Author's Note: Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews! They really keep me going - I just love hearing from all of you! Hope you enjoy this chapter; please let me know what you think if you have a free moment.

POPULOUSI PALACE - TWO HOURS LATER

Closing her eyes, Padme drew in a deep breath and held it for a few moments, aware of her heartbeat and the soft feel of the plush floor covering. Gradually she let herself fall into a deep meditation, her thoughts running parallel to Anakin's, twisting and turning around their connection. She loved their time together like this - it was as if they could see into each other's very soul.

She sighed as she felt the last of the tension leave her body. Swirls of color danced across her vision and she probed them with her mind as warmth flooded her body. She let herself connect more deeply with Anakin, heard his deep laughter, felt the love that flowed from him in waves. I love you too... She let the feeling course through her body, her mind languid, floating along in utter peace.

With a lazy grace, she reached out for Anakin again but seemed to come up against a wall. She doubled her efforts, her chest tightening as their connection floundered. Suddenly, she felt a crushing pain tear through her head as she cried out in agony. With a start, she opened her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling, Anakin peering at her in concern.

"Padme! Are you all right?" he asked, easing her into a sitting position. Gingerly, she put a hand to her forehead, but the searing pain had nearly gone. After a moment, she nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. Searching her eyes deeply, he whispered, "I felt it too."

Just then, the door to their room slid open as Obi-wan and Mace stormed in, their eyes scanning every corner for a hidden attacker. Finding none, they relaxed slightly but still remained highly alert.

"Are you two okay?" Mace asked. "Wesensed a disturbance through the Force."

"We're fine," Anakin replied, helping Padme to her feet. "We were in the middle of our meditation exercises when something tried to sever our connection."

"It is as Master Yoda suspected," Obi-wan mused, shooting a sidelong glance at Mace. "Their Force Bond is being targeted. Perhaps the weapon is becoming operational sooner than we realized."

"Perhaps. In the meantime, you must remain guarded, Anakin," Mace instructed firmly. "Practice strengthening your mind shields. We will reach Plauu in a few more days. You must hold the attacker at bay until then. It is imperative."

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied, looking determined. With a small shiver, Padme felt the icy finger of fear trail down her spine.

OUTSIDE POPULOUSI PALACE - NEXT DAY

Padme forced her hands to her sides, full of nervous energy as the hologram finally blinked to life. The voiceover quickly greeted them, "Welcome to the third leg of Racing Through the Stars. You must now pilot your ship to Planet Wrespin, Sector 14-P where you will receive your next clue." As the words trailed away, the hologram simply went blank, not bothering to shut itself down since Obi-wan and Mace would be receiving the same clue in a minute's time.

Moving quickly, she followed Anakin to the ship and soon they were exiting the atmosphere, once again studying the shimmering starmap before them. They both noticed the wayward planet at the same time, shouting "There!" Laughing at their simultaneous outburst, Anakin punched in the coordinates and watched as the stars started to rush by, beginning to blur as their speed increased.

"Looks like we'll be there in about two hours," Padme calculated. Turning in her seat, she studied the control panel, noting Obi-wan and Mace following a close distance behind them. With a grim smile, she imagined the Jedi Masters were not happy about that fact. Artoo beeped quietly as if he were in agreement.

PLANET WRESPIN, SECTOR 14-P

Anakin set the ship down in an open area and followed Padme down the ramp, the hovering camera droid moving along silently. Spotting the hologram as well as two other teams, he and Padme began to run across the planet's spongy surface, the texture causing their steps to be choppy and abrupt. "This feels weird!" Padme cried. With another laugh at their clumsy running style, Anakin readily agreed.

Finally, they reached the hologram and the voiceover quickly began issuing instructions: "You have reached a divergence. Please choose your path - Bounce or Pounce. In Bounce, teams will enter a nearby clearing where they will have to use the planet's unique surface to help them reach a series of individual targets." The hologram changed to show several yellow cubes hanging from a thin cord. "Once teams have collected three targets, they will receive the next clue. The task is fairly straightforward, but figuring out a way to get to the targets may take some time."

Immediately, the picture changed to show an entryway covered in flowers. "In Pounce, teams will travel a few sectors East to the Wrespin botanical gardens. Upon arrival, they will proceed to the main display where the Buryee Plant resides, its flowers only popping up through the ground for seconds at a time." The image changed to show a team scrambling from hole to hole, trying to grasp the radiant flowers as they popped out of the ground before vanishing again. "Teams will need to present a flower to the Director before they will receive their next clue. The objective may be simple, but catching a Buryee bloom could take awhile."

"What do you think?" Anakin asked as he turned to Padme. Looking over her shoulder, he saw Obi-wan and Mace sprinting towards them.

"I don't know - they both sound pretty difficult," Padme admitted. "But I'm leaning towards Bounce."

"Me too," he agreed quickly and relayed their decision to the hologram. With a nod towards the Jedi Masters, he grabbed Padme's hand and they started towards the marked clearing. As they entered, they looked up and saw the cubes suspended high above them. Another team bounced up and down on the squishy surface, the height of their jumps increasing with every bounce, but still falling far short of the targets.

Without hesitation, Padme gave a cry of excitement and began to jump, tendrils of hair falling free of the clip she had fastened at the nape of her neck. Pushing the strands behind her ears, she bounced towards Anakin… and collided with him in mid-air.

"Okay, that didn't go as I had planned," she admitted wryly.

Scrambling back to their feet, they started over, their jumps gradually getting out of sync with each other until Anakin accidentally sent Padme hurtling across the clearing. With a sound that can only be described as an "oof," she landed on her knees, shooting Anakin a bit of a glare as she returned to his side. In her head, she could hear his fervent apology and couldn't help but smile as she responded silently, It's all right, I'm okay...

After taking a moment to catch her breath, she began to jump again, her feet hitting the ground mere seconds after Anakin's. After a few moments, she realized they were going higher than they had in their previous tries. It seemed the joint impact was forcing them further into the air. Finally, Padme stretched with all her might and gave a cry of victory, as she returned to the ground with a target clenched tightly in her fist. Several moments later, they happily exited the other side of the clearing with three targets between them.

The hologram flickered on as they set the three cubes in the designated bin. After verifying the correct weight, the voiceover said, "Take one of the marked speeders South until you reach the Great Tower. At its base, you will receive your next clue."

Climbing onboard a black speeder, they took a moment to orient themselves. Satisfied they were heading in the right direction, Padme settled her head on Anakin's warm back, whispering, "I hope Obi-wan and Mace are doing okay."

WRESPIN BOTANICAL GARDENS - SAME TIME

"Dake, grab the flower!" Mace instructed, the frustration evident in his tone.

"I'm trying!" Obi-wan replied as he crawled along the ground. "Besides, why don't you worry about your area and leave me to mine."

With a derisive snort, Mace scanned the ground trying to guess where the next flower might pop up. Spotting one off to the side, he dove for it, coming up with a handful of dirt. Springing back to his feet, he prowled the area one more time before stopping to mop the sweat from his face.

"Tarv!" Obi-wan called quietly. "Don't move."

Freezing in place, Mace stretched out with the Force, trying to sense danger but the area seemed clear. Suddenly, Obi-wan leapt straight at him, scrambling around his feet. Finally, the commotion subsided as the young Jedi Master jumped up, clutching a bright flower in his hands with a triumphant, "Got it!"

With a scowl, Mace followed him to the Director where their next clue was waiting.

THE GREAT TOWER - EARLY EVENING

Racing across the field, Anakin and Padme immediately spotted the imposing tower, its dark form curving and spiraling towards the sky. The light glinted off the hologram and they headed towards it, catching another team fast approaching. Quickly, they recognized the figures.

"Dake! Tarv! Where have you been?" Anakin asked as they stepped off the speeder.

"Wrestling flowers," Obi-wan replied sarcastically.

Before Anakin could question him further, the hologram blinked on and the voiceover began to speak. "You have reached a Blockade - a task only one person can perform. Now, who likes puzzling over puzzles?"

Without missing a beat, Obi-wan and Padme stepped forward and the hologram continued explaining the task: "The selected team members must make their way to the top of the Great Tower. Once you've reached the highest point, proceed to the southern corner where you will encounter the Maze of No Return. Navigate it successfully and you will receive your next clue."

After squeezing Anakin's hand tightly, Padme followed Obi-wan into the tower and onto the lift, a feeling of foreboding washing over her heart. As the lift came to a stop, she opened her eyes to find Obi-wan giving her a smile of encouragement before he rushed into the maze and disappeared from view. Feeling buoyed by his faith in her, she took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

Almost immediately she ran into a dead end. Turning around, she tried another way. This time, she got a bit farther, but quickly came to a second impasse and had to try different direction. Passage after passage, she scrambled through, continually meeting dead ends. Gradually, she became aware of the darkness that seemed to be permeating the maze, slithering across the ground and choking the air from her lungs. Leaning against a pillar, she heard Anakin calling her name, but when she tried to respond, a cold, rotten hand clamped over her mouth.

Struggling, she tried to free herself, but the hand only pressed down harder as the darkness started to curl itself around her body. She could hear Anakin's cries get more and more urgent until they eventually started to fade away. She could feel his despair in her heart as he realized she had deserted him. No! she tried to scream. I'm here! Anakin, I can't get to you!

With a start, she woke as if from a dream and stumbled through the maze's exit without a clue as to how she had gotten there.