"Have you ever done any rock climbing your Highness?"
"No." Amidala answered grimly. "But I'm a quick learner." the door gave an enormous shudder - as if it had been struck by something heavy, like a battering ram - and she flinched. "If I get the chance that is."
Master Dooku raised his hand and a nearby heap of boulders came apart, rolled to the door and piled themselves up against it. Amidala felt her jaw drop - this was in an entirely different class from floating fruit! - but the other Jedi didn't so much as blink.
"That should hold them for a while." the old Master said calmly.
The climb up the walls was easy, the rough stone provided plenty of hand and footholds. The underside of the dome to the skylight was trickier; the Jedi clung like so many flies but when Amidala tried it she lost her footing at once and almost fell - would have fallen if Ani hadn't caught her with the Force and pushed her back against the wall. She grabbed gratefully at it and hung there panting.
"Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about, climbing upside down takes some practice." Anakin answered her, then called up to Qui-Gon, near the skylight: "Master, I think it would be better if we lifted the Queen out by rope."
"I agree!" Amidala said fervently into the wall.
"Very well." the Master answered. There was a sharp crack and the pieces of the shattered skylight rained past them in a glittering shower. "Catch, Anakin."
"Okay, Padme," he said soothingly, putting an arm around her, "you can let go now, I've got you. Put your feet on mine, and hold on to me."
She did so willingly, ashamed of herself for losing her nerve like this but the near fall had shaken her badly. Slowly they were lifted upward.
"Nearly there....okay, Padme, let go of me and grab onto the edge. Don't worry I've still got you."
She unwound her arms from around Anakin's neck and reached for the edge of the sky-light. He gave her a little boost and she was lying on the outside of the dome, trying not to shake. Obi-Wan offered her a hand and she got to her feet.
They were standing on a slight hill in an open space between three stalagmite towers.
There was an explosion below. Jacen glanced over the edge. "Nearly through, and it won't take them long to figure out where we've gone."
"I would prefer to be indoors," Dooku observed mildly, "as our opponents are winged."
"Narrow tunnels would help minimize their advantage in numbers too." Obi-Wan agreed.
Qui-Gon pointed at a dark gap in the red stone walls surrounding them. "In there."
The gap led to yet another rough walled tunnel, but this one was blessedly uninhabited. Once they were safe under cover Master Qui-Gon took two lightsabres from his belt and handed the first, which seemed to be slightly curved, to Dooku and the second to Obi-Wan. Then he turned to his Padawan.
"I didn't find your lightsabre with the others, Anakin."
Ani winced slightly, seemed to brace himself. "It got chomped."
Qui-Gon's heavy eyebrows lifted questioningly, "Chomped?"
"Pa - Queen Amidala and I were chased into one of the droid factories. I was riding a conveyor belt, trying to catch up with her Highness, and these machines kept stomping and cutting at me. One of them sliced my sabre in half." Qui-Gon seemed to be fighting back a smile, Obi-Wan covered his eyes. "It could've happened to anyone."
"Not anyone." Obi-Wan, Jacen and Master Dooku said almost together.
Calmly Qui-Gon took out another lightsabre and handed it to his apprentice.
Anakin's ears were dull red with embarrassment. "Thank you, Master."
"It wasn't Ani's fault." Amidala said defensively.
"It never is." Obi-Wan sighed.
They started down the dark passage, the five men forming a square around Amidala weapons in hand but not activated.
"It's not like nobody else has ever lost a lightsabre." Anakin muttered. "It happens to the best of us: Adi Gallia, Mace Windu, even you Obi-Wan."
"But not six times!" the other Jedi answered.
Amidala blinked. "Six?" that did sound a little excessive.
"Only five." Anakin said, stung. "You can't count that time on Ord Mandell."
"No I don't suppose I can." Obi-Wan conceded. "But even five -"
"I believe I must have lost at least five lightsabres in my time." Dooku' s dark velvet voice put in from behind.
"I don't doubt it, Master," Obi-Wan answered, over his shoulder, "but you've been a Jedi a lot longer than Anakin."
"Enough." said Master Qui-Gon and his two Apprentices fell obediently silent.
The tunnel was unpleasant, dark, slightly damp and smelling of decay and animal wastes. "Where are we?" Amidala whispered.
"The complex adjoining the arena," Qui-Gon answered as quietly, "the Geonosians favor beast fights and gladiatorial combats as entertainment. Your cell was in one of their holding pens."
"Which means this will be the first place they look." Obi-Wan said pessimistically.
A thunder of metal feet, froze them in their tracks, the passage was like an echo chamber it was impossible for Amidala - and apparently the Jedi too - to tell which direction they were coming from. It turned out to be both; suddenly battle droids were charging at them front and back. The five lightsabres ignited in a blinding flash deflecting the droids' fire back in their non-existent teeth, mowing them down. In seconds they were surrounded by smoking droid wreckage but the sound of tramping droid feet still echoed down the passage.
Another troop appeared behind them, only to vanish under tons of rock as the roof collapsed above them - with a little help from Master Dooku.
Anakin's lightsabre flashed emerald fire as he sliced through the lock of a big metal door and pushed it open. "In here!"
Amidala managed to grab one of the battle droids' blasters before the Jedi hustled her through the door into a large, dark, evil smelling cave. Then a massive humped shaped lurched to its feet and a great red head with three horns and bleary little eyes swung around to look at them.
"Oops." said Anakin. Then he took a step towards the creature, one hand raised commandingly. Amidala successfully fought down an urge to pull him back. The animal's head lowered, it seemed to be peering at Anakin uncertainly. "All right," he said evenly but with a trace of strain in his voice, "move slowly towards the other door."
Master Qui-Gon had to tug at her arm to get her moving, slowly they drifted towards a much smaller metal door set in the far wall of the holding pen. The beast's eyes remained fixed on Ani - but how was he going to get away?
Jacen opened the door and the Master steered her through it, Dooku followed but Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon both remained just inside the cave, ready to help Anakin if necessary.
Instead of moving towards the door he moved toward the beast, hand extended as if to pet it. Amidala made a little choked sound and started forward only to be stopped by two heavy hands on her shoulders. "Stay where you are, your Highness," Dooku said softly, "Anakin knows what he's doing."
He continued to move forward until his hand was resting right on the creature's snout, just beneath the upper horn. Then suddenly his lightsabre flashed and the beast collapsed in a heap. There were tears in Anakin's eyes when he joined them at the door. "I had to do it, Master, I couldn't leave it here to suffer."
Qui-Gon nodded and put a comforting hand on his Padawan's shoulder.
This passage was slightly wider and somewhat better lighted which was good, but that meant it was also often used which was bad. Sure enough it didn't take them long to come face to face with a group of winged Geonosian soldiers who promptly opened fire with their sonic blasters.
Amidala returned fire with a will and the Jedi's lightsabres proved as effective at deflecting sonic /plasma spheres as ordinary blaster bolts. The ricochets went every which way, flattening Geonosians and blasting holes in the stone walls. One wild shot struck a metal door warping it. An instant later it was torn from its hinges by a pair of massive claws and a monstrous cross between a lizard and a crab forced its way out, striking out in all directions with its six huge claws.
Geonosians and Humans alike scattered, Obi-Wan and Anakin dodging one way, shielding Amidala behind them, while the two Masters and Jacen were forced in the opposite direction.
Obi-Wan cut through another door and they ducked inside, losing the crab-lizard but also their companions. This room was large and furnished with benches and tables. It was also full of wingless Geonosian drones some armed with long, static pikes. The Jedi quickly lopped off the charged tips. Amidala shot down several of the drones and remainder fled, but as they did so one, quicker thinking than the others, opened a barred gate set into the wall.
A four eyed cat-like creature with a huge, toothy mouth sprang into the room. It focused on Anakin. He raised his hand trying to influence it as he had the horned beast and the cat-thing leaped at him. He somersaulted out of range just in time but his lightsabre was knocked from his hand.
"Forget it, Ani." Obi-Wan shouted. "Look at that braincase. It hasn't enough intelligence to be influenced!"
Anakin rolled to his feet, eyes on the beast. It slashed at him, pulling the Jedi robe from his back. Amidala screamed.
"Get her out of here!" Anakin shouted, dodging another grab.
"I'm trying!" Obi-Wan snapped back, harried. Amidala pulled free of his hold, ducked under his arm and ran for the beast.
"Padme, no!"
She pulled the cloak from her shoulders and flung it over the cat-beast's head. In the split second before the thing could shake it off Anakin called his sabre to his hand, ignited it and split the animal's skull.
Amidala flung herself into his arms. "Oh Ani, don't scare me like that!"
"It's okay," he soothed, "I'm fine, no harm done." but she could feel him shaking. He kissed her, and she clung to him for a long moment before forcing herself to let go. Then she turned and saw Obi-Wan, staring at them with something like horror on his face.
"It's not what you think." she stammered.
"Oh yes it is." said Anakin.
"We can't help how we feel," Amidala conceded, "but we know it's impossible, Obi-Wan."
"No it isn't."
She turned on Anakin almost angrily. "We agreed -"
He put two fingers over her lips, silencing her. "It's not impossible, Padme. Not if we're willing to wait."
"Wait." she echoed blankly.
He grinned. "I know, it took my mom to think of it. You're not always going to be a queen, Padme. By the time you're ready to abdicate I'll have passed my trials and we can be together."
"But...but you'll still have to leave the Jedi. You can't, your destiny -"
He silenced her again. "You are part of my destiny, Padme. Search your feelings, you know this to be true." then he looked over her head at his friend. "Once I've passed the trials I can leave the Order without it reflecting on our Master, but I am going out. I'm sorry, Obi-Wan."
The other knight shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry about." he said quietly. "You've been well taught, Anakin. If your feelings tell you must leave the Jedi then I trust your judgment."
Amidala, leaning against his chest, felt Anakin's sigh of relief. "I hoped you'd understand."
Obi-Wan smiled crookedly. "Now that that's settled I suggest we concentrate on the moment, as Master would say, and find a way out of here!"
"Right." Anakin agreed. "This way."
"No." Obi-Wan said firmly. "This way! I trust your judgment Anakin, but not your sense of direction."
Anakin huffed a sigh to Obi-Wan's face but behind his friend's back he gave Amidala a grin and a wink.
Feeling a little shaky she returned them. It was all settled; she'd finish her term as queen and Anakin would be waiting for her. If they managed to get out of this mess that is!