When the door to Padmé's cell opened, the person who stepped inside was not who she expected.
"Count Dooku," she said coolly, trying to not show how much the man intimidated her.
He was the one who had cut off her husband's hand, the one who had started this conflict. The reason she and Mina could no longer be friends without causing controversy.
"Senator Amidala," the Sith stepped inside, the door shutting behind him. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
She didn't respond, crossing her arms over her chest. "The Jedi Council and the Senate will not take kindly to this."
He lifted an eyebrow, "The way I see it, Padmé, you were the one breaking the law by coming here. I must say, it was a rather excellent use of your resources to manipulate Skywalker's pet into helping you cross through Mandalore."
"You will call us Senator Amidala and Commander Tano," she warned, "And my crime is minor compared to what you're doing to her," she pointed to the screen where Ahsoka was panting hard, her entire body trembling in the aftermath of another round of electroshock torture.
How much longer could she go on before it damaged her brain?
"Ah, yes," Dooku glanced at the screen and smiled- like he enjoyed seeing another being in pain. "That is the reason I intended to speak to you. You see, I am being rather gracious and preparing to negotiate your safe return to Coruscant with the Jedi Council."
Padmé narrowed her eyes, "What are you asking for in return?"
"I would like Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker," Dooku said, and Padmé's heart quenched. "Brought to me, on his knees."
"The Senate would never agree," Padmé said, knowing how much the Chancellor idolised Anakin. His victories in battle spoke for themselves- they couldn't win the war without him.
Padmé didn't know how she would survive losing him.
"But Skywalker would." Dooku grinned, "A bond between a Master and Padawan is very strong. He would do anything to save his dear Padawan."
"The Council won't play your games."
"They might need some persuasion." Dooku said, "Which is where you come in, Senator. I'd like you to convince them."
"No."
"No?"
She stood up, all calmness replaced by anger. "Did you not hear me the first time?"
That was all it took.
In a moment, Dooku outstretched his hand, and Padmé was swept off her feet with an invisible grip around her neck.
Her back hit the wall, and the grip tightened until she gasped. Clawing desperately at her neck, she wasn't able to dislodge him.
"I'll ask again, Senator," Dooku pushed her further into the wall, her feet kicking out as he held her in place.
She never realised how scary it was to be choked with the Force. "Will you speak to the Council and convince them to accept my deal?"
"N-Never," she rasped out. "I would never- never help you, Dooku..."
Her fate be damned, she would never ask Anakin to sacrifice himself for her.
Dooku released his grip, dropping her onto the floor. Padmé breathed heavily, rubbing her neck where she was sure it would bruise.
She watched as Dooku pulled out a commlink, "The Senator is not cooperating. Administer the drug to the Padawan."
"What are you-" she tried to lunge at Dooku, but he pushed her back with the Force. Padmé hit the wall and groaned at the impact on her ribs.
"I gave you a choice," Dooku said, "Don't worry, it won't kill her instantly. It will be twelve hours or so of unbearable pain before she loses consciousness. There's a cure, of course. I find the Jedi Council are much more cooperative under pressure."
On the screen above her, she saw a Rodian enter Ahsoka's cell. He pulled a needle from a box, and the girl immediately started to struggle. Her bonds resisted as he stepped closer, pushing the needle into her neck and barely avoiding getting bitten by her sharp teeth.
Dooku left her cell, and Padmé wondered what she had done.
Ahsoka was in agony.
It wasn't the same as when they were shocking her, or when she took three blaster bolts to the stomach a few months ago.
This was agony without any visible wound. There was no blood, no broken bones.
Just pure, unrelenting agony.
It was so overwhelming that she couldn't scream. She knew she was crying, could feel the tears hot against her cheeks. Her entire body trembled, her blood like venom in her veins. Every organ felt as though it was on fire.
She had tried to struggle when the Rodian man entered her cell, sticking a needle into her neck without saying what was being injected into her bloodstream.
That was how the pain started.
Ahsoka didn't know if it was going to end.
She wanted to go home, to the Temple. She wanted Anakin and her men. She wanted to be able to breathe without feeling like her ribcage was crushing her lungs and heart.
She felt like she was dying.
Anakin stood alongside Obi-Wan, trying to keep his simmering anger under control.
The Council had debated if he should be a part of this meeting. They thought his closeness to both Ahsoka and Padmé would cloud his judgment.
Anakin had argued that it was his responsibility to ensure Ahsoka's safety- on and off the battlefield. The Chancellor backed him up, believing Anakin would be able to keep a straight head.
Hence why Anakin was trying so hard to keep quiet.
"As you can see, the Senator is unharmed." Dooku was saying a recorded hologram, gesturing to Padmé who was struggling between two commando droids, a rag tied around her mouth to keep her quiet.
Her eyes were wide and frantic- Anakin had never wanted to hold her so badly. She should have never been in this position, even if she had made the error of going to Raxus in the first place.
He was starting to think that this was a trap from the beginning. Bonteri could've set Padmé up, leading her to Raxus with the hope of taking her as a political prisoner. Ahsoka's involvement was just a welcome coincidence.
He couldn't reach Ahsoka through their bond, nor was she present in the hologram. Most likely, they had closed her off with Force-suppressant cuffs.
"I'm afraid I cannot say the same for Padawan Tano," Dooku continued, a false frown on his face. "I'm sure you are all aware of how weary the people on Raxus Secundus are of Jedi. I had no choice but to ease their worry."
He glanced at Padmé, "How long does she have, Senator? I hear that the toxin works faster on Togrutas than humans. She might have perished by nightfall, and that would be rather unfortunate."
Dread settled in Anakin's stomach.
They needed to get Padmé and Ahsoka out of there.
Dooku turned back to the holo, "All I ask for, in exchange for Amidala's safe return and young Tano's survival, is that Knight Skywalker is brought to me. It is a reasonable deal, considering Amidala is a prized Republic politician."
Anakin was about to step forward, declare that he would be on the next ship to Raxus, though he couldn't respond to Dooku through a one-way transmission. Obi-Wan glanced at him worriedly, before looking back to Dooku.
Padmé was struggling, attempting to shout through the rag.
"So, Master Jedi, what will it be?" Dooku said, ignoring her, "General Skywalker, or your precious Padawan and Senator?"
Padmé managed to work the gag out of her mouth, shouting, "You can't trust him! It's a trap!"
Dooku didn't even flinch, "Take her away."
The commandos dragged her out of view, her shouts turning into muffled screams. Anakin felt his heart seize in his chest as the hologram flickered into nothing- the end of Dooku's message.
"I accept his deal," Anakin said immediately.
"No, Skywalker," Windu said firmly, "We must wait until we hear from the rescue team. This is not the time to be making hasty decisions."
Alpha-17 and Fordo were already headed to Raxus- dispatched that morning by the Jedi Council. They had strict orders to enter the prison undetected, rescue Ahsoka and Padmé, and leave with minimal firefight.
Anakin had wanted to go with them, believing that despite their experience, a Jedi would be needed. The Council had given him strict instructions to remain at the Temple, expecting him to harm those who were keeping Padmé and Ahsoka prisoners.
They were entirely right.
"You heard what he said," Anakin rounded on the elder Jedi, "What if Alpha and Fordo don't get there in time, or they get caught? Ahsoka will die and her blood will be on our hands. I will not allow Dooku to murder my Apprentice."
His words sat heavy in the room. Even Obi-Wan, who tended to pull him back in situations like this, was quiet.
"Do you think he was bluffing?" Plo Koon asked nobody in particular, "Or has he truly poisoned little 'Soka?"
"Dooku has never been afraid to commit such atrocities in the past," the Chancellor spoke up, standing on the other side of Windu. He had been weary about the entire situation. Anakin supposed he felt blindsided, as Padmé had gone behind his back to go to Raxus in the first place.
"He's trying to put pressure on us," Windu murmured, "We can't be so foolish as to blindly accept his deal, not without a report from the rescue team first."
"And if their plan doesn't work?" Anakin questioned, crossing his arms firmly across his chest.
"Negotiate, with Dooku, we will," Master Yoda nodded, "Until then, put our faith in the clone commandos, we should."
"May the Force be with them," Plo Koon added.
The commando droids threw Padmé into her cell, a sharp crack emanating from her wrist as she landed awkwardly on the floor. She bit back her wince, pulling the rag off her mouth completely.
"You're a beast!" She spat at Dooku. "Your plan won't work. The Council aren't that stupid."
"Give it time, Senator," Dooku looked down at her, "They'll come through."
"They won't make a deal with you if Ahsoka is dead."
Dooku ignored her, turning around to leave her cell.
Padmé stumbled to her feet, throwing herself against the locked door. She drummed her fists against the durasteel, shouting for help. There had to be someone in this prison facility who could see how wrong this was.
Padmé hadn't considered what would happen if she and Ahsoka got caught. She didn't think anything bad would happen. The Separatist authorities weren't stupid enough to harm politicians.
She hadn't thought about what the consequences would be for Ahsoka.
When the pain emancipating from her wrist became unbearable, Padmé sunk to the floor.
She felt her chest quench as she curled into a ball. Padmé had always tried to keep a brave face, to be a figure of hope for the people who looked to her for guidance. Ahsoka had idolised her since they first met.
On Naboo, Ahsoka had pushed through the Blue Shadow Virus that infected her body, fighting until her last conscious moment to protect Padmé and her men.
After Aurra Sing's failed assassination attempt on Alderaan, Anakin told Padmé that Ahsoka was too afraid to sleep, plagued by nightmares of what might've happened if they weren't able to stop the assassin.
Ahsoka would do anything for anybody. She'd agreed to chaperone Padmé to Raxus without hesitating, even whilst knowing that her Master wouldn't approve.
Now, she was dying.
Through tears, Padmé looked at the screen above her head. Ahsoka was hanging limply in the restraints. She was too tired to scream in pain now. She could only tremble, her muscles contracting and seizing as her body fought what had poisoned it.
What would happen if nobody came? Would Ahsoka die in that cell, without anybody there to comfort her?
Padmé would never forgive herself.
The sun was setting on Coruscant when Anakin's commlink beeped.
"Talk to me," he said into the device, fiddling with Artoo's rotators in a desperate attempt to keep his mind busy whilst anxiety kept him awake.
"Alpha and Fordo made it to Raxus Secundus," Obi-Wan said, "We'll keep our lines open for any updates."
"How did they even get there?" Anakin asked, though he couldn't help the relief that flooded him.
"Mina Bonteri set up an emergency meeting with the Chancellor," his former-Master told him, "She was appalled with what happened. Her son, Lux, made sure that the commandos had a clear way on and off the planet."
"Mina Bonteri helped us?" Anakin confirmed.
"She wants to do more, but we advised that it was too risky." Obi-Wan continued, "Her help has been much appreciated. We hope to hear from Alpha this evening."
"Keep me in the loop," Anakin said, ending the call. He leaned back in his chair, feeling positive for the first time since he learnt that his wife and Padawan had snuck into Separatist space.
Ahsoka felt the restraints on her wrists and ankles fall away. At the same time, the Force-suppressant collar around her neck clicked open, and she gasped at the sudden influx of sensation that she had been isolated from.
Immediately, she reached for Anakin through her bond, weakly pulsing for him to respond. His signature hit her like a freight train, wrapping around her with relief-love-worry-anger. She couldn't exactly blame any of those feelings, knowing that she had truly worried him this time.
He had every right to be angry.
With the lack of restraints holding her up, Ahsoka fell unceremoniously into the arms of her saviour. She had hoped it was Anakin himself, but she knew plastoid when she felt it.
"I've got you, Commander," a gruff voice said.
Blinking hard, she tried to get her eyes to focus on the blurry blue and white figure in front of her.
"…Rex?"
She grunted as it felt like her organs were shaking around inside her. The pain had only increased. It felt like her limbs were rotting away, and her head ached like she'd taken several hits from a baseball bat.
The man huffed, "Not quite. It's Alpha."
Alpha-17.
That meant that the Republic had come to rescue her.
That meant they would take her back to Coruscant, back to the Temple.
"Here," she was vaguely aware of the clone commando clipping her lightsabers back to her belt, "I found them on the way in."
"Padmé?" Ahsoka struggled, the relief of being found wearing away to reveal her agony once again.
"Fordo's finding her," he replied, and she hummed in relief, "Hey, keep your eyes open, kid."
She hadn't even realised that she closed them.
Alpha was clearer now, his helmet covering his face, but she could picture his scars.
"Alpha?"
"Yeah?"
Ahsoka heaved a sigh, "I don't feel so good."
"It's okay, kid," Alpha picked her up effortlessly. His armour was hard against her body, his pauldron uncomfortably digging into her montral, but his hold meant safety. "I'm gonna get you back to your people, and they'll fix you up."
Alpha glanced down when the little one didn't reply, concerned to find her head lolling back onto his arm. He needed to get her back to the Temple- quickly.
They still didn't know what the Seps had drugged her with. If it was really a toxin, they didn't have a lot of time.
Leaving the cell and ensuring that nobody was around, Alpha clutched the Commander closer to his chest. As soon as Fordo had the Senator, they could get out of here.
They were screwed if they were caught.
Padmé didn't hear her cell door opening until she heard the distinct voice that could only belong to a clone.
"Uh… Senator Amidala?"
Uncurling the protective position she'd occupied on the floor, Padmé looked up to the red and white armoured trooper standing in the entrance of her cell, one blaster drawn out of caution.
"Yes?" Padmé stood up, wiping away any remains of tears on her face whilst keeping her injured wrist close to her body, "Who are you?"
"I'm Fordo," he answered easily, clearly not as accustomed to authority and procedure as other clones were. His armour was distinct of a commando. "We're here to break you out."
"Where's Ahsoka?" She asked, following the clone out of the cell.
"Alpha's taking her back to the ship," Fordo told her, "Are you injured?"
"Just my wrist," she admitted, "I can hold a blaster if I need to."
To her surprise, Fordo drew one of the many smaller blasters stuffed in his armour, presenting the grip to her. "Don't use it unless you have to."