MOMENTS LATER

Finishing the calculations, Anakin sat back in his seat. They would be in hyperspace for five hours.

That should be sufficient time for Padme's meditation exercises and some rest, he thought. In the months following the discovery of their intense Force connection, he had been charged with overseeing certain aspects of his wife's training since he was such an integral part of it. It was a job he took very seriously. He couldn't explain it, but he had a nagging feeling that Padme was going to need as much knowledge about her gift as possible. Something was coming. Something big.

Quickly, he gave her a brief summary of his proposed plans. She quickly nodded her agreement; it was clear that she too remembered the gravity behind Master Yoda's statement - 'powerful, this new development is. Much care you must take to learn how to use it.' They were both silent for a moment, puzzling over the meaning once again.

"Well, I think our camera droid should be making an appearance soon," Padme said, trying to lighten the mood. As if he had been waiting to be summoned, a droid rolled into the cockpit.

"Artoo?" they cried. With a cheerful whistle, the droid settled in and plugged himself into the ship's computer. He wanted to make sure he was up to speed. Beeping happily, he felt the data begin to flow through his system.

Giving the faithful droid another bemused glance, Anakin and Padme headed for the back room to begin their meditation exercises. Then, they would get some much needed rest. Anakin knew exhaustion could lead to stupid mistakes.

SHIP OF DAKE AND TARV - SAME TIME

Following Mace to the back of the ship, Obi-wan saw the Jedi Master tense as their camera droid emerged from its charging chamber. Unable to see past him, Obi-wan wondered about the reason behind his anxiety. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Masters! It is so good to see you," Threepio called, raising his arm in a greeting. "I am looking forward to our upcoming time together." After another moment, he fearfully added, "I only hope it's not too dangerous."

"Hello, Threepio. Welcome to the team," Obi-wan offered, shooting Mace a helpless glance. "I'm sure there won't be any danger at all, wouldn't you agree, Tarv?"

"Yes," Mace agreed sharply. Without a backwards glance, he returned to the front of the ship and brought up a hologram of the Rempart System. Waiting impatiently for Obi-wan to join him, he studied the rotating map.

"We should start preparing. Here is a quick outline of the System we'll be racing in. It's very important that we know our way around. We should commit these planets and their unique properties to memory."

With a sigh, Obi-wan took the seat across from a very competitive Mace Windu.

FIVE HOURS LATER

Waking with a start, Padme realized the ship was coming out of hyperspace. Glancing at the empty cot next to her, she assumed Anakin must have already returned to the cockpit to prepare the ship for the next leg of their journey. Quickly, she worked her hair into a braid and joined him, putting a soft hand on his shoulder.

"I was just coming to wake you," Anakin said. "We're approaching the Rempart System. This is where we'll find out if the Divided Systems really meant what they said."

Instantly, the last remnants of sleep fled Padme's system as she felt her senses come alive. Easing into the seat next to Anakin, she expertly brought up their coordinates and watched with bated breath as they entered the outlying area of the System. With a gasp, she saw the line of imposing ships ahead of them - the Guardians.

Frowning, Anakin studied the small ship that had just appeared ahead of them, quickly realizing it was the one carrying Obi-wan and Mace. He scarcely moved as he watched the ship glide up to the line of fighters. After a moment, the giant ships parted, allowing them access to the System. Following his Masters' lead, Anakin guided his own ship through and felt the relief flow through him once they were on the other side.

Immediately, their Messaging System popped up and a hologram of the host droid began to speak.

"Welcome to the Rempart System. From here, you are to pilot your ship to the Planet Kojah. Once there, you will land in Sector 5E where you will find your next clue." Quickly, the image blinked off. Leaning forward, Padme tapped a few buttons and a glittering image of the Rempart System came up before her eyes.

Studying the starmap, Anakin suddenly pointed, "There!" Nodding her agreement, Padme gripped the controls, preparing to pilot the ship towards the wayward planet. She caught a flash out of the corner of her eye and saw the ship carrying the Jedi Masters fly off in the opposite direction. Shrugging at Anakin, she continued on her way.

SHIP OF DAKE AND TARV

"Master, are you sure this is the right way? Perhaps we should take a moment-" Obi-wan wondered, noticing Anakin heading off in the other direction. He slowly rubbed a hand over his face, his eyes blurry from studying the Rempart System for the past 5 hours. He had looked over it so much the information had started running together.

"Yes, I am certain," Mace replied, his fingers flying over the controls.

After several moments, it became clear that there were no hospitable planets anywhere nearby and the senior Jedi Master was starting to get agitated.

"Dake, this is obviously incorrect," Mace stated, his voice hard. "Kojah is not out here."

Throwing his hands up, Obi-wan retorted, "Well, I wanted to consult the holographic map-"

"There is no time for arguing," Mace interrupted. Expertly, he banked the ship in a sharp turn and headed back towards their original position.

KOJAH, SECTOR 5E

Easily, Anakin set the ship down and exited, Padme steps behind him. Spotting a hologram shimmering across the field, they started towards it, increasing their pace when they saw three more ships preparing to land.

Coming to a stop, the hologram began to speak, "You've reached a divergence," it commanded. "You must choose your path - Haul or Fall."

Quickly, the picture changed to show a large field as the voiceover continued, "In Haul, teams will be required to move heavy stones from one side of the field to another. The work is simple, but it could take some time." After a pause, the picture changed again to show a large body of water as the voice continued, "In Fall, teams will have to find the Kojah Waterfall and navigate the falls using a small boat. Once the Waterfall is found, the task will go fairly quickly, but the height of the fall could be frightening."

Looking at each other, Padme and Anakin agreed, "Fall." Taking the piece of parchment from the marked container, they saw a crudely drawn map. After taking a moment to study it, they took off towards the West, Artoo following closely behind. They gave a polite nod at the other approaching contestants and grinned at the sight of an extremely agitated Obi-wan Kenobi and Mace Windu sprinting towards the hologram, Threepio stumbling merrily behind them.

They don't look too happy, Anakin thought, shooting a glance over his shoulder at the Jedi Masters.

Letting out a laugh, Padme continued to run.

KOJAH WATERFALL – MOMENTS LATER

Gingerly, Anakin climbed into the boat, pushing off with his oar as he did so. He could see the tension in Padme's shoulders as she began to paddle. Vaguely, he caught a glimpse of the hovering camera droid as it followed their every move. He was glad the show had thought to include one. He was afraid to think of what would happen if Artoo was in the boat with them!

"Utter disaster," he muttered.

"What?" Padme cried.

Oops.

"I wasn't talking about this," he insisted. "Um, forget I said anything."

Padme vaguely thought that was going to be easily done because looming ahead of them was a flood of gushing water... And ahead of that was - nothingness.

Anakin! What have we gotten ourselves into?

It will be all right, love. Hold on tight, okay?

Feeling the waves of comfort he sent her through the Force, she smiled softly.

And then screamed as they plunged over the edge.