The Ties That Bind
Chapter 19
A mind-numbing explosion ripped through the bowels of the palace as the containment on the backup power generator failed. Waves of pure energy shattered the support posts in the nearby rooms, cracked main support walls and blew up and back, racing along energy intake lines back to the hydro pumps. Shards of superheated durasteel and duracrete flew in every direction as the pumps combusted. The power conduits closed automatically, containing the surge from going further and cutting power completely. Computer terminals, communications, anything that required power flickered and died as the explosion destroyed the main source of energy.
Above in the Palace, Anakin was thrown out of bed, Sabé barely able to keep her spot as she grabbed for the headboard.
"What that...!" Anakin rolled to his feet as the floor began to buckle and heave. His gaze flew to Sabé. "Come on, we're got to get out of here!"
She rolled to the edge and put her feet down, only to shriek in surprise as the floor fell out from beneath her. Anakin lunged for her, body tackling her back to the bed as the stones crashed to the floor below. The roar of the outer floor falling through could be heard, the levels below buckling under the sudden weight. Screaming could be heard through the massive pit, echoing from elsewhere in the palace. The bed twisted, bucking once more, before settling back in its original position, slightly crooked.
Anakin felt his heart pounding frantically in his chest as he lay without moving. Sabé was tense beneath him, her face white but resolved as he cocked his head and listened carefully, hearing the echo of more stones falling. Louder and more immediate, something creaked ominously. Sabé words were insistent. "We have to move. This whole floor is ready to crash down."
Anakin looked down at her, feeling Padmé's worry and fear from afar. She was unharmed, safe, yet she could feel his emotions and thoughts. He shielded his thoughts from her, sending a brief apology. He needed to concentrate. He nodded to Sabé. "We can't go out through the main door, the floor crashed at the same time as the rest of it."
"The window?"
He looked up, narrowing his gaze on the lock and undid it telekinetically. "The window looks like the only option. Think you can make it?"
Her smile was strained but determined. "If I don't want to make this my tomb, I don't have much of a choice. Let's get out of here."
Anakin nodded, in full agreement. He shifted his weight off her and to the side. The beams holding what was left of the floor, as well as the bed, creaked again, cracking with a sharp retort as they both moved into a crouch. They exchanged a glance. "If I live through this, remind me to never play decoy again."
Anakin cracked a smile, opening the window with the Force. "If we live through this, remind me never to take another bodyguard assignment. We jump in three."
They coiled their legs under them, getting ready to spring as the beam cracked again, the sound like a small explosions as it echoed in the gaping hole below.
"Two."
Sabé narrowed her gaze on the window. They only had one shot at this. If she missed it would be a very long and painful fall.
"One."
Anakin focused on the Force, finding it difficult to concentrate as he used it to enhance his muscles. He had to make this jump. For himself and for Padmé. He could still feel her fear and tried to block it away.
"Now!"
They sprang.
The beam cracked completely as they leapt from the bed, what was left of the floor falling away as the bed went crashing down into the deep abyss. Sabé's hands hit the top of the windowsill with a painful smack and she scrambled for purchase, adrenaline coursing through her system as she fought to keep her grip.
Beside her, Anakin scrambled atop the wall just as her hands slipped. "Anakin!"
"Sabé!" he lunged for her, his stomach slamming down on the windowsill painfully as he reached for her outstretched hands. Their palms smacked together and his hand closed around hers automatically. His grip was painful but secure. "Hold on, I've got you."
She closed her eyes as her body slammed into the wall, clutching his hand in return as bile rose in the back of her throat. That was close. The floor was gone, the room now a wide, yawning pit that would have taken her easily to her death. The floors below had crashed clear through to the basement. It would have been a very long, lonely fall, one she had no hope of surviving. She swallowed again, opening her eyes to look up at Anakin. "Thanks for the-"
"Don't start." He cut her off. "Thank me when you're up here on the windowsill. Take my other hand. I need to be able to concentrate so I can levitate you up here."
She took a deep breath and slowly, carefully, reached up to grab his other hand, his fingers closing about his wrist as his closed about hers. Her arms felt as if they were being pulled from their sockets, but so long as she wasn't falling, she didn't care.
Anakin closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind and find a calm center so he could use the Force. His emotions whirled too fast and too confusing for him to banish them, and he couldn't concentrate. He was too worried about Sabé, terrified he'd drop her if he concentrated too hard. He opened his eyes, feeling a little light headed. "I can't. I'm going to have to pull you back up."
"Um hmm, sure Anakin. Scoot yourself backwards and I'll search for handholds. Maybe between the two of us we can get me up there."
The blood rushing into his head made it hard to understand her words as his temples began to throb. "Whatever we're doing it had better be soon. If I spend too long in this position I'm going to pass out."
She tugged her right hand free of his as he began to shift his weight and looked for a handhold. Her fingers scratched over the smooth surface of the inner wall, and she silently cursed whoever the builder was. Sure, the surfaces were pleasing to look at but if one needed to climb if the floor gave out, you were likely to fall to your death. She could see Anakin's losing his battle against unconsciousness and searched quickly. She smacked him. "Stay with me, Skywalker. Obi-Wan will have your head if something happens to me."
Anakin's ears were ringing, his vision quickly turning black as he shook his head to clear it. "He'll have more than that."
She chuckled, finding a secure handhold and dragging herself up further. One more like that and she'd be able to reach the windowsill. "One more and you can straighten."
His words were slurred, slow, "Good. I don't... I..."
"Anakin?"
His grip on her wrist slackened and she put her entire weight on her one handhold. Tugging her left hand free she smacked him again, her palm stinging from the impact. "Wake up, Skywalker!"
He groaned, his eyelids blinking but not opening.
She slapped him again, her fingers slipping slightly from her perch as he slowly straightened, moaning as the blood rushed away from his skull. He sat on the sill and held his head in his hands as if to contain the pounding.
Sabé slipped both of her hands back onto her precarious perch. "Uh, a little help here Skywalker?"
He glanced down at her, as if suddenly remembering where he was and why. "Sabé"
She nodded. "Wanna dangle a leg I can use to climb up? I can't hold onto this rock for too much longer."
He obliged her, dropping his left leg for her to grab. "Don't tell Padmé, she might get jealous of you pawing me."
Sabé chuckled as she fought to find the courage to let go with one hand. "I think she'd understand, don't you?"
He cracked a smile. "Yeah. Come on, you can do it."
She took a deep breath and pulled one hand from her hold, reaching for his leg.
She slipped.
Anakin's eyes widened in horror, "NO!"
Sabé screamed as her fingers closed about his foot only to slide off. Her eyes wide with horror and fear she disappeared into the yawning pit.
"NO!" Anakin stretched out to the Force desperately. Focus or no focus, he had to save her! Channeling his fear, his anger at whoever had done this, he reached out for her. Energy crackled around him as the Force surged into his body uncontrollably. He screamed, almost falling out of the window, but somehow managed to hold on to his objective. Sabé. She couldn't die. For his master, for Padmé and for himself, he wouldn't let her die.
Obi-Wan had been standing watch when the explosion tore through the Queen's wing of the Palace. The power to the security alarms by the door flickered before they died. The floor buckled a little and cracked, but remained in place. "Padmé!"
She came running out of the bedroom, tying the handmaiden's robe about her waist as she came. Her hair was a mess as she tucked it into the huge hood. "It's happening to Anakin and Sabé, the explosion is dropping the floor!"
Obi-Wan caught her about the waist as she was running for the door. "No, don't. Anakin can take care of himself. If this was intended for you and him, they might be looking for you if they think you've escaped. It's safer to wait here."
She looked up at him, tears on her lashes. "How can you say that?" she managed to choke out. "That's my best friend up there, the woman you want to marry! How can you be so calm?"
His eyes revealed the turmoil he was feeling, even as his words were steady. "I have to. It's my job to protect you. It's Sabé's and Anakin's job, one they knew the risks of when they volunteered. If either of them die..."
She swallowed hard. "No, don't think like that. They'll both make it through this, they're very resourceful."
They were silent as Padmé reached out for her connection with Anakin, only to find he'd shielded his thoughts from her. She could feel his fear, his determination. She knew Anakin and Sabé were in deep trouble. "We have to do something to help."
"What do you suggest, Padmé? I can't do much from here, and if we move closer-"
Obi-Wan stumbled, his eyes widening as a flash of terror seared through his soul. "Sabé!"
Padmé's arms caught him, feeling Anakin's fear as clearly as her own as Sabé's fingers slipped on the windowsill. She caught a flash of relief as she was caught. "She's alright."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, reaching through the Force consciously to find Sabé's mind. Not yet bonded, he had to spend precious moments searching for her mind. When he finally found it the fear she was fighting almost drove him to his knees. She hated heights and was suddenly dangling far above a rocky bottom; Anakin's grip was the only thing standing between her and death.
He carefully opened his eyes, maintaining the contact. He couldn't speak with her, and couldn't convey his own feelings, but he could feel hers. She was terrified, but determined to fight for her life. She wouldn't go down without trying to save herself.
Padmé staggered, helping Obi-Wan to a chair. He inhaled sharply, Padmé's eyes widening as she felt Anakin's presence beginning to fade, as if he were about to pass out.
*Hang on, Anakin! Please!* She wasn't sure if he heard her silent plea as the contact with him was cut.
There were several minutes of tense silence as Obi-Wan and Padmé stared at each other. Obi-Wan swallowing hard as he felt each of Sabé's emotions. He couldn't find the strength to let go of their connection. He sprang out of his chair as Padmé suddenly screamed, "NO!"
"SABE!"
They both felt the moment Sabé slipped, disappearing into the yawning chasm.
Obi-Wan slammed his hand into the nearest wall, the bones cracking and breaking from the brutal contact as her terror shot through him, drowning him. He screamed her name again, the words torn from his throat as the contact with her ended abruptly in a haze of red. "NOOOO! Sabé!" He slid to the floor, his head on the wall as tears streaked his cheeks. Emptiness and rage boiled up within him, threatening to destroy his control as he closed his eyes.
Padmé collapsed to the floor, hearing the certainty in Obi-Wan's voice. Tears formed in her eyes and spilled over, lining her cheeks as sobs were torn from her throat. She couldn't accept it, no, it couldn't be happening! However, one look at Obi-Wan's ravaged, anguished face was all the answer she needed.
Sabé was gone.
Chapter 19
A mind-numbing explosion ripped through the bowels of the palace as the containment on the backup power generator failed. Waves of pure energy shattered the support posts in the nearby rooms, cracked main support walls and blew up and back, racing along energy intake lines back to the hydro pumps. Shards of superheated durasteel and duracrete flew in every direction as the pumps combusted. The power conduits closed automatically, containing the surge from going further and cutting power completely. Computer terminals, communications, anything that required power flickered and died as the explosion destroyed the main source of energy.
Above in the Palace, Anakin was thrown out of bed, Sabé barely able to keep her spot as she grabbed for the headboard.
"What that...!" Anakin rolled to his feet as the floor began to buckle and heave. His gaze flew to Sabé. "Come on, we're got to get out of here!"
She rolled to the edge and put her feet down, only to shriek in surprise as the floor fell out from beneath her. Anakin lunged for her, body tackling her back to the bed as the stones crashed to the floor below. The roar of the outer floor falling through could be heard, the levels below buckling under the sudden weight. Screaming could be heard through the massive pit, echoing from elsewhere in the palace. The bed twisted, bucking once more, before settling back in its original position, slightly crooked.
Anakin felt his heart pounding frantically in his chest as he lay without moving. Sabé was tense beneath him, her face white but resolved as he cocked his head and listened carefully, hearing the echo of more stones falling. Louder and more immediate, something creaked ominously. Sabé words were insistent. "We have to move. This whole floor is ready to crash down."
Anakin looked down at her, feeling Padmé's worry and fear from afar. She was unharmed, safe, yet she could feel his emotions and thoughts. He shielded his thoughts from her, sending a brief apology. He needed to concentrate. He nodded to Sabé. "We can't go out through the main door, the floor crashed at the same time as the rest of it."
"The window?"
He looked up, narrowing his gaze on the lock and undid it telekinetically. "The window looks like the only option. Think you can make it?"
Her smile was strained but determined. "If I don't want to make this my tomb, I don't have much of a choice. Let's get out of here."
Anakin nodded, in full agreement. He shifted his weight off her and to the side. The beams holding what was left of the floor, as well as the bed, creaked again, cracking with a sharp retort as they both moved into a crouch. They exchanged a glance. "If I live through this, remind me to never play decoy again."
Anakin cracked a smile, opening the window with the Force. "If we live through this, remind me never to take another bodyguard assignment. We jump in three."
They coiled their legs under them, getting ready to spring as the beam cracked again, the sound like a small explosions as it echoed in the gaping hole below.
"Two."
Sabé narrowed her gaze on the window. They only had one shot at this. If she missed it would be a very long and painful fall.
"One."
Anakin focused on the Force, finding it difficult to concentrate as he used it to enhance his muscles. He had to make this jump. For himself and for Padmé. He could still feel her fear and tried to block it away.
"Now!"
They sprang.
The beam cracked completely as they leapt from the bed, what was left of the floor falling away as the bed went crashing down into the deep abyss. Sabé's hands hit the top of the windowsill with a painful smack and she scrambled for purchase, adrenaline coursing through her system as she fought to keep her grip.
Beside her, Anakin scrambled atop the wall just as her hands slipped. "Anakin!"
"Sabé!" he lunged for her, his stomach slamming down on the windowsill painfully as he reached for her outstretched hands. Their palms smacked together and his hand closed around hers automatically. His grip was painful but secure. "Hold on, I've got you."
She closed her eyes as her body slammed into the wall, clutching his hand in return as bile rose in the back of her throat. That was close. The floor was gone, the room now a wide, yawning pit that would have taken her easily to her death. The floors below had crashed clear through to the basement. It would have been a very long, lonely fall, one she had no hope of surviving. She swallowed again, opening her eyes to look up at Anakin. "Thanks for the-"
"Don't start." He cut her off. "Thank me when you're up here on the windowsill. Take my other hand. I need to be able to concentrate so I can levitate you up here."
She took a deep breath and slowly, carefully, reached up to grab his other hand, his fingers closing about his wrist as his closed about hers. Her arms felt as if they were being pulled from their sockets, but so long as she wasn't falling, she didn't care.
Anakin closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind and find a calm center so he could use the Force. His emotions whirled too fast and too confusing for him to banish them, and he couldn't concentrate. He was too worried about Sabé, terrified he'd drop her if he concentrated too hard. He opened his eyes, feeling a little light headed. "I can't. I'm going to have to pull you back up."
"Um hmm, sure Anakin. Scoot yourself backwards and I'll search for handholds. Maybe between the two of us we can get me up there."
The blood rushing into his head made it hard to understand her words as his temples began to throb. "Whatever we're doing it had better be soon. If I spend too long in this position I'm going to pass out."
She tugged her right hand free of his as he began to shift his weight and looked for a handhold. Her fingers scratched over the smooth surface of the inner wall, and she silently cursed whoever the builder was. Sure, the surfaces were pleasing to look at but if one needed to climb if the floor gave out, you were likely to fall to your death. She could see Anakin's losing his battle against unconsciousness and searched quickly. She smacked him. "Stay with me, Skywalker. Obi-Wan will have your head if something happens to me."
Anakin's ears were ringing, his vision quickly turning black as he shook his head to clear it. "He'll have more than that."
She chuckled, finding a secure handhold and dragging herself up further. One more like that and she'd be able to reach the windowsill. "One more and you can straighten."
His words were slurred, slow, "Good. I don't... I..."
"Anakin?"
His grip on her wrist slackened and she put her entire weight on her one handhold. Tugging her left hand free she smacked him again, her palm stinging from the impact. "Wake up, Skywalker!"
He groaned, his eyelids blinking but not opening.
She slapped him again, her fingers slipping slightly from her perch as he slowly straightened, moaning as the blood rushed away from his skull. He sat on the sill and held his head in his hands as if to contain the pounding.
Sabé slipped both of her hands back onto her precarious perch. "Uh, a little help here Skywalker?"
He glanced down at her, as if suddenly remembering where he was and why. "Sabé"
She nodded. "Wanna dangle a leg I can use to climb up? I can't hold onto this rock for too much longer."
He obliged her, dropping his left leg for her to grab. "Don't tell Padmé, she might get jealous of you pawing me."
Sabé chuckled as she fought to find the courage to let go with one hand. "I think she'd understand, don't you?"
He cracked a smile. "Yeah. Come on, you can do it."
She took a deep breath and pulled one hand from her hold, reaching for his leg.
She slipped.
Anakin's eyes widened in horror, "NO!"
Sabé screamed as her fingers closed about his foot only to slide off. Her eyes wide with horror and fear she disappeared into the yawning pit.
"NO!" Anakin stretched out to the Force desperately. Focus or no focus, he had to save her! Channeling his fear, his anger at whoever had done this, he reached out for her. Energy crackled around him as the Force surged into his body uncontrollably. He screamed, almost falling out of the window, but somehow managed to hold on to his objective. Sabé. She couldn't die. For his master, for Padmé and for himself, he wouldn't let her die.
Obi-Wan had been standing watch when the explosion tore through the Queen's wing of the Palace. The power to the security alarms by the door flickered before they died. The floor buckled a little and cracked, but remained in place. "Padmé!"
She came running out of the bedroom, tying the handmaiden's robe about her waist as she came. Her hair was a mess as she tucked it into the huge hood. "It's happening to Anakin and Sabé, the explosion is dropping the floor!"
Obi-Wan caught her about the waist as she was running for the door. "No, don't. Anakin can take care of himself. If this was intended for you and him, they might be looking for you if they think you've escaped. It's safer to wait here."
She looked up at him, tears on her lashes. "How can you say that?" she managed to choke out. "That's my best friend up there, the woman you want to marry! How can you be so calm?"
His eyes revealed the turmoil he was feeling, even as his words were steady. "I have to. It's my job to protect you. It's Sabé's and Anakin's job, one they knew the risks of when they volunteered. If either of them die..."
She swallowed hard. "No, don't think like that. They'll both make it through this, they're very resourceful."
They were silent as Padmé reached out for her connection with Anakin, only to find he'd shielded his thoughts from her. She could feel his fear, his determination. She knew Anakin and Sabé were in deep trouble. "We have to do something to help."
"What do you suggest, Padmé? I can't do much from here, and if we move closer-"
Obi-Wan stumbled, his eyes widening as a flash of terror seared through his soul. "Sabé!"
Padmé's arms caught him, feeling Anakin's fear as clearly as her own as Sabé's fingers slipped on the windowsill. She caught a flash of relief as she was caught. "She's alright."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, reaching through the Force consciously to find Sabé's mind. Not yet bonded, he had to spend precious moments searching for her mind. When he finally found it the fear she was fighting almost drove him to his knees. She hated heights and was suddenly dangling far above a rocky bottom; Anakin's grip was the only thing standing between her and death.
He carefully opened his eyes, maintaining the contact. He couldn't speak with her, and couldn't convey his own feelings, but he could feel hers. She was terrified, but determined to fight for her life. She wouldn't go down without trying to save herself.
Padmé staggered, helping Obi-Wan to a chair. He inhaled sharply, Padmé's eyes widening as she felt Anakin's presence beginning to fade, as if he were about to pass out.
*Hang on, Anakin! Please!* She wasn't sure if he heard her silent plea as the contact with him was cut.
There were several minutes of tense silence as Obi-Wan and Padmé stared at each other. Obi-Wan swallowing hard as he felt each of Sabé's emotions. He couldn't find the strength to let go of their connection. He sprang out of his chair as Padmé suddenly screamed, "NO!"
"SABE!"
They both felt the moment Sabé slipped, disappearing into the yawning chasm.
Obi-Wan slammed his hand into the nearest wall, the bones cracking and breaking from the brutal contact as her terror shot through him, drowning him. He screamed her name again, the words torn from his throat as the contact with her ended abruptly in a haze of red. "NOOOO! Sabé!" He slid to the floor, his head on the wall as tears streaked his cheeks. Emptiness and rage boiled up within him, threatening to destroy his control as he closed his eyes.
Padmé collapsed to the floor, hearing the certainty in Obi-Wan's voice. Tears formed in her eyes and spilled over, lining her cheeks as sobs were torn from her throat. She couldn't accept it, no, it couldn't be happening! However, one look at Obi-Wan's ravaged, anguished face was all the answer she needed.
Sabé was gone.