Author's Notes: This chapter is a little short, but the next one is much longer. Hope you enjoy!

Fear Part 20

Tera and Elissa were beginning to get desperate. They'd been trapped at the bottom of Lake Paonga for over a week now, and every attempt to levitate the sub had failed. A few times it had lifted partway, but always it shuddered and sank back down long before reaching the surface.

"I don't know, Tera," Elissa said quietly as they sat in despair after yet another failure. "I just don't think it's going to work."

"And that's the reason it's not working," Tera shot back. "Wesa must have faith. We've lifted the sub part of the way. Wesa can lift it all the way, too. Yousa just have to believe."

"I'm trying to believe," she responded defensively.

"There is no try. Do or do not," the gungan girl reminded her.

Elissa scowled in frustration. "I hate that saying."

Before things could degenerate into an argument, they were interrupted by a weak voice calling, "Elissa, Tera, I could use a lantern back here, please."

Startled, the two padawans grabbed their lanterns and hurried to the back of the sub to find Leia climbing shakily to her feet. Over the past few days, she had seemed to improve rather quickly. She had been conscious for longer periods, and had been able to eat and drink a bit. But her head still ached fiercely much of the time, and she was very weak.

"Vice-Chancellor, you should be lying down," Elissa worried.

"I'm all right," Leia told her. "I'm tired of lying down. I want to see what's going on." She gave the girl a wan smile, "And I thought I said for you to call me Leia. There's not much point in formality down here."

"Um, Leia, then," Tera said. "There's not much to see. Wesa are stuck at the bottom of the lake until wesa can lift the sub out."

With the two padawans holding her elbows, Leia made her way to the front of the sub and peered gloomily at the mangled communications panel. "I guess that thing's not going to be much use. How about the Force? I don't suppose you've been able to contact my brother or father with it?"

Silently Elissa and Tera shook their heads, and Leia realized that if they had been able to call Luke or Anakin, her family would have already found a way to rescue them.

"Well, let me try," she said. "Sometimes Luke and I can call each other from a long ways away."

The girls looked suddenly hopeful as Leia closed her eyes. She called silently to her twin. //Luke! Luke, can you hear me? It's Leia. I need you.//

She called for a long time, but there was no response. Although she thought there was less chance of her father hearing, she tried him also. Her headache was worse when she finally opened her eyes and sighed in defeat.

"I can't reach them, either."

There was a long pause while they all absorbed this latest disappointment. "I don't know why it's not working," Leia said, as if arguing would make her family hear her. "Luke and I have always been able to sense each other before."

"Maybe something has happened to Master Luke and Master Anakin, too," Tera exclaimed.

Elissa quickly poked her in the side as Leia's expression became even more worried at that thought. "Or maybe it's because your head injury isn't completely well. Or maybe it's because it's harder for the Force to travel through water. Or something. It doesn't mean anything has happened to them necessarily," she hurried to reassure their comrade.

"Well, whatever the reason, calling Luke and Father isn't going to work," Leia said after a moment. She resolutely pushed aside any thoughts of them being in danger. She needed to concentrate on the problem at hand before she could worry about anything else. "My head is hurting pretty bad again right now. I think I need to rest for a little while. But then I want to help you try to levitate the sub again. I'm not trained, I know, but the Force is strong in my family. Maybe I could help. If nothing else, perhaps you could draw on my strength."

Tera and Elissa nodded, despite their anxious expressions, as they helped Leia lie down again. They didn't say so, but they both realized that they were going to have to levitate the sub soon, or else they would all perish in the deep waters of Lake Paonga.

The Naboo Angel exited hyperspace and flew quickly towards Theed Palace, as if sensing the eagerness of her pilots to return.

Anakin was in the cockpit, with Lando sitting beside him in Luke's usual spot. Luke was sitting in another chair nearby, but he hadn't wanted to co- pilot this time. It worried Anakin. Luke loved to fly, and he was anxious to see his son take an interest in something again.

As they came closer to Theed, he reached over to pat Luke's arm. "Son, why don't you call the Palace and let them know we'll be arriving in a few minutes?"

Luke obediently switched on the transmission, but there was no response from the Palace. He tried several times before shrugging and giving up. Maybe there was a bad connection or something. He called Han instead. The Corellian was probably nearby, and he could let them know any current events.

Han's image appeared, looking tense and tired. "Hey, kid, you got back just in time. Fraid I've got bad news. Ignatia Kane's group found a way into the Palace. They're holding the king and some of his assistants hostage, and threatening to kill them within a few hours if we don't surrender the other padawans."

"What! How?" Luke began, but Han cut him off. "We don't know how they got in yet. Some of us are busy planning a counter attack right now."

"Give us your location," Anakin told him. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Yeah, count us in," Lando remarked.

"So you're here, too, huh, Lando?" Han seemed to relax just a tiny bit. "Well, maybe we'll have a chance after all, not that you guys are back. But hurry! We're running out of time."

TBC