4
"This is Corellia, Luke." Anakin whispered to his son as they walked along hours later. Luke giggled and squirmed in Anakin's arms, trying to climb onto his shoulders. Clambering up to his new perch, Luke studied the new landscape. Anakin felt himself suddenly grow very cold, despite Corell's warmth. Luke, with his fledgling abilities in the Force, must have felt the sudden caution in his mount and stayed very quiet. Anakin brought Luke down again, securing him in his arms; then ducking his head, he retreated to the safety of a nearby alley. Luke shivered with the sudden disappearance of the sun, but other then that was still. Anakin glanced at the buildings on either side of him and noted where the windows were placed. It was a long jump, but he could make it. Backing a little farther away from the mouth of the alley, he tensed his legs, preparing to jump.
"There he is!" Anakin spun around to face the stormtroopers he had sensed, and tried not to moan.
An entire legion of the Emperor's brainwashed servants crowded around the entrance to the alley.
Backing away slowly, covering Luke with his cloak, he faced them. A snarl curled his lip as the dark forces took hold of his body. The troopers fired using stun bolts, tranquilizer darts, and other weapons. Anakin laughed at their pathetic efforts; did they really think they could stop a Sith if he didn't want to be stopped? Luke began to whimper, the sound muffled by the robes covering his face, but unlike before, Anakin couldn't be brought to his senses so easily.
He lashed out at the troopers, kicking, punching and generally doing enough damage for three strong – and armed – beings. The white-armored troops fell back, amazed by this fierce assault. One rushed him, but a roundhouse kick knocked him back into another taking aim with his tranquilizer gun.
Clenching his hand into a fist, he crushed half of the offending troopers' blasters, the other half got their ammunition deflected back at them. Anakin was nearly insane with rage – completely intoxicated with the Dark Forces he was employing. He snarled at a trooper fool enough to try attacking him, knocked him out of the fight, and snarled at his friend, who was coming to the first trooper's aid.
Anakin pushed the attacking troopers back, screaming his rage. So consumed was he – so focused on his task of ripping apart his master's servants – that he didn't notice the two troopers behind his until it was too late.
The two troopers with ysalamiri on their backs.
Anakin felt the world grow strangely dim, heard Luke's wail of confusion, turned around with reflexes slowed as if he was swimming in molasses.
Then a blue bolt struck him, and he knew no more.
Padme looked with distracted interest at the ships in the used ship lot. Nothing worth buying here, just like in all the other lots she'd seen that day. She sauntered out into the street, slowing down a beat when she felt something distinctly wrong taking place. She couldn't have explained it to anyone, but she knew that something wasn't right.
Leia stiffened in her arms, her small face draining of colour. She whimpered a few times, clinging tightly to her mother. Padme frowned, but whispered soothing words to her, unsure of what was causing this sudden fear.
Leia began to sob, crying out her despair and hugging her mother fiercely.
"It's okay, Leia. What's wrong, little princess?" Padme felt her face grow as white as her daughter's.
Anakin…Luke, it could only be them. They were in danger!
She slipped past the other beings on the sidewalk and headed towards her ship as fast as she could without attracting too much attention. Turning a corner, she saw an army of stormtroopers marching toward what looked to be enough shuttles to house all of them. Her eyes widened and she ducked back into the shadows that concealed her.
The wail of a baby caught her attention, a terrified and angry sound.
A very familiar wail.
"Luke!" She whispered, devastated, as she saw the trooper carrying him toward a shuttle. She wanted to run to him, to calm him, to tell him that everything would be alright…but she couldn't, for Leia's sake, and it broke her heart. She closed her eyes, trying to think of how in space she was going to get him free.
Where's Ani???
"DA!!" Luke screamed, and Padme jerked her head up, as much in surprise at the word as sudden fear for her husband. She spotted him quickly, being carried by two troopers, one under each arm. Luke screamed as he saw his father being carried to a different shuttle, and Padme could bear no more. Turning away, sick in mind and heart, she ran away from her son's cries.
I need help for this…Creeping into what looked to be an abandoned building; she climbed up a level and activated the tiny portable comm she carried everywhere.
Punching in the code, assured long ago that this was a secure channel, she bit her lip and waited.
An image blossomed into the air, flickering when the tiny holoprojecter in the comm strained it's tiny circuits.
"Obi-Wan? It's Padme…I need your help." She looked down as she related her story to him, the looked up, as if she was expecting him to log off or stay silent.
He did neither, just sighed and looked tired "Are you sure Anakin is back with us?"
"Yes," She didn't hesitate with this answer, "he fought them, that much I know. Palpatine isn't letting him get away, I don't think this is a trap-"
"That isn't what I asked, Padme." His blue gaze didn't waver "I asked if Anakin is true to the light again."
Padme studied her shoes "Well…most of the time. He has relapses, when the Empire was chasing us, for instance, but he was brought out of it by Luke. He loves his children, Obi-Wan, he would never hurt them, or me."
"I know." Obi-Wan sighed again, weary of all the war, all the deaths "I will come, but Padme, if I find him to be dark, I may have to restrain him or-"
"You will do no such thing, Knight."
"Padme, he is a danger when he is like that."
"Not to me!"
"But to others; you must admit that."
"I won't allow you to hurt him."
"Do you think I want to hurt him?! Force, Padme, he was like my son! My brother! I…" he pulled in a long breath, "I will not hurt him unless it is absolutely necessary, I give you my word."
Padme nodded slowly, "Very well." Fear made her stomach roll, "Do you have any idea where they will take them?"
"Yes, there is only one reasonable choice. Coruscant."
"Get here soon, Obi-Wan." She looked away, "I don't want them to be in Palpatine's bony fingers any longer then they have to."
He nodded and broke the connection. Padme looked at Leia, who was sitting on the dusty floor with tears in her big brown eyes.
"We'll get them back, Leia." Padme felt tears of her own sting her eyes.
We'll come for you, Ani. Don't give up.
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By the way, The Other Side II – part 3 is up, go check it out. If you have NO idea what I'm talking about, go read my fic, The Other Side.
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