Chapter 15: Duel Of The Fates
Vader was halfway across the narrow catwalk; he looked down, narrowing his eyes as the heat from the rolling, glowing hot lava flow below him whipped by his face, as he secured the comlink back in the belt at his waist.
He turned quickly, his long, black cloak billowing around him as his gloved hand held tightly to the narrow catwalk railing; he glanced back over his right shoulder, as the unmistakable hiss of the lightsaber that powered up behind him echoed off the stone walls around him.
Obi-Wan stepped quickly out of the narrow tunnel entrance and into the large, smoky cavern; the smell of sulfur filled his nostrils as he stared back at Vader in the dim light. The Sith Lord looked almost surreal, as he stood, his cloak flapping wildly in the waves of heat that swept up past him. Vader's haunting, yellow eyes glowered back toward him as he lowered Anakin's humming, white blade to his side and stopped, just at the edge of the narrow catwalk.
"Leaving so soon?" Obi-Wan said, as he stared coldly back at Vader and took a step out onto the narrow, shaky catwalk, squeezing the hilt of Anakin's weapon tightly in his hand as he spoke. "I won't hear of it."
Obi-Wan felt a sense of deep satisfaction, as he saw the look of surprise that flashed quickly across Vader's face, as he spoke to him. "Why?" Vader asked, his glowing eyes staring back at Obi-Wan hatefully. "Are you in a hurry to die?"
"The only thing I'm in a hurry for is to see you and Palpatine pay for what you've done," Obi- Wan said, his own eyes flashing as he felt the wave of anger that he had felt when he had faced Grievous well up inside of him again.
"You can still walk out of here alive, Kenobi," Vader said, as he reached down and took his saber from his belt; Obi-Wan glanced down at Vader's gloved hand, watching him as he rolled the weapon over several times, slowly, the bright orange light of the lava below them glinting off the smoothly polished weapon.
"Or, you can choose to die," he said, as Obi-Wan looked back up at him. "Like your friends soon will. It's your choice."
"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan snapped, taking another step toward Vader as the Sith Lord took a step backwards along the narrow catwalk.
"Your friend Skywalker, and his woman, are probably already dead, if the droids have found them," Vader said, his voice echoing through the smoky cavern. "If they aren't, they will be as soon as my clone troopers find them." Vader said, shaking his head. "Either way," he said, as a sinister smile spread across his face, "they're not leaving this planet alive."
Obi-Wan felt that faint flame of anger begin to grow stronger deep within him, as he glared back at Vader's face, shaking his head. "You're lying," Obi-Wan said, taking another step toward Vader, raising Anakin's weapon and pointing it directly at him, as he felt that flame suddenly flare even stronger.
"Your LYING!" Obi-Wan shouted, staring angrily down the glowing white blade of the weapon he held in his hand as he looked directly at Vader's smirking, hooded face. "Just like that lying bastard you serve!"
"Believe what you want, Kenobi," Vader said, as he raised his gloved hand and pointed his finger directly at Obi-Wan. "Your friend Skywalker made a bad decision," he said. "You don't have to make the same mistake."
"My droids will be more than a match for him, especially with those injuries I gave him," Vader smirked, as he watched Obi-Wan shake his head slowly. "He'll be too concerned with her," Vader said. "His love for that useless woman has made him weak."
"Anakin is stronger than a killer like yourself could ever hope to be," Obi-Wan snapped back angrily, as he took another step toward Vader.
Vader snorted under his breath. "Love is the most worthless of human emotions," he said, shaking his head. "It's useless, just like he is. And it's already blinded you to the truth, Kenobi," Vader said, as he shook his gloved fist at him. "Skywalker is going to die, if he hasn't already, along with her, and there's nothing that you can do to stop it."
"But you have a choice," Vader said, as he saw the anger welling up in Obi-Wan's face. "You can choose to die here, now, defending a Jedi Order that no longer exists," he said, "or you can choose to join me and my Master, and find a new place for yourself in the Empire."
"Empire?" Obi-Wan spat back angrily at Vader contemptuously. "Is that what your so-called master is calling the Republic now?"
"He can call it what he wants," Vader said, shaking his head. "Names don't matter to me. The important thing is, the Republic is dead, and you have a choice," Vader said, his yellow eyes glowing back at Obi-Wan.
"You can choose to join us," Vader said with a confident smirk; Obi-Wan watched as he powered up the crimson red blade in his hand and swung it up quickly in front of him.
"Or you can choose to die," he said, as he swung the blade in his gloved hand quickly at his side, and then brought it up in front of him. "Just like your friend. It's your choice."
"You're nothing but a worthless coward," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head. "You're not even a shadow of Anakin Skywalker."
"How does it feel, Vader?" Obi-Wan asked, as he cocked his head and looked at the Sith Lord in front of him inquisitively, watching as the smug smile on his hooded face quickly disappeared. "How does it feel to know that you can never hope to be half of the man that you were created from?"
"Shut up," Vader snapped angrily, his eyes beginning to glow fiercely as he took another step back as Obi-Wan stepped toward him again.
You're just another pawn in Sidious's game, Vader," Obi-Wan said, as he shook his head and began to return the smug smile that had left Vader's face only a moment before. "If you truly were cloned from Anakin, I should think you'd have been smart enough to figure that out by now."
"I supposed that's just more proof that you're nothing more than a failed experiment," Obi-Wan said, laughing under his breath as he took another step toward him.
"How long do you think it'll be before Sidious decides he's through with you?" Obi-Wan said, as he watched Vader glare back at him from underneath his thick, black hood. "He created you, he molded you, to take Dooku's place, when he had outlived his usefulness, didn't he?"
"You're just another expendable asset, nothing more," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head piteously. "Sidious will use you, just like he did Dooku, and when he's through with you, he'll toss you aside and replace you with someone else."
"Perhaps I should join you," Obi-Wan said, as he glared back at Vader's angry face. "After all, there can only be two," he said, as he spun his blade quickly at his side. "It'd just be a matter of time before I'd get the chance to kill you, anyway. And from what I've seen so far," Obi-Wan said, as he brought his blade up and pointed it directly between Vader's glowing, yellow eyes, "I don't really think it's going to be much of a challenge."
Obi-Wan had been trying to push Vader to the breaking point; he knew, instinctively, that he had succeeded finally, as Vader suddenly screamed in anger and lunged at him, just as Obi-Wan brought Anakin's glowing white blade up, and the massive chasm filled with the sound of the two blades as they crashed against each other.
Anakin reached up with his right arm and placed it tightly around Threepio's shoulder as he took a final, painful step up the Millennium Falcon's entry ramp; he coughed, hard, as he took a long, deep breath of the clean, filtered air inside the ship. Threepio and Yoda both reached out and caught hold of him, as he cried out in pain, his knees buckling slightly as the force of his cough caused his broken bones to grate painfully against one another again.
"Thanks, Threepio," Anakin groaned painfully, as he stood back up slowly and wrapped his left arm tightly around his chest, cradling it gingerly as the tall, silver droid placed his arm supportively around his master's back and helped him into the ship.
Anakin looked down and watched as Yoda walked quickly past him and Bail, making his way toward the forward part of the ship. Anakin glanced around the peculiar vessel for just a moment, and then turned his attention to Bail Organa, as he turned around, still holding Padmé tightly in his arms. "I'm going to go ahead and get her into the infirmary, Anakin," Bail panted, as Anakin nodded painfully at him; their race against time had found them almost sprinting back to the Falcon through the thick haze of dust and wind that whipped at the planet's surface.
"Yoda will need your help," Bail said, as Anakin turned and watched again as Yoda made his way quickly toward the Falcon's cockpit. "He can pilot the ship, but someone's going to need to man the main guns in case those transports get here before we can get out of here."
Bail watched as Anakin walked up to him, leaning heavily on Threepio's shoulder and turning his attention to his wife as Bail held her tightly in his arms. "Take care of her for me, okay, Bail?" Anakin asked softly, as he let go of his chest and gently caressed her cheek; Anakin could sense the pain that rippled through her body, and he leaned down gently and kissed her on the cheek. He could feel her rapid, shallow breathing on his face, as she opened her eyes and glanced up at him, weakly, and then closed her eyes again.
"You have my word, Anakin," Bail said quietly, and Anakin watched as the tall, dark haired senator turned and started quickly toward the ship's crew quarters behind them.
"Don't worry, Master Ani," Threepio said, as reassuringly as he could, as Anakin turned his deeply worried face toward him. "I'm sure that Senator Organa will take good care of Mistress Padmé, you'll see."
Anakin forced a smile; a weak one, assuredly, but a smile nonetheless. "I know, Threepio," he said quietly, and then he patted Threepio's shoulder soundly. "Come on," Anakin grunted, painfully, just as Artoo rolled quickly up toward them. "Let's get up to the cockpit," he said, as he turned, with Threepio's help, and started toward the Falcon's bow. "We've got to get out here, fast. Those clone transports will be here any minute."
Artoo rolled closely behind them, as they made their way up to the cockpit as quickly as they could, just as they heard the Millennium Falcon's engines begin to whine as Yoda started to power them up.
Obi-Wan felt another surge of power flow through him, as he reached down into the living Force, as deeply as he ever had, catching Vader's blade and pushing it away from him angrily. He could feel the narrow, metal catwalk shaking under his boots; the waves of heat that swept up past them swirled around him, as he swung Anakin's blade up quickly, catching Darth Vader's angry blow and turning it down, toward the catwalk's railing.
The brilliant gold array of sparks cascaded around them, in the hellish red glow that reflected off of the chasm's walls, as Obi-Wan swung the brilliant white blade in his hands back up quickly, and directly into Vader's right shoulder.
Vader howled in pain and stumbled backwards, as the super hot blade bit into his shoulder and sliced through his cloak and tunic. The stench of burning material filled his nostrils as he leapt back away from his opponent and reached up and grasped his shoulder tightly with his gloved hand.
"That's for Master Windu," Obi-Wan growled, as he watched the Sith Lord snap his angry, glowing eyes around toward him as he clutched his shoulder tightly.
"You should have listened to me, Kenobi," Vader said angrily, rubbing his wounded shoulder gingerly as he watched Obi-Wan bring his blade back up and take another step toward him. He reached deeply into the dark side of the Force, pushing back the wave of pain that coursed through his shoulder as he took another step back along the narrow, trembling catwalk.
Vader leaned back on his right leg, steadying himself, as Obi-Wan lunged at him again; his crimson blade crackled and hissed, violently, as Obi-Wan lashed out at him again, swinging his blade first left, then right, then left again, driving him steadily back toward the narrow opening in the chamber wall behind them.
Vader was struggling; Obi-Wan's attack was fierce and relentless, and the pain that coursed though his wounded shoulder was slowing his response; the angry burn from Padmé's weapon, and the fresh wound that Obi-Wan had just given him were taking their toll. He needed to get out of here, but he was cornered, with an angry Jedi Knight in front of him, and nothing but a narrow opening in the stone wall behind him.
Vader glanced down, just as he turned Obi-Wan's blade aside again, sending another spray of sparks between them as the white blade in Obi-Wan's hand sliced cleanly through the railing. The catwalk beneath them groaned and shuddered violently as the structure shifted, and he could see the glowing, orange lava flowing quickly below them, bubbling and spitting high into the hazy, smoke-filled air, as the narrow catwalk trembled and moaned as they fought furiously, with less than an inch of old, rusted steel framework separating them from the hellish inferno below.
Anakin leaned on Threepio's shoulder as he stopped just behind the pilot's station and looked down at Yoda as he sat in the Falcon's pilot's seat. He watched, as the Jedi Master brought the ship's engines up to full power.
Yoda turned around and looked up at Anakin, as the young Jedi looked out of the ship'scockpit window, toward the stone facility a few hundred meters from them. He could sense what Anakin was thinking and feeling, and he took a deep breath as he looked back down and slowly pulled Anakin's saber from his robes.
"We can't leave him behind, Master," Anakin said, as he looked down and took his weapon from Yoda's small hand as the Jedi Master turned in the pilot's seat and extended it toward him. Yoda looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, and then turned his eyes back toward the cockpit as he reached over and pushed the Falcon's throttle levers forward.
"Understand, and share, your concern, I do, Anakin," Yoda said quietly, as huge clouds of dust began to swirl violently around the sleek, silver ship she began to lift slowly into the air.
"Less than five minutes, we have, to get clear before Vader's clone transports arrive," Yoda said, as he turned the control yoke slowly in his small hands, turning the ship slowly as the landing thrusters lifted them higher and higher into the air.
"Locked in beacon mode, our tracking devices are," Yoda said, shaking his head slowly as he looked back up at Anakin, watching as the young Jedi Knight tucked his saber back into its holster at his side. "No way, have we, to locate him," Yoda said, "and insufficient time, there is, to search for him."
"That's not entirely true, Master Yoda," Anakin said, as he took a deep breath, and lifted his arm quickly from around Threepio's shoulders. "Take the copilot's station, Threepio," Anakin grunted painfully, as Threepio looked up at him, somewhat bewildered.
"Me, Master Ani?" Threepio asked, as Anakin took a step back and nudged him toward the copilot's seat. "But I'm not quite sure that I..."
"Hurry, Threepio," Anakin said, nodding his head and pushing Threepio toward the empty chair beside Yoda. Yoda watched, somewhat puzzled himself, as Threepio obediently took a seat in the copilot's station, and then he watched as Anakin stepped between them and knelt down, painfully, and started to bring up the Falcon's sensor array.
Yoda watched, inquisitively, as Anakin's fingers flew quickly over the control pad on the ship's console. "Master Obi-Wan's got my other saber," Anakin said, keeping his eyes on the console as he worked as quickly as he could. "We should be able to find him."
"Low power beacons, the ones in our sabers are," Yoda said, shaking his head as Anakin turned and looked back at him. "Doubtful it is, that we would be able to locate him, with so much interference."
"I modified the transmitters in mine when I built them, Master," Anakin said, as he switched on the tracking system and watched intently as the needle began to sweep quickly around the display. "They're stronger, and they use a higher frequency," he said. "We should be able to find him."
"There," Anakin said, pointing at the display as the bright yellow dot began to flash, intermittently, on the display in front of them. "That's him," he said, looking back at Yoda intently as the Jedi master studied the tracking display intently for a moment.
"We can't leave him behind, Master Yoda," Anakin said quietly, shaking his head slowly as Yoda turned his eyes toward him and looked at him thoughtfully. "We've got to get him out of here."
"Given orders to destroy us, Vader's clones have been," Yoda said, shaking his head slowly as he started to turn the Millennium Falcon toward the signal that flashed on the display in front of them. "Just minutes, we have. Difficult it will be, to find Obi-Wan and get ourselves clear in time, before they intercept us."
"Keep the ship low, as low as you possibly can," Anakin said. "The planet's got a strong magnetic field. If we stay tight and low, it may give us enough cover to buy us a few minutes before they lock onto us."
Yoda nodded his head slowly, dropping the Falcon dangerously close to the rocky surface as they began to skim quickly toward the direction of Obi-Wan's signal. Anakin looked out of the cockpit window thoughtfully for a long moment; he grimaced and clutched his chest tightly, and then took a long, deep breath.
"Sidious will never stop hunting for us, will he?" Anakin asked quietly, as Yoda glanced back at him.
"That's what this trap was for," Anakin said, as he and Yoda exchanged a painful glance for a long moment. "It just dawned on me," Anakin said, as Yoda turned his eyes slowly back toward the cockpit window in front of him. "Sidious will never stop hunting for us, all of us, until he's sure we're all dead."
"No," Yoda said somberly, nodding his head slowly. "Obsessed with destroying us, Sidious is, and almost succeeded he has," he said, as he nosed the ship up and skimmed over the edge of the entrance of the large structure they had escaped from only a few moments before.
"All that is left of the Order, we are," Yoda said, shaking his head sadly. "If his troopers fail to intercept us here," Yoda said, his tone growing more somber as Anakin and Threepio listened intently as he spoke, "then likely it is, that the entire Clone Army, he and his apprentice will use, to find us."
Anakin nodded his head thoughtfully for another moment; he glanced back over his shoulder, toward the crew quarters in the back of the ship, as his thoughts shifted back to Padmé, and to their family that waited at home. He tried to quiet his mind, as best he could, through his concern for her and the pain that coursed through his chest, as he tried to understand what it was he sensed that the Force was trying to tell him.
He remembered the day that he had gone to tell Chancellor Palpatine goodbye, and he felt a different kind of pain and fear run through his heart, as he realized that he had, inadvertently, given the Dark Lord of the Sith the one piece of information that he truly wished he didn't have; Anakin knew, instinctively, that as long as Sidious thought that they were alive, that Padmé, and their children, would always be in danger. Vader had seen her; for all he knew, Sidious' evil apprentice could have already contacted his master and relayed to him what he had seen. If he had, Sidious would know that she was pregnant; Anakin was beginning to understand, finally, what it was that Yoda had tried to tell him, that evening in Obi-Wan's residence.
Anakin glanced quickly back toward Yoda, as he suddenly realized what it was that he had to do. "Then Artoo and I will just have to help those troopers make sure they accomplish their mission," Anakin groaned painfully, as he started to stand up as quickly as he could.
Yoda glanced up at Anakin again, as the young Jedi Knight stood up, painfully. "Keep an eye on Obi-Wan's signal, Threepio," Anakin said, as he stood up as straight as he could and turned toward the little astrodroid that stood next to him. "And help Master Yoda keep an eye on those incoming clone transports."
"Yes, Master Ani," Threepio said, turning his attention to the display in front of him.
"Artoo, you come with me," Anakin said, and Yoda and Threepio exchanged puzzled glances as they watched Anakin start back down the narrow juncture toward the central cabin. "We've got a job to do."
Commander Bartellow turned around quickly, as the trooper at the communications station behind him called to him.
"Sir?" the trooper called, looking up at Bartellow as he walked quickly to his side. "I think we've got something."
"What is it?" Bartellow asked, the dim, red lighting in the transport's crew cabin reflecting off of the smooth face of his helmet as he looked down at the display where the trooper sat.
"Three ships, sir," the trooper said, pointing at the three indicators on the display in front of him. "Two of our transports, and one of them is Lord Vader's ship," he said, as he looked up at his commanding officer again.
"The other ship appears to be a small civilian cruiser of some kind," he said, as the commander watched the display intently. "It's moving. It's just powered up it's engines and is moving away from the other two ships at a fairly high rate of speed."
"We're receiving a transmission from that ship, as well, sir," the trooper said, as he lifted his hand to the side of his helmet as the transmission began to filter through the earpiece in his helmet.
"On speakers," Bartellow said, and he listened intently as the trooper reached down and quickly transferred the incoming transmission to the cabin's speaker system; the cracks and pops of the planet's atmosphere began to fill the cabin as the intermittent, broken transmission began to fill Bartellow's ears.
...leaving the planet now. Master Yoda says to inform you... we should be back... Coruscant in several hours. We'll meet you... the Temple. Have medical... standing by. Skywalker out.
"It's them," Bartellow said, turning his head quickly back to the trooper in front of him. "Contact the other ships," the commander said. "Have them converge on that ship and destroy it immediately. I don't want it to even make orbit, is that understood?"
"Understood clearly, sir," the trooper said, and Bartellow watched as he quickly contacted the other transports, as their own ship began to turn toward the small cruiser's signal.
Bail felt Padmé squeeze his hand tightly as she cried out again; he looked up at the monitor over the medical bunk where he had placed her, a look of deep concern spreading over his face as he watched her heart rate continue to climb.
"Oooohhhh," Padmé moaned, turning her head toward Bail as he placed his free hand gently on her forehead as she opened her eyes and looked at him, weakly. "It hurts, Bail," Padmé said, as she suddenly placed her hands on her stomach and grit her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut as another wave of pain traveled through her back and across her stomach.
Bail looked up at the monitor again, watching as the sensors spiked again; he placed his hand on Padmé's, squeezing it gently until the pain began to subside again, and then stood up and walked quickly to the supply cabinet near the medical bunk.
"I know it does, Padmé," Bail said, as he quickly took a small bottle and a syringe from the cabinet, and then closed it quickly. He turned around, slipping the small needle into the bottle, and then took a seat quickly at Padmé's side again, as he carefully filled the small syringe with the clear liquid.
"What's happening, Bail?" Padmé asked weakly, her breath coming fast and ragged as she watched her long time friend and Senate companion carefully measure the medication in the syringe, and then place the small bottle on the tray beside the bunk.
"You're having contractions, Padmé," Bail said, as he gently thumped the syringe in his hand. "They're not very far apart now, either," he said, as he looked back and watched as Padmé closed her eyes and shook her head, slowly.
"No," Padmé said, and Bail felt his heart ache as he saw the frightened look in her tear-filled eyes as she opened them again. "It's not time, Bail," Padmé whispered quietly.
"It's not time," Padmé said again, closing her eyes tightly, and Bail laid the syringe on the bunk in front of him as he placed his hand gently on hers again, as he saw the tear that trickled slowly down her cheek.
"It looks like they think it is, Padmé," Bail said, as he gently wiped away the tear from her cheek and smiled at her, reassuringly. "Breha tells me that sometimes these things don't always go as planned."
"Just try to relax a little," Bail said, as he reached down and picked up the syringe again and gently placed Padmé's arm on the bed in front of him. "I'm going to give you something that should help make the pain a little more bearable," he said, as he quickly ripped open the small packet he had retrieved from the cabinet.
Padmé watched him, as he gently swabbed the crook of her arm with the sterile pad, and then she closed her eyes as she saw him pick up the small syringe. "I hate needles," Padmé whispered, her voice trembling, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the sharp sting as Bail carefully injected the pain medication into her arm.
"Me too," Bail said, looking up at Padmé with a grin, and she watched him as he turned and tossed the syringe into the storage compartment beside the bunk. Bail's smile faded quickly, however, as Padmé suddenly closed her eyes again and cried out, loudly.
"Ooooohhhh, Bail," Padmé cried, holding her stomach tightly and lifting her knees up off of the bed slightly as the painful contraction struck her. "Please," she cried, as Bail looked up and saw the sensors on the monitor spike again. Her contractions were growing stronger, and they were only a few minutes apart now; these babies were coming, and coming soon.
"Please go get Anakin," she said, as she opened her pain filled eyes and looked back at him. "Something's happening."
Darth Vader's breathing was coming fast and heavy now, as he swung his blade hard to his left, just barely catching the brilliant white blade in Obi-Wan's hands and turning it aside.
He stumbled backwards a few steps, losing his balance, as he felt the ground begin to slope downward behind him, as Obi-Wan forced him off the catwalk and through the small, narrow opening in the jagged stone wall.
Vader glanced back behind him, just in time to see his boots stop just inches from the sharp drop-off directly behind him; time seemed to stop, as he saw the stones that his boot had dislodged disappear into the thick haze of smoke and heat that lead to the glowing, red pit far below them.
Obi-Wan stopped, for a brief instant; he saw the look of fear that suddenly flashed across Vader's face, as he watched him glance down at the sheer drop behind him.
"What's wrong, Vader?" Obi-Wan said, his own breath coming fast and hard as he held Anakin's glowing white blade up directly in front of him, watching as Vader's yellow eyes glared back at him. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"From the look on your face," Obi-Wan said, glaring back at the angry Sith in front of him, "I'd say it was your own."
Obi-Wan watched Vader intently, as the Sith Lord took a step toward him, squeezing the hilt of the glowing red saber in his gloved hands tightly. They stood completely still for a long moment, their two blades humming loudly, as the sulfur-laden smoke and heat from the superheated pit below them stung their eyes.
As angry as he was, Obi-Wan felt the guidance of the living Force tugging at him, as he watched Vader glare back at him.
He was a vessel of pure evil, having been created for no other purpose except to bring pain and death; yet, Obi-Wan knew, deep inside himself, below the anger and rage at what Vader and his dark master had done, that he was still a living being. Life, in all of its forms, was precious to a Jedi; he remembered how he had felt, after he had lashed out so violently toward General Grievous. He lowered the tip of his blade, only slightly, as he watched Vader eye him angrily.
"You're out of options, Vader," Obi-Wan said, as the Sith glared back at the blade that hummed loudly in Obi-Wan's hands. "This is your last chance."
"Throw your weapon into that pit, behind you, and call off your troops," Obi-Wan said, nodding toward the sheer drop directly behind Vader, "and you can still walk out of here."
"You still don't get it, do you, Kenobi?" Vader shouted, over the rumble that rose from the pit behind him. "Your friends are dead, just like you'll be in a few minutes."
Obi-Wan felt the tremor travel to him through the Force, just as he sensed the weapon discharge directly behind him; he spun around quickly, bringing his blade around smoothly, catching the laser blast and sending it flying directly back toward the catwalk, striking the trooper that fired at him squarely in the chest.
He watched the other three pause, for an instant, as their companion screamed in pain and tumbled over the narrow catwalk railing, plummeting down into the thick smoke and toward the lava flow far beneath them.
Obi-Wan spun quickly, catching Vader's angry red blade and turning it aside; he brought his own up hard again, catching Vader's as he swung it back up and around at him, and he pushed with all of his might, his weapon crackling and hissing violently as Darth Vader leaned in close toward him, his yellow eyes glowing fiercely at him in the dim, red light.
"The problem with you, Kenobi," Vader hissed, an angry frown spreading across his face, "is that you care too damn much."
"I wish I'd been there to see them kill your friends," Vader growled, as he pushed his blade harder, bringing it only inches from Obi-Wan's face as he struggled to keep the Sith Lord's blade at bay.
Obi-Wan looked directly into Vader's hate-filled, yellow eyes as he continued to speak to him. "Especially the girl," Vader growled, laughing under his breath. "I told them to be sure to have some fun with her before they killed her," he said. "I'm sure that Anakin enjoyed watching that."
Obi-Wan felt that flicker of anger deep inside him flare brilliantly, just as he heard the trooper's weapon discharge behind him. With one smooth, fluid motion, he dropped to his knees and spun quickly, pushing Vader's blade away from him as hard as he could.
The angry Sith stumbled sideways away from him, and Obi-Wan watched as the blast from the trooper's rifle struck Vader in the arm, spinning him around hard and sending him staggering toward the precipice behind him.
Obi-Wan leapt to his feet, just as the three troopers on the catwalk began to fire at them; with amazing speed, he turned the blasts back toward his attackers, and he watched as the blasts hit squarely home, sending two of them over the railing to the lava flow below, and the third crashing limply to the catwalk's narrow metal walkway.
Vader caught himself, spinning around just in time to bring his blade up and catch Obi-Wan's hard, angry blow; he staggered backwards, as the incredible force of Obi-Wan's blow very nearly knocked him off of his feet, as Obi-Wan cried out angrily.
"This is for Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted, swinging his blade back to his left and very nearly knocking the saber out of Vader's gloved hand as he saw the look of fear return to Vader's frantic face.
"This is for Padmé!" Obi-Wan shouted again, as he brought his blade back to his right as hard as he could, catching Vader off balance and sending him staggering to his left again.
Vader struggled to catch himself, as he felt his weight begin to shift backwards toward the sloping drop behind him; he looked up, just in time to see Obi-Wan lift the brilliant white blade in his hand high over his head.
"And this is for ME!" Obi-Wan shouted again, bringing the glowing white blade of Anakin's weapon down as hard as he could directly at Vader's outstretched arm.
Darth Vader screamed in pain, as he felt the searing heat of the blade in Obi-Wan's hand pass through his arm; he looked down and watched in stunned horror and disbelief, as he saw his right forearm drop to the hard, stone floor in front of him, his crimson red blade still humming loudly as his gloved fist held tightly to it. He staggered back, feeling his boot slip over the edge as he fell backwards, as the wave of terrible pain coursed through his body.
Obi-Wan watched, as Vader's terrible scream of anger filled the cavern as he slipped over the edge of the rocky precipice, the gloved hand of his left arm grasping wildly for the edge as he fell. He took a step forward, the blade of Anakin's weapon still glowing brightly in his hand, as he looked down toward the place where Vader had fallen.
He took a long, deep breath, as he saw Vader's yellow eyes glaring up at him, as he clung desperately to the narrow ledge with his left arm; he narrowed his eyes and stepped back, lifting his arm up to his face, shielding himself from the wave of searing heat that belched up at him from the depths directly below Vader's dangling, struggling body.
"You think you've beaten me, don't you?" Vader gasped, as he glared up at Obi-Wan angrily. "Go ahead," Vader shouted, angrily. "Go ahead and finish me, if you've got enough backbone to actually do it!"
"What are you waiting for?" Vader screamed furiously, as he watched Obi-Wan stare down at him in silence. "Finish me!"
Obi-Wan could see the pure, unbridled rage that flashed from Vader's eyes as he glared up at him furiously. "You don't even have enough nerve to finish the job you've started," Vader shouted angrily. "Master Sidious was right. You're all weak!"
"You haven't seen the last of me, Kenobi," Vader screamed, as Obi-Wan continued to stare silently down at him. "I swear I'll kill you, if it's the last thing I ever do!"
"To hell with you, Kenobi!" Vader shouted furiously; he felt his fingers beginning to give way on the narrow ledge, as he glanced down toward the thick, angry red smoke below him.
Vader looked back up, as he felt his fingers lose their purchase on the rocky ledge where he clung, just in time to hear Obi-Wan's voice as the Jedi Knight glared down at him.
"You first," Obi-Wan shouted back at him; he watched and listened, Anakin's weapon glowing brightly at his side, as Vader's angry, furious scream filled the chamber as Darth Sidious' evil apprentice fell toward the pit below him and disappeared into the thick, swirling red smoke.
Anakin held his chest tightly, as he walked painfully over and looked down at the display at the station where Artoo sat, his data probe spinning the small, silver control wheels quickly. "Well, Artoo?" he groaned, painfully, as he watched the Destiny's indicator flash brightly on the display in front of his little, round companion. "Did they take the bait?"
Anakin looked down at the display, watching as the translation appeared a moment after Artoo's long string of beeps and whistles faded. "Good," he nodded. "You always did say that remote piloting system was going to come in handy someday. Looks like you were right."
Anakin looked down at Artoo again, as the little droid swung his sensor dome back toward him as another long string of whistles and clicks ensued.
"I know, Artoo," Anakin sighed, as he reached down and patted the little droid's dome reassuringly. "I hate to lose her too," he said, nodding his head, "but better her than us."
"Keep her on a track away from us, as far as you can, until they start to intercept her," Anakin said, watching as Artoo turned his attention back to the controls in front of him. "As soon as they close on her, turn her around and take her up at full speed. We want it to look as convincing as possible."
Artoo whistled affirmatively, as Anakin took another long deep breath and watched the indicator move quickly away from them on the display in front of his little companion.
Padmé had named her well; Anakin watched, sadly, as the Destiny, the ship that had served them so well for so long, headed toward her own.
"She was a good ship, Artoo," Anakin said quietly, patting Artoo's dome again gently as he watched the little droid take her higher and higher into Mustafar's thick, angry skies. "With a little luck," he sighed, "she just might save our lives one more time."
"You know what to do, Artoo," Anakin said somberly. "As soon as they open fire on her..."
Anakin paused for a moment, taking a long, deep breath as he watched the Destiny's indicator move slowly across the display in front of Artoo. "As soon as they open fire on her," he said, "engage the self destruct sequence. No timed countdown."
Anakin turned around quickly, just as he heard Bail enter the cabin behind him. He felt a wave of anxious emotions sweep over him, as he saw the deeply worried countenance on Bail's face.
"Anakin," Bail said quietly, but urgently. "It's Padmé," he said, as Anakin took a halting step toward him. "You need to get in here, now."
"What's wrong?" Anakin asked, his voice trembling as Bail placed his hand on Anakin's arm and squeezed it tightly. "How bad is she hurt?"
"She's stable, for the moment," Bail said quietly as he felt Anakin's body begin to tremble as he gazed weakly up at Bail's deeply compassionate face. "Her injuries aren't life threatening yet, but they could be, if she's not treated soon. We're going to need to get her to a medical facility as soon as possible."
"But that's not the big problem right now," Bail said quietly, as he saw the look of fear that shot through Anakin's eyes. "She's in labor, very advanced labor. The twins are coming," Bail said, shaking his head slowly, "and there's nothing we can do to stop it."
Artoo swung his dome toward Anakin; he whistled, low and worriedly, as he watched Anakin and Bail walk quickly through the door to the crew cabin. He sat there silently, for a long moment, and then swung his sensors back and watched, as the three indicators for the clone ships on his display moved closer and closer to the Destiny.
Obi-Wan reached down, slowly, and pressed the igniter on the lightsaber that lay humming on the ground in front of him; he watched as the blade quickly disappeared with a loud hiss into the shining metal hilt, and then he grabbed it by the end closest to the emitter.
He grimaced, as he shook the weapon hard, watching as Vader's black-gloved hand fell back to the stone floor with a thump, its fingers still curled tightly as if they were still holding their master's weapon. He stood up slowly, staring at the haunting image on the ground in front of him for a long time, as he took a long, deep breath.
He glanced back down over the precipice, toward the glowing, red abyss into which Vader had fallen; the chamber was silent now, except for the low rumble that echoed off of the hard, stone walls as the super hot magma below them bubbled and flared violently. Yet, as he closed his eyes, he could still hear Vader's angry, furious scream echoing in his mind, as he watched him fall, over and over again, his angry yellow eyes burning at him as he disappeared into the depths below him.
Obi-Wan opened his eyes and reached out with his boot, turning his attention back to the macabre image on the stone floor in front of him; he caught Vader's gnarled, gloved hand with the toe of his boot and, with a swift kick, he watched as it disappeared over the edge of the jagged, rocky ledge and into the swirling, angry clouds of red smoke, just as Vader had only moments before.
Obi-Wan tucked Vader's weapon into his belt and, looking over the edge toward the swirling, orange smoke below, he quickly extinguished Anakin's weapon, and then started back toward the narrow catwalk behind him, as he turned his thoughts back toward Anakin and Padmé.
He's gone, if he did as he was told, Obi-Wan thought to himself, as he took hold of the narrow catwalk handrail and stepped out onto the trembling shaky structure; he had given Anakin fifteen minutes to wait on him, and he knew, full well, that those fifteen minutes were up. He could only hope that Vader had been wrong, and that Anakin was currently getting Padmé to the medical attention that she so desperately needed.
Obi-Wan felt his heart stop, as the catwalk suddenly shuddered violently and began to twist hard to the left; he leapt backwards, more thanks to instinct than anything else, landing with a sharp pain on the hard stone behind him.
He raised up on his elbows and looked out, watching with a growing sense of despair, as the narrow catwalk railing broke loose from its anchors on the far side of the chasm, and then, twisting and groaning loudly, it fell down and into the angry depths below him, taking the unfortunate trooper that lay on it with it as it disappeared into the angry, swirling smoke that rose up and into the cavern.
"Marvelous," Obi-Wan sighed, as he sat up slowly, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. "Now how do I get out of here?"
Obi-Wan glanced up and around the rocky chasm, as he stood up slowly and tucked Anakin's weapon securely into his tunic. He narrowed his eyes, as he watched the smoke that swirled up from the chasm in front of him, as he carefully studied the rocky structure around him.
He looked up; there, about twenty-five meters above him, at the top of the chamber's sharply sloping rock wall, he could see the angry clouds of Mustafar's sky whipping by, as the winds that tore across the planet's surface sucked the smoke that rose up from the magma flow below him out of what appeared to be, for all intensive purposes, a natural chimney.
"Not an easy climb," Obi-Wan sighed, as he looked at the rocky path that led to the vent above him; he glanced back down, looking at the angry smoke that swirled below. His only consolation, he thought to himself as he sighed deeply and inched his way along the wall, toward the nearest structure that would afford him a good handhold as he climbed, was that if he fell, it would all be over in a matter of seconds.
Obi-Wan reached up, taking hold of the small crevice that ran along the wall and, taking a deep breath, he hoisted himself up and began to climb, as steadily as he could, up the sloping rock face, toward the glimmer of hope that waited above him.
"Status report, sergeant?" Captain Bartellow snapped, turning his attention back to the trooper that manned the communication station beside him.
"We're closing on them, sir," the sergeant replied, turning his helmeted face back toward his commanding officer. "We think they've just spotted us," he said, as Bartellow looked down at the display in front of him. "They've just increased their speed dramatically and they're climbing fast. It appears that they're trying to make a run for it."
"Lock all weapons on that cruiser," Bartellow said, as he turned his attention to the gunner who manned the weapons station next to him. "Advise all gunships to open fire on them, immediately."
"Yes, sir," the gunner said, as he activated his weapons and began to lock them on the sleek, silver craft, as it tracked quickly toward Mustafar's angry atmosphere.
Artoo watched the sensor display in front of him, as the three Clone gunships closed quickly on the Destiny; he spun the control wheels in front of him quickly, and watched as the sleek, Naboo cruiser turned and bolted for the sky above it in response to his commands.
Artoo almost wished he had been fitted with a restraining bolt, as he quickly transmitted the destruct code from his internal memory to the Destiny's main computer.
Maybe, he thought to himself, just maybe, it would have made what he was about to do just a little bit easier, as he saw the Destiny's sensor array register the strong laser blast that struck her starboard side.
It had long been a subject of debate, ever since droids had first been created, as to whether or not they possessed the ability for real emotions of any kind; their responses were learned, many scholars and scientists had argued, simple, logical responses to the stimuli around them, nothing more. Droids could simulate an emotion, they argued, but they couldn't really feel them.
That debate would have been answered, once and for all, if those same individuals could have sensed what could only have been described as remorse flowing through the little astrodroid, as he spun the control wheels in front of him once again, and watched, with a low, forlorn whistle, as the Destiny's indicator flashed several times, and then disappeared from the display in front of him.
Artoo sat silently, for a long moment, and then, withdrawing his data probe and storing it quickly inside his smooth, round body, he spun quickly on his wheels and started toward the crew cabin, where he had watched Anakin and Bail disappear only a few moments before.
The clone trooper ran quickly into the control room that overlooked the droid assembly operation, deep inside the massive stone structure, as the small group of troopers that stood near the center of the room turned and watched him as he approached them.
"Commander Ardenza," the trooper panted, as he looked at the unit's commander and lowered his weapon to his side. "We think we may have found something."
"Have you heard from Lord Vader?" Ardenza asked, turning his attention toward the trooper who addressed him.
"No sir," the trooper replied, shaking his helmeted head slowly. "Not directly, at least. One of the droid detachments that was patrolling the lower smelting areas just reported that they found something."
"What is it?" Ardenza asked impatiently, looking at the trooper as he paused for a moment and glanced at the troopers near him.
"They're not sure," the trooper replied. "They said they picked up Lord Vader's comlink signal for a moment, but then it disappeared. They were searching the area where they last detected his comlink, and they found what they think may be Lord Vader."
"What they think may be Lord Vader?" Ardenza asked, cocking his helmeted head and looking at the trooper who addressed him. "What do you mean they think it's Lord Vader?"
"They can't positively identify him, Commander," the trooper stammered. "He's burned, badly. They're taking him to the infirmary now."
"Is he alive?" Ardenza asked, motioning to the troopers behind him to follow as he started to walk quickly toward the exit that lead to the facility's infirmary level.
"Barely, sir," the trooper replied, as he followed his commander through the narrow exit. "They don't expect him to survive," he said, as he followed along with his detachment as they made their way quickly through the factory toward the infirmary below.
"The signal is getting stronger, Master Yoda," Threepio said, looking up from the display in front of him and glancing at the Jedi master as he piloted the Millennium Falcon quickly toward the signal from Anakin's weapon. "I have a solid signal lock on his location," Threepio said, turning his attention back to the display in front of him as Yoda glanced over at him.
"Mark 243 degrees," Threepio said, looking back up at Yoda and gesturing toward the ridge directly in front of him. "Less than three point four seven kilometers, just beyond that ridge."
"Very good," Yoda said, nodding his head as he pulled back on the controls and began to nose the ship up as they approached the ridge quickly. "Initiate the emergency landing procedure," Yoda said, as Threepio reached over and began to ready the landing gear. "And advise Senator Organa to stand by the boarding ramp," Yoda said, as the Falcon began to nose up toward the ridge that lay before them. "His assistance, we may need."
"Yes, Master Yoda," Threepio replied obediently, as he reached down and activated the ship's intercom as Yoda brought the Falcon up and over the top of the ridge, closing faster and faster on Obi-Wan's signal.
Padmé felt Anakin's arms tighten around her chest, and she clung to them as tightly as she could with her own trembling hands, as she cried out again as the painful contraction coursed through her tired, weary body.
"Don't leave me, Ani," Padmé gasped, squeezing his arms as tightly as she could as she heard the bell-like tone from the ship's intercom near the door. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek tightly against Anakin's, leaning back against his chest as she felt the contraction slowly begin to subside again.
Anakin closed his own eyes, as he felt her body trembling as she held him as tightly as he held her; it was the only selfish thing she had asked of him, through this entire ordeal. "Don't worry, Angel," Anakin whispered softly in Padmé's ear, as he listened to her fast, shallow breathing begin to slow slightly again. "I'm not going anywhere."
Anakin held her as securely as he could, his arms wrapped snuggly around her chest; he sat behind her on the bunk, his knees under her arms as he supported her. The pressure on his injured chest was considerable, but he didn't care anymore; he pushed his own pain deep down inside of him, as he opened his eyes and watched Bail as he stood up from his chair beside the bunk and walked quickly to the intercom.
"Yes," Bail said, as he pressed the switch on the intercom panel near the door. "What is it?"
"We're coming up on Master Kenobi's location, Senator Organa," Threepio's metallic voice said over the intercom speaker. "Master Yoda needs you to stand by the boarding ramp. We're going to attempt to land in just a moment."
"Understood," Bail said, glancing back at Anakin as he held Padmé's trembling body tightly. "Don't wait on me," he said, looking back at the intercom. "I'll be ready."
Anakin watched as Bail released the intercom's control switch and then walked quickly back across the small infirmary toward him. "I won't be gone a moment, Anakin," Bail said, as Anakin closed his eyes and grimaced again as he pushed back another wave of pain. "Will you be all right?"
Anakin coughed, painfully, as he nodded his head. "Go help Obi-Wan," Anakin said, opening his eyes and looking back up at Bail's concerned face. "I'll stay here with her."
"Anakin," Bail said, reaching out and placing his hand gently on the young Jedi's shoulder, "Padmé's almost fully dilated," he said. "She's instinctively going to want to start pushing as these contractions get stronger. It's very important that you try to keep her from doing that till I get back. Understood?"
"Okay," Anakin nodded, as he felt Padmé squeeze him tighter. "No pushing," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "Understood."
"I'll be back in just a minute," Bail said, taking a step toward the doorway next to him. "And I'll give you something for that pain when I get back."
"Don't worry about me," Anakin said, shaking his head, and he watched as Bail turned and walked quickly out of the infirmary toward the Falcon's main cabin.
"Did you hear that?" Anakin said softly, leaning forward and placing his cheek against Padmé's again. "No pushing, okay?"
"No pushing," Padmé gasped weakly between short, rapid breaths, nodding her head slowly as she reached up and placed her trembling left hand on Anakin's cheek. "What else?"
Anakin smiled, as he turned and kissed her tenderly on the cheek, several times, taking her hand from his cheek and squeezing it tightly. "I don't know," he whispered softly, shaking his head. "Master Obi-Wan never taught me anything about all of this," he said, as he watched Padmé close her eyes and smile, weakly. "For the first time in my life I have no idea what to do."
"Yes... you do," Padmé gasped softly between breaths, as she opened her eyes and turned her face toward his; Anakin felt their hearts touch again as she looked up at him fondly for a long moment, as her deep brown eyes searched his.
"I know everything... is going to be fine," she gasped, as Anakin pulled her close to him, kissing her gently on the cheek again. "Because you're here... with me."
"I just wish I could take all the pain away," Anakin whispered, and he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly for a long moment.
"I know," Padmé said, as she opened her eyes again and gently stroked his cheek. "Mom says... that pain makes us realize... how precious life is," Padmé gasped, wearily, as she closed her eyes again as she felt another contraction begin to build.
"She said... that's it all just part of it," Padmé said weakly, as she drew her knees up slowly as the pain began to grow stronger again. "She told me that... I'd understand... when it was all over."
Anakin pressed his cheek against Padmé's as closely as he could, closing his eyes tightly as he felt her begin to tremble again, as the strong contraction brought another loud cry of pain from his beloved wife's tired, weary body. He reached down into the Force, as hard as he ever had, as once again, he let all the strength he had flow to her across the mysterious bond between them, and in return, channeled as much of her pain as he could into himself.
Obi-Wan's strength was almost gone; he pulled himself up, slowly, as he clung tenaciously to the narrow crevice in the stone wall, and looked over at the narrow opening above him, several meters to his right.
He could see the smoke from the abyss below him spiraling up and out of the opening, pulled out by the vacuum of the winds that whipped across the planet's surface just above him. He glanced back down, against his own better judgment, and looked down at the angry, glowing furnace far below him.
"Well," Obi-Wan said, panting hard as he looked down at the fiery abyss beneath him, "There's only two ways to go," he said, as he caught site of a spray of glowing red magma that erupted from the flow far below him and jetted up through the thick, red smoke.
"Up or down," he said, as he glanced back up to the opening about two meters to his right, just over his head. "And I think I'd prefer up."
Obi-Wan felt his heart stop again, for just an instant, as a strong tremor began to shake the stone wall that he clung to; he looked down, as a rumble as loud as thunder rolled through the massive chasm as huge plume of glowing red magma erupted up through the smoke.
He leaned in, as tightly as he could, shielding his face from the terrific heat that whipped past him from the plume that jetted up through the thick, acrid smoke. He closed his eyes and held his breath for a long moment, until he felt the heat begin to subside again.
He opened his eyes and looked up again, just as he heard a distinctly different sound, for a split second, as the thunderous roar that filled the angry chasm began to subside. He glanced up toward the opening to his right again, straining his ears as he listened; whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"You're hearing things," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head and looking back toward the narrow opening just above him. He studied the rocky face of the wall where he clung, searching for something, anything, that could afford him a good purchase and allow him to get to the narrow path to freedom that lay, so very close, but so far, from him.
There was no clear handhold for him to use; he would have to jump. He took a long, deep breath, as he glanced back down toward the fiery red smoke below him. "Well, Obi-Wan," he said, as he reached deeply down into the Force and attempted to calm himself, "We all have to die someday. If you don't make it," he said, as he turned his eyes back up to the opening above him, "at least you've had a good, full life."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a long moment, as he allowed the living Force to flow through him; he opened his eyes and, taking another long, deep breath, he crouched as low as he could and, mustering all of his strength, he jumped.
He felt his body jerk, and his fingers cried out in pain as they clutched tightly to the sharp, hot stone that surrounded the narrow opening; he hadn't thought about the continual stream of hot gas that flowed through the narrow opening, and he could feel his fingers begin to burn, as he struggled to pull himself up through the opening, as the smoke that whipped past him quickly clouded his eyes with tears as it filled his lungs with the acrid smell of sulfur.
Obi-Wan felt his strength waning fast, as he struggled to pull himself up; It's no use, he thought to himself, as he felt himself slip back down inside the opening as his fingers began to cry out in pain from the hot, sharp stone that he clung too.
I'm too weak, he thought to himself, as he closed his eyes as the smoke began to sting them unbearably. Obi-Wan felt a twinge of pain run through his heart as he realized that, in a moment, he was going to die.
I just hope they made it out of here, he thought to himself, as he felt his fingers beginning to lose their purchase on the lip of the narrow opening. He struggled to take another breath, as the fingers of his right hand suddenly slipped off of the lip of the narrow opening.
Obi-Wan felt the two strong hands grab his wrist tightly, just as the fingers of his left hand slipped off of the sharp, hot stone; he looked up, stunned, blinking his eyes through the stinging, teary haze at the face that looked down at him.
"How do you manage to get yourself into these situations?" Obi-Wan heard the familiar voice call to him, as he blinked his eyes hard again, and then looked back up through the narrow opening. He stared, in disbelief, at Bail Organa's face as he clung tightly to Obi-Wan's left arm.
"Grab my arm," Bail groaned, as he lay on the hard stone ground, clinging to Obi-Wan with all of his might. "And be quick about it, would you? We're a little pressed for time."
Obi-Wan swung his right arm up, grabbing Bail's arm as tightly as he could, as the tall, strong senator from Alderaan took a deep breath and pulled with all of his might.
Captain Bartellow stood behind the pilot's station of the gunship, watching out of the cockpit window as what was left of the small, silver cruiser plummeted back toward Mustafar's angry surface, trailing a long plume of thick, black smoke behind it as it disappeared into the thick bank of clouds below them.
"Good shot, gunner," Bartellow said, turning and nodding his helmeted head toward the trooper that manned the weapon station not far from him. "I'd say that takes care of them."
Bartellow turned his attention toward the communications station near him, as he heard the trooper that monitored the station address him. "Captain," the trooper said, anxiously, "We're receiving a transmission from Commander Ardenza's unit on the planet's surface."
"What is it?" Bartellow asked, as he watched the trooper raise his gloved hand to his helmet, as he monitored the incoming transmission.
"Commander Ardenza says that Lord Vader's been injured, seriously," the trooper said, as he looked back up at his commanding officer. "They have him on life support, and they're requesting an immediate medical evac," he said, and he paused as he listened to the rest of the transmission.
"The evac order comes directly from newly appointed Emperor Palpatine himself," the trooper said, as he looked back up at Captain Bartellow.
"Very well," Bartellow said, nodding his head. "Advise Ardenza to have his unit standing by for evac," he said. "Have Ardenza advise Emperor Palpatine that we have intercepted and destroyed the targets, per Lord Vader's command."
"Yes, sir," the trooper said, turning his attention quickly back to the communications station in front of him.
"Have all transports rendezvous at Commander Ardenza's location, immediately," Bartellow said, turning his attention quickly to the pilot in the cockpit in front of him. "I want a full armed escort, and have all troopers placed on high alert."
"Yes, Captain," the pilot replied obediently, and Bartellow placed his hand on the bulkhead near him, steadying himself as the pilot banked the ship hard to port, started toward the planet's surface as the other two transports fell in close behind them.
"I've got him!" Bail shouted loudly, as he and Obi-Wan ran quickly up the Millennium Falcon's boarding ramp. Obi-Wan stopped, his breath coming hard and heavy as he grabbed hold of a nearby support beam at the top of the ramp; he coughed hard, watching as Bail ran quickly to the control console on the nearby bulkhead and slammed the button with his fist.
"Let's go!" Bail shouted again, as he turned and watched the boarding ramp begin to close quickly as he heard Yoda begin to power up the Falcon's engines. The ramp slammed shut with a solid thunk, and he turned his attention back toward Obi-Wan, walking quickly to the Jedi Knight's side as he felt the ship begin to turn as Yoda fired the ship's massive impulse engine.
"You all right?" Bail asked, placing his hand on Obi-Wan back and slapping him, gently, as Obi- Wan coughed again, and then stood up slowly, taking a long, welcome breath of the Falcon's cleanly filtered air.
"I think so," Obi-Wan gasped, turning and looking back at Bail gratefully. "I don't think a simple 'thank you' is going to quite convey my gratitude, Senator," Obi-Wan said, standing up straighter and taking another long deep breath.
Bail looked down at Obi-Wan's hands; he could see the burns and cuts on several of his fingers. "You can thank me by giving Anakin and Padmé a hand," Bail said, as he saw the look of relief that suddenly swept over Obi-Wan's face. "There's some antiseptic and bandages in the infirmary that should take care of those burns and cuts," Bail said, as Obi-Wan looked up at him.
"How is she?" Obi-Wan asked, as he moved his fingers, gingerly, and lifted his arm up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his tunic.
"Not too good," Bail said, with a deep sigh. "She's got some pretty serious internal injuries. We're going to try to find the nearest medical facility, as soon as we can get into orbit. I'm going to head to the cockpit now, and help Master Yoda get us out of here so we can locate one as soon as possible."
"The immediate worry is that Padmé's in labor," Bail said, watching Obi-Wan as his brow furrowed, deeply, as he spoke. "Her water broke just after we got her onboard the ship," Bail said. "She's going to give birth any minute. Anakin is going to need your help."
"Are you sure?" Obi-Wan asked, his countenance growing deeply concerned. "She's not due for another few weeks."
"Quite sure," Bail said, as he placed his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and started to guide him down the corridor toward the infirmary. "She's fully dilated by now," Bail said, as he and Obi-Wan made their way quickly down the corridor toward the Falcon's central cabin. "Get those hands cleaned up, and as soon as you're ready, tell Anakin to have her start pushing. I'll have their droid round up the things you'll need and meet you in the crew cabin."
Obi-Wan nodded his head, and he watched Bail turn and head toward the cockpit as they entered the ship's main cabin; he watched him, for a moment, as he disappeared down the narrow corridor toward the cockpit, and then he turned quickly and made his way through the narrow door to his right, as he suddenly heard Padmé cry out in pain.
"Obi-Wan," Anakin said, quietly, as he looked up and saw Obi-Wan's grimy, but relieved face look back at him as he walked quickly through the narrow doorway into the small infirmary.
"I was afraid we'd never see you again," Anakin said, as he and Obi-Wan locked arms and smiled at each other for a long moment.
"You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?" Obi-Wan said, his voice raspy and low as he raised his sleeve to his mouth and coughed again, several times.
"Master Kenobi," Padmé said, weakly, and Obi-Wan turned his attention toward her as he heard her voice; he let go of Anakin's arm and knelt quickly beside the small bunk, reaching over and placing his hand gently on Padmé's arm, as she lay huddled in Anakin's lap.
"It looks like someone's going to be a new mother a lot sooner than we thought," Obi-Wan said with a grin, as he watched Padmé smile weakly back at him. "Don't worry, Padmé," he said, as he patted her hand reassuringly, looking back up at Anakin. "I can already see that you're in good hands, as usual."
"How far apart are her contractions, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, as he stood up and looked back at Anakin.
"About a minute," Anakin said, as he lifted his left hand and gently brushed Padmé's hair out of her eyes; it was quite wet, soaked from the perspiration that dotted her face. "She just had one."
"All right," Obi-Wan sighed, as he took a deep breath and coughed once again. "Where's the medical supply cabinet?" he asked, his eyes scanning the small room quickly. "I need to get my hands cleaned up."
"Right there, on the wall behind you, Master," Anakin said, pointing at the small door on the bulkhead behind him.
Anakin watched Obi-Wan open the cabinet, quickly taking out several packets of antiseptic ointment and bandages. He closed the cabinet quickly and made his way to the small sink across from them, just as Threepio shuffled in through the doorway, his arms full of blankets and supplies.
"I have the supplies that Senator Organa asked me to bring you, Master Ani," Threepio exclaimed excitedly, as Anakin and Obi-Wan both turned and looked at him.
"Excellent, Threepio," Obi-Wan said, grimacing slightly as the soap stung the cuts on his fingers as he washed them, quickly. "Just put them down on the chair there," he said, nodding to the chair beside the bunk.
"And stay in here with us," Obi-Wan said, as he reached up and turned the water on the sink off and reached for the small towel, as he turned and began to dry his hands, gingerly. "Anakin and I may need your help."
"Padmé," Obi-Wan said, as he walked over to the bunk beside them and placed his hand gently on her shoulder, "as soon as you feel your next contraction, I want you to start pushing, okay?"
"Are you sure?" Padmé gasped weakly, closing her eyes and shaking her head slowly, as Anakin reached up and wiped away the perspiration that trickled slowly down her face. "I'm not supposed... to be due... for another..."
Obi-Wan could sense the fear that flowed through both her and Anakin; he turned around and walked back to the sink behind him, taking a clean towel and soaking it in the cool water that ran from the small faucet; he wrung it out, and then turned around and handed it to Anakin, nodding at him.
He watched for a moment, as Anakin began to wipe Padmé's tired, flushed face with the cool, damp towel. "Yes, Padmé," Obi-Wan said quietly, his voice still raspy and broken. "It's time," he said, as he looked back at Anakin for a long moment.
"You know, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed, as he turned to the counter behind him and began to quickly apply the antiseptic and bandages to the cuts on his fingers, "I'm starting to think you're a bad influence on her," he said, looking back over his shoulder at Anakin with a grin. "She's getting as bad as you and I are about doing things the hard way."
"Her dad says that she always did," Anakin said, looking down at her fondly as he gently dabbed Padmé's face with the cool towel he held in his hand.
"You know better... than to believe anything... Daddy tells you... about me, Ani," Padmé said between breaths, her eyes still closed as she rested her head against Anakin's.
"How's your chest, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, as he turned around and leaned back against the counter, as he placed another sterile bandage on his hand.
"It hurts like hell," Anakin groaned, as he looked back up at Obi-Wan painfully. "But I don't care right now."
Obi-Wan shook his head slowly and smiled back at Anakin, just as Artoo rolled through the doorway and stopped next to Threepio.
"Looks like most of the family's here," Obi-Wan said, as he walked back over and placed his hand gently on Padmé's again. "Okay, Padmé," Obi-Wan said, as he glanced back up at Anakin. "Tell Anakin as soon as you feel your next contraction, okay?"
He watched Padmé, as she took a halting breath, and nodded her head slowly as she squeezed Anakin's arms tightly. Obi-Wan looked up, and he and Anakin exchanged a long, worried glance.
"I'm glad you're here, Obi-Wan," Anakin said quietly, as he smiled weakly back at his old master.
Obi-Wan smiled at him for a moment, and then he watched as Anakin turned his attention quickly back toward Padmé. "Here it comes," Anakin said, glancing up at Obi-Wan as he wrapped his arms around Padmé as tightly as he could as he sensed the wave of pain that began to grow in her again.
Obi-Wan walked quickly to the end of the bunk and sat down, as he took a long deep breath; he looked down at his hands, and he could see them trembling. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then looked back up at Anakin, watching as his young friend leaned forward and cradled Padmé tightly in his arms.
"Okay, Angel," Anakin said softly, placing his cheek tightly against hers as he felt her body begin to tremble as her breath started to come again in rapid, shallow gasps. "Push," he said gently, his own voice trembling as he closed his eyes and kissed her gently on the cheek as she cried out again in pain. "Push as hard as you can."
Yoda closed his eyes for a moment, as he sat in the pilot's chair; the mixture of emotions that he sensed emanating from the crew quarters in the back of the ship was almost overwhelming. It flowed over him like a waterfall, a mixture of fear, apprehension, intense pain and, most dominant of all, a wave of pure, unconditional love.
Yoda opened his eyes, and glanced back over at Bail as his friend studied the navigational computer beside him, his fingers tapping the controls quickly. "I think I've found a place that might suit us, Master Yoda," Bail said, looking at the information that flashed up on the nav computer's display.
"Deyer," Bail said, as he looked back up at Yoda's thoughtful face. "It's close, less than a parsec from here," he said. "The Republic and Trade Federation have no presence there."
"It's a relatively benign planet, but quite technologically advanced," Bail said, looking back down at the display again. "We should be able to find the medical help that she needs."
Bail looked back up at the display over his head, as he pulled back slightly on the control yoke in front of him. "We should be free of the planet's atmosphere in another few moments," Bail said, looking back over at Yoda again. "As soon as we are, I'll make the jump to light speed."
"Any sign, is there, of Vader's transports?" Yoda asked, watching as Bail turned his attention to the sensor display in front of him.
"None," Bail said, shaking his head and looking back at Yoda. "Anakin's ruse must have worked better than we anticipated," he said. "It looks like they never detected us."
Yoda took a long, deep breath, as he stretched out with his feelings into the Force; he wasn't sure what it was that he felt, but the dark, angry tremor unnerved him. He sat quietly for a long moment, and then turned and nodded his head at Bail again.
"Padmé's needs, our first priority must be," Yoda said, as he watched Bail program the coordinates for Deyer into the nav computer. "Take us to light speed, as quickly as you can," Yoda said, as Bail powered up the Millennium Falcon's massive star drive, as they broke through the angry atmosphere and the viewscreen in front of them fell black, as the stars began to fill the space around them.
"OOooohHHH!" Padmé cried, as the wave of intense pain rippled through her body, as she bore down and pushed as hard as she could, as the seemingly endless contraction forced her to try, as hard as she could, to bring the new life inside her into the world.
She collapsed back into Anakin's arms, as the contraction subsided, mercifully, for a moment, her body trembling as she felt Anakin's cheek against hers as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.
"You're doing great, Angel," Anakin whispered encouragingly in her ear, as she felt him kiss her cheek gently, over and over again.
"I'm so tired, Ani," she sobbed, softly, as he reached up and wiped away the tear that trickled slowly down her cheek. "It hurts so... so much, and I'm... I'm so tired."
"I know you are," Anakin whispered, as he hugged her tightly and reached out to her with all of the love in his heart. "Just a little bit more, though," he said softly, reaching down and squeezing her trembling hand tightly. "You're almost there."
Padmé felt the strong tremor deep in her heart, as Anakin's heart touched hers again, and she reached up and placed her trembling hand gently on his cheek again. "I love you... so much, Ani," she sobbed quietly. "So much."
"I love you, Padmé," Anakin whispered in her ear, as he closed his eyes and held her tightly, sending all of the strength he had to her through the Force and the bond that bound them together.
"Threepio," Obi-Wan said, turning his attention from Padmé back to the tall, silver droid, as he and Artoo stood watching, in silent wonder, at the miracle taking place before them. "Put those strong, metal arms of yours to use, and tear one of those bunk sheets in half," he said, watching as Threepio hurried to the chair and picked one of the pale blue sheets up in his metal hands.
"These babies are going to be here in just a minute," Obi-Wan said, as he took the scissors that he had retrieved from the medical cabinet and placed them beside him on the bunk. "And tear me off several small strips from one of the pieces," Obi-Wan said, as he watched Threepio rend the clean, unused sheet neatly in half.
"Yes, Master Kenobi," Threepio replied obediently, as he quickly finished fulfilling Obi-Wan's request and laid the sheets on the bed beside him.
"Padmé," Obi-Wan said, looking up at her tired, exhausted face as she looked down at him, weakly. "The first one is almost here," he said, nodding his head as he watched her chest rise and fall rapidly as she clung tightly to Anakin's arms. "I want you to push as hard as you can the minute that the next contraction starts, okay?"
Padmé nodded her head weakly, as Anakin reached down and picked up the towel beside him and began to gently wipe the perspiration from her face again. He placed the towel back on the bunk beside him, and pressed his cheek close to hers again, as he sensed her body tense again, as the next powerful contraction started.
"Push, Angel," Anakin coached, softly, as he felt her body begin to tremble again. He closed his eyes, his heart aching again, as he listened to her cry out again, as her body forced her to bear down as hard as she could as her agonized cry filled the cabin around them.
Padmé felt an incredible wave of pain, and she clung as tightly as she could to her beloved husband's arms; she cried out, as the tears streamed down her face, as her body forced her to push with all of her might. The pain became almost unbearable, and, just as she thought she couldn't possible take any more, she cried out in agony and pushed, one last time.
She felt the pain begin to subside, quickly; she lay there, trembling, clinging tightly to Anakin's arms, her breath coming shallow and ragged, as she suddenly heard the incredible sound that suddenly filled her ears.
She opened her tear-filled eyes and looked down, in wonder and disbelief, and she began to sob as Anakin's arms tightened around her as she heard the small, trembling cry that began to echo through the small cabin.
Anakin watched in sheer wonder, as Obi-Wan quickly tied the small strip of material tightly several times around the baby's umbilical cord, and then took the scissors and quickly snipped the cord above the knots he had fastened. Anakin placed his cheek tightly against Padmé's, as the two of them watched in wonder as Obi-Wan's trembling hands wrapped the tiny baby gently in one half of the sheet that Threepio had given him.
"Congratulations, Padmé," Obi-Wan smiled, his own voice trembling, as he leaned forward and gently placed the tiny baby in the crook of Padmé's trembling arm. "You've got a beautiful new daughter."
Padmé felt a joy and warmth spread through her heart unlike any she had ever known, as she looked down through her tears at the beautiful, dark-haired little girl that cried softly in her arms. She looked up at Anakin, and she reached up with her trembling hand and wiped away the tear that trickled slowly down his face as he looked with amazement and wonder at the tiny baby that Padmé cradled in her arms.
Padmé closed her eyes again, as she felt the incredibly strong contraction that suddenly struck her; she cried out again in agony, as Anakin clung tightly to her.
"Come on," Anakin said, just as he felt another tear trickle slowly down his cheek as he clung to her as tightly as he could. "It's almost over," he said, quietly, as he channeled every last bit of the remaining strength he had to her. "One more time, you can do it."
She felt that last, powerful glimmer of strength flow through her, and Padmé pushed hard; her agonized, pain-filled cry filled the small cabin, as she clung to Anakin's trembling arms as tightly as she could.
Yoda turned and looked over at Bail, watching as the dark-haired senator turned and looked quickly over his shoulder as they heard the sound coming from the Falcon's crew cabin behind them.
Bail turned and looked back at Yoda for a long moment, the two of them smiling quietly at each other, as they listened to the tiny cries that echoed through the ship, over the low, smooth hum of the Falcon's engines.
Anakin looked down again, as he heard the second small cry begin to fill the cabin; he watched, in sheer wonder, as Obi-Wan gently wrapped the tiny baby securely in the other half of the pale blue sheet that Threepio had given him.
Padmé sobbed softly, turning her tear-filled eyes from the small, fragile life in her arms, watching as Obi-Wan gently picked up the tiny baby in his trembling hands and looked at him with a smile for a long moment.
"Congratulations, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, looking up at his young friend with a broad smile, as he leaned forward and placed the tiny baby in the crook of Padmé's other arm. "You've got a strong new son."
Anakin felt his body trembling, as Padmé turned her exhausted, but happy face up toward him. "Congratulations, Ani," Padmé whispered weakly, as she pressed her cheek close against his as he kissed her gently, over and over again. "You're a father."
Anakin turned Padmé's face toward him, very gently, and he leaned down and kissed her long and tenderly, as he clung tightly to her as she cradled their softly crying, newborn twins in her arms. "I love you so much, Padmé," Anakin said, as he gazed deeply into her tired, but happy eyes.
"They're beautiful," he said softly, as he reached up and wiped his eyes with his hand again. "Just like their mother."
Padmé turned her tired, weary eyes toward the dark-haired baby girl that she cradled in her right arm, and she leaned forward and kissed her, very gently on her tiny forehead. "Hello, Leia," she sobbed softly, as she watched Anakin gently touched her tiny hand.
"And hello, Luke," Anakin nodded, as he watched Padmé gently kiss the tiny, sandy-haired boy that cried in the crook of her left arm.
Obi-Wan leaned back on his elbows and took a long, deep breath; he could feel his body trembling, as he watched, with the same wonder as Anakin and Padmé, at the two new lives that he had helped bring into the world.
They had all seen so much pain, so much death over the last few days; yet here, in the midst of all of the pain, all of the suffering, were two wonderful new lives, a brilliant flash of hope in a dark and dreary world. Obi-Wan smiled, widely, as he felt himself begin to laugh with joy and amazement as he watched his closest, dearest friends welcome their children into the world.
Obi-Wan, Threepio, and Artoo all watched, in silent wonder, as Anakin and Padmé spent their first, precious moments with the two beautiful children that cried softly in her arms.
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