face back up toward her friend, as her voice softened somewhat, "they've placed the burden of dealing with this situation that they've created on the shoulders of the Jedi," she said, her voice trembling as she spoke. "And my Anakin."

Bail's heart went out to her, as he watched Sola reach over and place her arm around Padmé's shoulders as she sat silently for a long moment as the cold, hard truth of what was happening hit home, hard. He regretted, more than she would ever know, that he had been the one who had brought this damnable news to her, and placed this responsibility on her already burdened shoulders. What he had to tell her next would only add to that burden, but he knew that he had no choice; she had to know. Padmé was his best hope in this dark hour.

"Padmé," Bail said, quietly, as he watched her turn her worried face back toward him, "the Jedi have already made their first attempt to deal with this situation," he said. "And there have been sacrifices already. Unimaginable ones."

"Chancellor Palpatine told the Senate that, earlier today, the senior members of the Council forced their way into his chambers and attempted to assassinate him," Bail said, and then he paused for a moment, his expression growing deeply somber as he continued. "Apparently," he said, quietly, "Master Windu, and the Council members who were with him were killed."

"Master Windu?" Padmé whispered, in shocked disbelief, shaking her head slowly as Bail's words struck her like a stone.

"We have been unable to contact anyone at the Temple," Bail continued, his tone deeply somber, "to verify who exactly was with Master Windu when this took place."

Sola raised her hand to her mouth in shock, and she turned and looked at her sister; Padmé sat silently, but Sola could see her eyes shining from the tears that stood in them, see her lip trembling slightly, as she clung tightly to Sola's hand and stared out of the window of their ship in silence as Bail continued.

"The Chancellor maintains that the Jedi were responsible for the creation of the Clone Army," Bail said, "and are therefore responsible for the Clone Wars themselves."

"He has declared them to be enemies of the Republic, and ordered that they are to be hunted down," he said, and he paused for a moment, as he saw Padmé look back at him silently, "and either captured, or killed."

Bail's countenance changed, and grew deeply compassionate, as he saw Padmé reach up, silently, and wipe away the tear that rolled slowly down her cheek as she looked back up at his image, that flickered in front of them; Sola sat quietly, but Padmé could feel her trembling as Sola held her hand tightly as she sat beside her, her hand still pressed tightly over her mouth in disbelief.

"I'm deeply sorry to be the one to bring you this news, Padmé," he said, quietly. "Believe me, if there had been any other way to get this information to the Jedi, I would have chosen it."

"But these are desperate times," Bail said, as he watched Padmé nod her head slowly, turning her eyes down toward her lap as she listened to him. "The Chancellor has taken control of the Clone Army, so we're unable to reach any of the Jedi commanders in the field," he said, "and he has declared the Temple off limits."

Padmé closed her eyes for a moment; she felt herself losing control, as the tide of terrible news that Bail shared with her swept over her. She took a deep breath, and reached down deep inside herself, as she struggled to remember what Anakin had taught her not long ago; time paused for just a moment, as the memory of that quiet moment filled her mind...

She sat quietly in the grass of the meadow, her hands folded around Anakin's as he sat behind her, his arms wrapped securely around her as he hugged her gently.

"Are you sure I can do this, Ani?' Padmé asked, as she looked over her shoulder at his smiling face as he snuggled in close behind her. "We've been trying this for a couple of weeks now," she said.

"Of course I'm sure," Anakin nodded. "I've never been more sure about anything," he said, as she grinned back at him. "You just have to believe it yourself."

"Are you ready to try again?" Anakin asked.

"Yes," Padmé said, as she turned back and looked out across the meadow.

"Okay," Anakin said. "Just close your eyes," he said, watching her as she did so, "and let go of everything."

She could feel the warmth of the early morning sun on her face, and she smiled as she felt him kiss her softly on her cheek, as he brought his face close to hers. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed, deeply and slowly, as she listened to his voice as he whispered softly into her ear, resting his strong hands gently on her round stomach.

"Remember," Anakin whispered, softly, "A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through them," he said softly. "Quiet your mind, Angel," he whispered, "and you'll hear it speaking to you."

"Will I hear words, Ani?" Padmé asked softly, keeping her eyes closed as she listened to his quiet, comforting voice. "Like a voice?"

"No," Anakin whispered, and she smiled again as he kissed her on the cheek. "You'll just know," he said, softly. "Just like when you can hear my heart talking to yours."

Padmé smiled, and then she took another long, slow breath, as Anakin whispered in her ear again. "But remember," he said, as he reached down and picked up the small stone that sat on the ground next to him as he spoke, "you'll only hear it clearly when you're calm and at peace. Okay?"

"Okay," Padmé said, nodding her head, and she cleared her mind as Anakin slowly stretched his fist out in front of her, the small stone held tightly in his hand.

"Reach out with your feelings, and trust your instincts," Anakin whispered softly, and he watched her, as she sat quietly, her eyes closed with her hands resting in her lap. "And no peeking."

Padmé smiled and nodded her head, and Anakin watched her for a long while, as the two of them sat in silence, the air filled with the soft sounds of their meadow. He closed his eyes for a moment, and smiled as he felt her touch the Force that flowed through her. He opened his eyes, and then, shifting his hand to his left, he opened his hand and let the stone fall in front of her.

Padmé reached up and over with her right hand, suddenly, and Anakin watched with a grin as she snatched the small stone from the air.

Anakin started to laugh, as he watched Padmé open her eyes, as she gasped and looked down at her closed fist; she opened her hand slowly, and a bright smile spread across her face, as she looked with amazement at the stone that rested in her hand.

"I did it," Padmé laughed, as Anakin hugged her tightly, kissing her on the cheek again as he laughed. "I did it!"

Padmé took another deep breath; calm and at peace, she thought to herself, and she shifted her focus to the one thing that always brought her those two things; she searched, through the fear and worry, for that warm, reassuring tremor in her heart as her sharp, nimble mind began to work frantically on the problem that she was now faced with.

Padmé looked up at Bail Organa's image, as he paused for a moment. "Do you know where Anakin is," he asked, "or where he was going when all of this transpired?"

Padmé swallowed hard, taking another long, deep breath. "When I talked to him this morning," she said, quietly, "he and Master Yoda were on their way to Kamino. They should have been at least halfway there, by midday."

"Yoda was with him?" Bail asked, a look of stunned surprise on his face. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes," Padmé said, nodding her head firmly. "Positive. He was on the ship when I spoke with Anakin this morning."

"That's welcome news, indeed," Bail said, taking a deep breath and sighing deeply. "When we heard about Master Windu, we assumed that Yoda would have been with him."

"You must get this information to Anakin as quickly as possible, Padmé," Bail said, his tone growing deeply serious again. "I can't risk sending it again, and they must be made aware of what's going on."

"I understand," Padmé said, nodding her head slowly, her voice still trembling as she looked back up at his image on the holopad. "I'll do everything I possibly can to get it to him, Bail," she said. "You have my word."

"Thank you, Padmé," Bail said, as his countenance lightened, somewhat. "And I'm deeply sorry, more so than you'll ever know, for laying this heavy burden on your already burdened shoulders."

"But I know that you'll succeed where I've failed," he said, and Padmé looked at him as he smiled fondly at her. "You always managed to."

"Tell Anakin and Yoda that they can reach me at my residence," Bail said, and then he paused and nodded his head at her, slowly. "And tell them to use this key. I'll help them in any way that I can."

"I will, Bail," Padmé said, nodding her head slowly.

"Good luck, Padmé," Bail said, and she watched as he raised his hand toward the console in front of him. "May the Force be with you, and with Anakin."

"May the Force be with you, Bail," Padmé said, quietly, and she watched as his image flickered several times, and then disappeared.

Padmé sat up, slowly, and Sola watched her as she took a long, halting breath, and then reached up and wiped away another tear that stood in the corner of her eye. She heard Anakin's voice again, as her mind drifted back to that moment in the meadow again; reach out with your feelings, he had told her. And trust your instincts.

Padmé sat quietly for another moment, and then Sola watched her as she let go of her hand and bolted up off the bench and walked quickly toward Artoo.

"Artoo," Padmé said, her voice still trembling a bit as she spoke, "do you still have Anakin's files in your memory banks? The ones that he had you load right before he left?"

Sola stood up, and walked slowly over to stand by Padmé as Artoo swung his sensor dome toward his mistress, a string of beeps and whistles echoing through the cabin. Sola folded her arms across her chest, and looked at the display on the ship's console with Padmé as the translation scrolled across it.

Of course, Mistress Padmé.

"Good," Padmé said, and she sat down quickly in the pilot's chair and tapped the control panel quickly, as she started to bring the ship's main computer online. "Call up the access codes," Padmé said, as her fingers flew quickly across the control panel; she looked back at the display, as Artoo whistled again, spinning the control wheels at his station quickly. Padmé smiled, slightly, as she watched the translation appear on the display.

Yes, Mistress. The Temple databanks?

"Yes, Artoo," she said with smile as she looked at her faithful little servant. "The Temple databanks. And you're as sharp as always."

Sola stepped behind her younger sister, placing her hands on the back of her chair, and watched her as she worked with a curious expression. "What are you doing, Padmé?" she asked, as she read the translation on the display.

"Getting in touch with Anakin," Padmé said, as she watched the access codes appear on the display in front of her. Sola watched her, curiously, as Padmé keyed in the last few commands, and the ship's main console blazed to life as the main computer came online.

"Artoo," Padmé said, as the little droid turned his attention to her again, "bring up the datalink to the Temple's systems," she said, as she turned to look at him intently. "Key those access codes into the ship's computer, and get us in that system. I want you to find the access codes for the transmitter and location transponder of whatever ship that Anakin and Yoda are on," Padmé said. "And I want them fast."

"Can you do that?" Sola asked, looking at her sister with an amazed, and somewhat apprehensive expression.

"Can I?" Padmé asked, looking up at her sister's apprehensive face. "Yes," she said, and then she turned and looked back at the ship's computer display and watched as Artoo locked in the datalink to the Temple's computers and started to feed in the seven long, complex access codes. "Am I supposed to," Padmé said with a deep sigh, "No."

Sola smiled, and she looked at the display with Padmé, as she realized what her sister was doing. "I don't believe this," she said with a soft laugh, as she placed her hand on Padmé's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "You're breaking into the Jedi Order's computer system."

"You're damn right I am," Padmé said, reaching up and squeezing Sola's hand tightly. "Anakin told me before he left that he'd given everything that I might possibly need to Artoo," she said, "and that I'd know how to use it if I needed to."

Padmé watched, anxiously, as the last access code matched up; she smiled, slyly, and she and Sola watched as hundreds of ships began to scroll by on the display in front of them as Artoo quickly searched the Temple's database systems.

"The Jedi always log everything," Padmé said, watching the huge array of ships scroll by on the display at incredible speed. "Everything gets logged in the Archives, she said. "Everyplace they go, who they go with…"

Padmé paused as she saw the display suddenly stop, as Artoo whistled brightly and zoomed the display in on a small Republic transport. "And what ship they travel on," she said, a bright smile spreading across her face as she turned and watched the ship's technical data scroll across the screen beside her.

Sola leaned forward over Padmé's shoulder, looking at the display and shaking her head with a smile. "You're a genius," she said, placing her hands on Padmé's shoulders and squeezing them tightly as she watched Padmé transfer the encrypted transponder codes into the ship's main computer.

"I'm a wife, a very upset one," Padmé sighed, as she ran the encrypted codes through the signal encrypter. "And I need to talk to my husband," she said. Padmé watched, for a long moment, as the computer worked to decipher the transpoder codes, and then smiled again as the finished codes scrolled across the display in front of her.

"Here are the codes for the transponder, Artoo," Padmé said, and she tapped the control pad quickly, transferring them to her little round companion at the communications console. She turned and nodded at him, and then turned and looked back up at Sola as he spun the control wheels and brought the transmitter online.

Outside, the small dish on the top of their ship swung slowly toward the horizon, as the transmitter engaged, sending Padmé's urgent call across the vast expanse of space.

Yoda sat in the copilot's seat, his face deeply thoughtful, as he looked out of the ship's main viewport at the stars that moved slowly in space around them, as they continued on their heading toward Coruscant.

They were moving at full impulse power again, thanks to Anakin's quick work and skilled hands. Yoda looked down toward the ship's floor; all he could see of Anakin was the lower half of his body, as everything else, from the two sabers that hung at his sides up, was under the console, as he lay on his back on the deck, working diligently on the navigational computer.

Yoda's long, keen ears perked up instantly, as soon as he heard the high-pitched beep; he looked back at the console, and the brows on his small, round face furrowed a bit as he saw the indicator on the communications center begin to flash brightly.

"Anakin," Yoda said, looking back down at his young companion as he worked, "a signal, we are receiving."

Yoda watched as Anakin wiggled himself, with some difficulty, slowly out from under the console and looked up at him. "From the Council, Master?" he asked, reaching over and picking up the rag beside him and wiping his carbon covered hands.

Yoda looked back to the console, as his three short, but nimble, fingers moved quickly on the control pad. "No," he said, his countenance darkening, somewhat, as he listened to the defiant buzz as he tried to engage the encryption key, and looked at the message that scrolled across the main console's display.

Error. Key rejected. Unable to lock and process signal.

"Encrypted, the signal is," Yoda said, looking at the display on the communications station as the computer flashed the bright yellow error message at him defiantly, "but unable to decrypt and lock onto the signal, our key is."

Anakin looked up at Yoda thoughtfully for a moment, and then he tossed the rag onto the floor beside him as he grabbed hold of the arm of the pilot's chair and pulled himself up, quickly. Yoda watched his young friend, as Anakin took a step closer to him and looked at the error message on the comm station's display for a moment; he swept his hand through his hair slowly, sweeping it out of his eyes, and then reached over and tapped the touch screen on the console, quickly, as he attempted to call up the sending key's identification.

Yoda looked at him curiously, as he saw a look of deep concern spread across Anakin's face as the resulting error message scrolled itself across the display:

Key identification request denied pending confirmation of authorization sequence. Please insert appropriate key, confirm authorization sequence, and reprocess signal.

Authorization Code: Angel One – One Alpha – Two Bravo

"Recognize this key, do you?" Yoda asked, tilting his head curiously as Anakin looked at him for second, and then reached down toward the belt at his waist.

Yoda watched, with a deeply curious expression, as Anakin produced the small, crystal blue, hexagonal key from one of the compartments on his belt. "As a matter of fact, Master," Anakin said, looking back at Yoda as he held the key up in front of him for a moment, "I do."

Yoda watched, with growing interest, as Anakin sat down in the pilot's seat next to him and quickly replaced the Order's key with his own, and then fed the signal back through the comm station's computer. Anakin watched the display, somewhat anxiously, as the yellow error message stopped flashing, and the display went blank; he waited and watched for a long moment, with nothing but a blinking, triangular cursor on the screen as the computer worked to process the long, complex key.

Anakin sighed deeply as he sat quietly, drumming his fingers anxiously as the computer's processors worked to decode the exceptionally complex algorithm. He knew it would take a few moments, and he almost wished he had made the sequence shorter; but he had built these keys for them for a purpose, and he had taken no chances whatsoever in regards to her safety when he built them. He knew they worked; even Artoo hadn't been able to break the codes that he had employed in their construction, and only he, Padmé, and their trusted astrodroid knew the two part authorization codes required to activate them.

"Finally," Anakin sighed, as he saw the bright green message scroll across the display in front of him:

Key accepted. Please enter Authorization Code.

Yoda watched Anakin with rapt attention, as his young companion keyed the requested authorization code into the computer manually from the control pad in front of him.

White Knight Two – One Bravo – Two Bravo – Three

They both watched, quietly, as the computer processed the authorization sequence for a moment, and then responded.

Authorization code confirmed. Signal locked. Ready to process.

Yoda looked up at Anakin, cocking his head and looking at the young Jedi Knight curiously, as he watched Anakin reach over to the comm station and engage the holographic subsystems.

"Interesting, that authorization sequence was," Yoda said, his eyebrow raised in interest, as he watched Anakin pause for a moment and glance back at him, a sheepish look spreading across his concerned face. "Correct, am I, in assuming," Yoda asked, as he nodded his head, slowly, "that from someone else besides the Council, this transmission is?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin nodded, as he turned his attention back to the controls on the comm station. "It's Padmé," he said, his face growing more concerned as he worked. "And if she's calling me, here," he said, "then something's definitely wrong."

"She would have had to go through a lot of trouble to get this ship's transponder codes," Anakin said, as he looked back at Yoda as he prepared to engage the holographic station on the main console. "Something's happened," he said, looking at Yoda apprehensively. "And I'm willing to bet it's not good."

"But," Yoda said, a curious smile spreading across his round, weathered face, "secured in the Temple databanks, these codes would have been," he said. "Curious, indeed, how she would have obtained them."

Anakin said nothing for a moment, as he looked back at Yoda's curious face with a somewhat sheepish, telling expression, and then turned his eyes back to the console. "Padmé's very resourceful, Master," Anakin said quietly, "as I'm sure you already know."

Yoda nodded his head, slowly, watching as Anakin pressed the switch on the console, engaging the holographic projector; he and Anakin both turned their attention to the holographic display on the console in front of them as Padmé's image flashed several times, and then appeared steadily over the holographic emitter on the console.

Sola squeezed Padmé's hand tightly, as she looked over and watched as Padmé closed her eyes and sighed with relief as she saw Anakin and Yoda's images appear above the holopad.

"Anakin," Padmé said, her voice trembling a bit as she opened her eyes and looked up at him, a look of deep relief on her face, "Oh, Ani, you don't know how relieved I am to see you. Are you and Master Yoda all right?"

Padmé watched their image flicker for a moment, as Anakin nodded his head. "We're fine, Padmé," he said. "What's wrong?" he asked, a look of sincere concern on his face. "Are you all right?"

"Everything's fine here, Ani," Padmé said, nodding her head. "But something terrible has happened. Where are you?"

"We're less than an hour away from Coruscant," Anakin said, and Padmé watched as he glanced back at Yoda. "We, uh," he said, looking back at her sheepishly, "had a little trouble with the navigational computer, and it's taking us a little longer to get back than we anticipated."

"Ani," Padmé said, her voice still trembling somewhat as she spoke, "Bail Organa just contacted us a few moments ago. He's been trying to get in touch with someone in the Order all afternoon," she said. "Something terrible has happened on Coruscant."

Padmé watched, as Anakin and Yoda both turned their deeply troubled faces toward one another, and sat quietly for a moment as they both reflected on the dark, troubling tremors that had surged through the Force all afternoon.

"We know," Anakin said, softly, nodding his head, a deeply troubled look on his face. "We both sensed it, earlier," he said.

"How much do you know, Ani?" Padmé asked, the troubled look on her husband's face mirrored in her own. She knew that both Anakin and Yoda were extremely powerful, and that they would have sensed infinitely more than she had, earlier; she just wasn't sure how much.

"Only that the Council went to confront Chancellor Palpatine," he said, and he paused as he dropped his gaze for a moment. "And that at least some of the ones who went to confront him were killed," Anakin said, as he looked back up at his wife slowly.

"We were able to sense that much through the Force," Anakin continued, as his image flickered again for a moment. "Beyond that," he said, shaking his head slowly, "we haven't been able to contact the Council and find out anything more."

"Curious, and troubling," Yoda said, turning his attention from Anakin toward Padmé, "that found it necessary to contact you, Senator Organa has, instead of the Council."

"He hasn't been able to reach anyone on the Council, Master Yoda," Padmé said, shaking her head. "When Bail couldn't contact anyone at the Temple, he gambled that I might be able to find you, or that Anakin would contact me."

"Hmmm," Yoda said, nodding his head slowly. "A worthwhile gamble, it was," he said, and then looked back up at her. "But, disturbing this is. Activated the homing beacon, someone at the Temple has," he said. "Difficult to understand it is, why they would not answer his call."

"A lot's happened in the last few hours, Master Yoda," Padmé said, as she looked at Yoda's image on the display. "Bail thinks he knows why no one's answering at the Temple."

Yoda's expression darkened, as he glanced at Anakin and sat quietly for a moment. "What did he tell you, Padmé?" Yoda asked, turning his eyes back toward her.

Padmé looked back at Sola for a moment, and then turned her attention back to their image on the holopad. "Chancellor Palpatine has placed the Republic under the protection of martial law," she said. "He called an emergency meeting of the Senate today, and told the Senate that Master Windu and the Council tried to assassinate him," she said, and she watched as Anakin and Yoda looked at each other in silence for a moment.

Padmé closed her eyes, and then took a long, deep breath. "Bail said that Master Windu and the members of the Council who where with him were killed," she said, as she opened her eyes and looked back at Anakin.

Anakin nodded his head, slowly, and he cast his gaze downward and closed his eyes; he had sensed it, earlier, when the dark tremors had first struck him. Yet now, as he heard Padmé confirm what he had sensed, he felt that same, dark wave of cold despair roll over him again. He opened his eyes, and looked over at Yoda; the tiny Jedi Master sat in silence, his head bowed and his eyes closed. Anakin could sense the deep pain and anguish in Yoda's heart, as the loss of his friends, those friends that he had known for so many years, struck him hard, as the terrible news confirmed what he and Anakin had both feared earlier.

Padmé felt tears stinging her eyes as she looked at Anakin and Yoda's deeply saddened faces. "I'm so sorry, Ani," she said softly, as she reached up and wiped away the tear that stood on her cheek, as Sola squeezed her hand gently. "And to you too, Master Yoda," she said. "I know that Master Windu and the others were your friends and mentors," she said, and she watched as their image flickered on the holopad in front of them.

"Did Bail say who was with Master Windu when this happened?" Anakin asked, as he looked back up at her.

"No, Ani," Padmé said, shaking her head slowly as she spoke. "He said that Chancellor Palpatine won't give them any information, and he's declared the Temple off limits," she said. "Bail said they can't get in touch with anyone in the Order to confirm anything."

That's why he called me," Padmé said. "He was counting on the fact that I would either hear from you or get in touch with you, somehow."

"Declared the Temple off limits?" Anakin asked, looking at Padmé with a puzzled, confused expression; she watched as she saw Yoda lift his deeply saddened face toward her as Anakin spoke. "What do you mean he's declared the Temple off limits?"

"They won't let any of the senators anywhere near the Temple, Ani," Padmé said, shaking her head. "Or Chancellor Palpatine's office in the Senate building."

Anakin looked up at her, his brow furrowing deeply on his puzzled face. "What does he think he's doing?" he asked, quietly, glancing over toward Yoda and shaking his head, slowly.

"Ani," Padmé said softly, her voice trembling again, "Chancellor Palpatine has declared the Jedi to be enemies of the Republic," she said, and she watched as her husband and Yoda looked up at her in stunned disbelief. "He's ordered that all of you are to be hunted down and captured," she said, "or killed."

"He's declared war against the Jedi, Ani," Padmé said, shaking her head slowly in disbelief. "And he's using everything in his power to do it."

"So," Yoda said, looking back at Anakin with a deep, thoughtful sigh, "Begun at last, the Dark Lord's attack has."

"Bail said that Palpatine has taken control of the Clone Army, somehow," Padmé said, as she watched their image flicker again, and then stabilize. "He said that they haven't been able to reach any of the Jedi that are commanding those battalions, either."

Anakin turned and looked back over his shoulder into the passenger compartment for a moment, as he looked at Captain Netaka's bound, unconscious body. "If Palpatine has taken control of the Clone Army and plans to use them against us," he said, turning his eyes back to Yoda again, "then that would explain why Captain Netaka attacked us."

"Indeed," Yoda said, nodding his head slowly. "A safe assumption it is," Yoda said, "that endured similar attacks, the Jedi in the field have."

"Like Obi-Wan," Anakin said, as he looked back up at Padmé; he could see the deeply concerned look on her face. His thoughts immediately shifted to his former mentor; he had left with not one, but two entire battalions of clone troopers. If they had turned on him, the same way that Netaka had on them…

"If he's taken control of the Temple, Ani," Padmé said, shaking her head slowly as she looked at his image on the holopad, "then the homing beacon that Master Yoda mentioned might be a trap."

Anakin turned and looked at Yoda, as the Jedi Master listened to Padmé attentively. "Correct, I believe, your companion is," he said, looking back at Anakin. "Explains as well, this does, the missing reason for the recall, when activated the beacon was," he said.

"Imperative, it is," Yoda said, looking up at Anakin from his seat in the co-pilot's chair, "that get to the Temple quickly, we must, and disable the homing beacon," he said. "If indeed a trap this is," Yoda said, "draw the remaining Jedi into Sidious's clutches, it will."

"Everyone who wasn't in the field was still in the Temple when all of this happened, Master," Anakin said. "All of the archive staff, the first year Jedi, even the padawans," he said, looking back up at Padmé again. "They'd all still be there."

"The children?" Padmé asked, softly. "Oh, Ani," she asked, as she squeezed Sola's hand tightly as she sat beside her; she couldn't believe that she hadn't thought of the dozens of children in the Temple's dormitories. "You don't think that Sidious would…" She closed her eyes and stopped in mid sentence, instinctively placing her hand gently on her stomach. She couldn't allow herself to finish that terrible thought.

Sola lifted her hand slowly to her mouth, as the horrible realization of what Padmé was inferring struck her. Padmé has shown her pictures, on several occasions, of the rooms filled with eager, young padawans in the Temple's training facilities and dormitories. "Oh, Padmé," she said, as her sister turned her deeply troubled face toward her, "You don't really think…"

Anakin closed his eyes for a moment, knowing instinctively what it was that Padmé was thinking. "Master," Anakin said, turning and looking back at Yoda and shaking his head, slowly, "we've got to get in there," he said. "We can't leave those children in Sidious's hands."

Yoda nodded his head, slowly, as he looked back at Anakin. "How much longer," he asked, "until the navigational computer is repaired, and make the jump to light speed, we can?"

"I think I can have us ready in ten minutes, Master," Anakin said, looking back at the coverless computer, it's innards stared up at him from the center of the console. "It's only going to be operating at eighty percent, though, and some of the smaller bodies may not show up on the nav maps, so there's a little bit of a risk," he said, "but I think, under the circumstances, that we need to chance it."

"I agree," Yoda said, nodding his head. "Possible, is it, for us to try and contact Obi-Wan?"

"Padmé," Anakin said, as he turned back to the ship's computer in front of him, "do you and Artoo still have the link active to the Temple's archive database?"

"Yes," Padmé said with a nod, as she listened to Anakin attentively.

"Have Artoo find the transponder information for Obi-Wan's ship, the one he used when he left for Utapau, and relay it to us here as soon as you have it," he said.

"I thought you might ask for that," Padmé said, as Anakin looked back up at her image and watched as she tapped the control pad in front of her. "Look at your display," she said, looking back up to him with a smile. "It should be coming through now."

Anakin's countenance softened a bit, and he smiled as he looked down and watched the technical information for Obi-Wan's ship scroll across the display in front of him.

"I love you," Anakin sighed, looking up at her image fondly, as she smiled warmly back at him.

"I love you, too," she said, softly, as her image flickered again. "More than you'll ever know."

Yoda looked up at Padmé's image for a long moment, and then turned his eyes back toward Anakin, as he worked quickly, feeding the codes for Obi-Wan's ship into their comm station's computer. He remembered what he had told Mace Windu, that day in the Temple four years ago; a powerful thing, love and devotion can be, he had told him. He smiled, softly, as he turned his cane over thoughtfully in his small hands. Even he could never have foreseen just how correct that statement had been.

"Padmé," Yoda said, turning his attention back to her image on the holopad, "the link you have to the Temple's database," he said, as he watched her turn her face toward him. "A high speed link, is it?"

"Yes, Master Yoda," Padmé said, nodding her head as her image flickered again. "Anakin and I upgraded the transmitter in the ship last year. It's as fast as you can get."

"Very good," Yoda said, as Anakin turned and looked at him as the Jedi Master climbed down from his chair and took a step closer to Anakin, his small cane held tightly in his hand.

"Assume we must," Yoda said, as Anakin and Padmé listened to him intently, "that control of the Temple, and its resources, Sidious now has," he said. "Only a matter of time, it is, before he gains access to the archive's databanks."

"Those databanks contain the complete history of the Order," Anakin said, nodding his head slowly as he looked at Yoda. "Along with the identification and location of every Jedi who's ever lived," he said, and then he looked back up at Padmé's image. "And their families."

"Of utmost importance, it is," Yoda said, nodding his head slowly, "that retrieve that information, we do, and prevent it from falling into the Dark Lord's, or his agents, hands." He took a deep breath, and stood silently for a moment. "If bent on destroying us, he is," Yoda said, "then our death knell, it would be, if placed that information into the hands of his Clone Army, he did."

Anakin looked down at the console in front of him for a moment, as he turned Yoda's proposal over in his mind. "The link speed's not such a problem, Master," Anakin said, shaking his head slowly. "But those databases are enormous," he said, looking back up at Yoda. "The databank in our ship is huge, but it's no where near large enough to hold the amount of data you're talking about," he said. "Even if we only transferred the critical stuff."

"Ani," Padmé said, as Anakin and Yoda turned their attention back to her image. "What about that high density core that you've been working on at the shop?" she asked. "You know, the one you've been working on for the university?"

Anakin looked back at Yoda for a moment, as he considered what she was suggesting. "It's possible, Master," Anakin said, nodding his head as Yoda looked at him intently. "That's a big core," he said. "Padmé and Artoo should be able to tie it in to the ship's systems, and store the archive data there."

"There's no way we could get it all," Anakin said, looking back up at Padmé's image as she listened to him intently, "but we could get all of the crucial stuff," he said. "The Order's history databases, log files, all of the demographic data," he said. "Everything that we wouldn't want to lose, or have fall into Sidious' hands."

"Once we get the crucial data transferred," Anakin said, as Yoda listened to him intently, "Artoo can key the sequence into the Temple systems to burn the archive's core."

"Master Yoda," Padmé asked, quietly, shaking her head slowly as she looked up at his image on the holopad, "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "We're talking about destroying the Temple archives."

Anakin and Padmé both watched Yoda for a moment, as the Jedi Master took a deep breath, and nodded his head slowly. "No alternative we have, I fear," Yoda said, his a look of resolved sorrow on his small face. "If obtains that data, Sidious does," he said, "then lost, all hope is."

"Besides," Yoda said, looking back at Padmé and managing a confident smile, "trust in you, we will," he said, "to preserve those archives before they are destroyed."

"Padmé," Anakin said, as his image flickered again, "can you have Dad and Threepio go to the shop and retrieve that core?"

Sola stood up quickly, as Padmé looked up at her older sister. "You get to work on transferring that data," Sola said with a smile. "I'll take care of getting the core."

Padmé smiled up at her older sister, and squeezed her hand tightly. "Thank you, Sola," she said, quietly, and then she watched as Sola released her hand and walked quickly out of the ship.

"The core will be here shortly," Padmé said, looking back at Anakin's image with a smile. "Sola's going to get Dad and Threepio now."

Padmé and Anakin watched Yoda sit down at the ship's console and begin to key several long, cryptic sequences into the computer. "Padmé," Yoda said, as his small, nimble fingers flew quickly over the keypad, "sending you the destruct codes for the Temple's database, I am," he said, as he reached over and transferred the codes into the buffer on the ship's transmitter. "Need these, your droid will," Yoda said, looking back up at her, "to destroy the databases."

Padmé considered the magnitude of what they were preparing to do, as she looked down at the console in front of her; she swallowed hard as she saw the seven long codes scroll across her display, and then she turned and looked at her little astrodroid as he sat diligently at his station near her. "Artoo," she said, quietly, "go ahead and transfer these codes into your memory."

She watched him, as he spun the control wheels in front of him, and then swung his dome back toward her with a whistle. She nodded, slowly, as she saw his response on the display in front of her.

"He has them, Master Yoda," Padmé said, looking back up at Yoda's image with a nod.

"Oh," Padmé said, as she suddenly remembered what Bail had told her, "Bail said that, if you need to contact him on Coruscant, that you could find him at his residence," she said, and she tapped the control pad in front of her quickly as she spoke. "He's using this key," she said, as she transferred it to the buffer and transmitted the key's identification code to them. "It's one that Master Windu gave him a few nights ago."

She shifted her attention to Anakin as he spoke to her. "Padmé," he said, "you and Artoo should be able to go ahead and start transferring as much data as you can now. But have Artoo key those burn sequences into the archive's database and have them ready."

"If you even think that someone may be trying to lock onto your signal," Anakin said softly, as he watched the key identification that she had just sent appear on his display, "then have him burn the archive core and cut your connection," he said. "I don't want to take any chances on someone tracing your signal, okay?"

"Okay," Padmé said, nodding her head, taking a deep breath. "I still can't believe that we're doing this."

"I know," Anakin said, nodding his head slowly. "But Master Yoda's right," he said. "We really don't have a choice."

"Contact Obi-Wan, we will," Yoda said, turning his attention to her again. "Meet at the Temple, we will, and attempt to rescue those that we can, and deactivate the homing beacon," he said. "Contact you again, we will, when successful we are."

"I understand, Master," Padmé said, nodding her head slowly. "Artoo and I will start on the archive databases now."

Yoda looked at her for a long moment, and then smiled warmly at her. "Correct, your companion is," he said, a confident smile spreading across his small face. "Resourceful you are, indeed, just as always."

Padmé turned a small, albeit troubled, smile back at Yoda's image on the holopad, and then she shifted her attention back to Anakin again. "Be careful, Ani," she said softly. "Please be careful."

"I will, Angel," Anakin said, nodding his head and smiling at her warmly. "We'll contact you soon, I promise." He paused a moment, as he smiled at her fondly. "I love you," he said, softly.

"I love you, too, Ani," Padmé said, softly, her eyes glistening in the cabin's light as she spoke. "Be safe."

"We will," Anakin said. "See you soon," he said, and then Padmé watched as his image flashed again, and then faded.

Padmé took a long, deep breath, and then turned and looked at Artoo as he swung his sensor dome toward her. "Okay, Artoo," she said with a sigh, "let's get to work," she said. "We've got a lot to do."

Artoo whistled brightly, as he and Padmé both went to work.

Our story continues shortly!...