Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thank you for the wonderful reviews of the last chapter – I love hearing from all of you and I'm so glad you've joined me on this adventure. Zan189, welcome! I was really hoping you would pop up – I've got lots of Obi-wan here!
I'm sorry to ask you to bear with me again this weekend. My parents are still trying to get settled (their moving trucks were delayed by several days) so I'll be helping them again this weekend. I'll be back on Monday and will update then, I promise! Like last time, I tried to end on a light note. Hope you enjoy!
DUNES OF TERRARO RESORT - SEVERAL HOURS LATER
Padme stifled a yawn as she followed the Jedi Masters into the quarters she was sharing with Anakin. Other than the slight throb that was still making itself known, she felt much better. Linking her hand with her husband's, she turned towards Obi-wan and Mace, smiling warmly.
"Thank you both for watching out for me," she said, the sincerity coming through in every word. "Anakin and I are very fortunate to have you in our lives."
Anakin nodded his agreement at her words, even as a red flush spread over his cheeks. Obi-wan cleared his throat, mildly embarrassed but also touched.
"Well now-" he began, flustered. "Thank you, Padme. You are very kind and I hope you know that the sentiment is returned." His voice becoming stronger, he continued, "Master Windu and I are happy to stay here this evening to make sure you both get a full night's sleep, undisturbed. The medical droid said that was imperative for a full recovery. Now, we shall see you both in the morning. We have much to discuss."
With another smile, Padme inclined her head politely and headed into the bedroom suite. Anakin bowed politely to his Masters before bidding them good night and following. With a slight whoosh, the door slid shut behind him.
Mace and Obi-wan busied themselves with checking the locks before settling in for the evening. After a quick squabble over who got the plush sofa, all was quiet.
NEXT MORNING - BEDROOM SUITE
The daylight was only beginning to peek over the horizon and Padme let the beauty spill over her, hoping it might wash away the events from the day before. She jumped slightly as a pair of warm arms slid around her, relaxing as she felt Anakin's chin gently bump the top of her head.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low against her ear. She nodded, biting her lip and not trusting herself to speak. She could feel tears well in her eyes and she tried to blink them away. Turning, she buried her head in Anakin's shoulder and wept quietly as he rocked her back and forth. After a few moments, she wiped her eyes and murmured an apology.
Silently, Anakin placed a finger under her chin and easily raised her face to his. Leaning forward, their lips met gently in a deep, but healing kiss. Moments later, they parted, their foreheads pressed together as they stared into each other's eyes and began to smile.
"We're going to beat this," Anakin said. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers softly.
"I know," Padme replied simply.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
She eased her cloak over her shoulders and pulled her hair free where it had gotten caught under the durable fabric. She clicked her utility belt into place before heading for the sitting room. As she approached, she heard the soft murmur of conversation as the three Jedi outlined their plans for finding and destroying the weapon on Plauu. She was anxious to get there. Perhaps then this nightmare would finally be over.
Slightly distracted, she found her boots and slipped them on before crossing the room to take the seat next to Anakin. He handed her a cup of warm broth which she gladly accepted. As she inhaled the delicious aroma, she realized she was starving and took a deep sip of the soothing liquid. Helping herself to a thick slice of breakfast bread, she leaned into the cushions as Master Windu began to speak.
"I returned to the ship and consulted the starmap - the Race is finally nearing Plauu. Padme, I know this isn't any comfort, but that may be why your visions are getting worse. Unfortunately, I don't know if we could totally prevent them from happening, even if were knew for sure that was the case," he said gravely. "Milady, do you think you can withstand any more of these occurrences?"
Without hesitation, Padme replied, "Yes. I will make it to Plauu."
"We'll help you any way we can," Obi-wan added. "But you must continue to take care with your thoughts and your bond with Anakin. Remember how you felt when you drove the shadow from your mind - feed into that feeling. We all know you can do it." Anakin squeezed her shoulder supportively as Mace nodded. She felt a rush of resolve flow through her body as she sensed their protective tremors ripple through the Force.
"Well, I guess we have a race to run," she said brightly. Draining the remaining broth from her cup, she set it down on the table in front of her with a quiet clink.
Standing, the foursome grabbed their travelpacks and headed for the doorway.
OUTSIDE DUNES OF TERRARO RESORT - 90 MINUTES LATER
Padme stood next to Anakin and shivered in anticipation as the hologram shimmered to life. Obi-wan and Mace stood to her left, shifting their weight anxiously as the next clue was issued:
"Welcome to the sixth leg of Racing Through the Stars! Teams must now travel to Planet Lopevia and land in Sector 13-GW where they will receive their next clue."
Padme ran alongside Anakin as they headed for their ship. Setting into the now familiar routine, she retracted the ramp while Anakin headed straight for the pilot's seat. Within moments, they were leaving Terraro far behind and Padme breathed a small sigh of relief as she caught a glance of the gardens as they faded to a mere speck. Turning from the window, she greeted Artoo before joining Anakin at the front of the ship where a starmap glittered brightly.
Her eyes studied the various structures before landing on the correct planet. Pointing it out to Anakin, she quickly punched in the coordinates and felt the ship respond, surging ahead smoothly. She caught a glimpse of Obi-wan and Mace's ship heading in a slightly different direction, but watched as it changed course and followed them.
She laughed delightedly. Wouldn't they ever learn?
PLANET LOPEVIA, SECTOR 13-GW
"I'm sure they didn't know we were following them," Obi-wan insisted. "Besides, if you would have given me two seconds to review the map, I'm sure I would have found the correct coordinates before they did."
Mace merely frowned and pulled on a new headcovering before striding down the ramp. Obi-wan threw up his hands in dismay and followed, immediately noticing Padme and Anakin grinning at them knowingly. Blast! Seeing Mace's glare, he gave his former Padawan a dark look and reluctantly joined the group at the hologram.
"You have reached a Divergence and must choose a path," the voiceover outlined. "In Over, teams will navigate a marked mountain trail from start to finish. The path will be easy to follow, but very lengthy and strenuous." The image whipped through a series of still pictures of trees, boulders and spiky grasses.
Gradually, the scene morphed to show rocky tunnels cloaked in darkness. "In Under, teams will travel into a series of caverns with only a map to guide them. The passage will be fairly short, but finding your way through a winding group of dark caves will not be easy."
Simultaneously, they all agreed, "Under." Immediately, the adjacent metal bin popped open, revealing a set of crudely drawn maps attached to lightsticks. Padme quickly spotted the marked entrance to the caverns and headed towards it. Anakin, Obi-wan and Mace were steps behind her.
As soon as they passed through the entry, the rocky floor began to slope downwards. After a few moments, they came into a large clearing. Turning in a large circle, she spotted seven possible passages. Cracking the lightstick in her hand, it began to glow and she held it above the map. Anakin peered over her shoulder as they studied the parchment for several moments, speaking quietly.
"I think it has to be either Tunnel 5 or 6," she said, pointing to the two openings to the right. He followed her finger and saw Obi-wan and Mace already disappearing into Tunnel 6. As Anakin watched them go, he could feel Obi-wan's mental connection staying tuned to Padme. And even though he wasn't as closely tied to Master Windu, he could feel his commanding presence as well. Thank you, Masters.
He directed his attention back to the map before stating, "I think we should take Tunnel 5." Nodding, Padme refolded the map and they started down the dark pathway, ducking to keep their heads from striking the rocky ceiling above them. They could hear a trickle of water in the distance and kept the lightstick raised as their eyes strained to see what was coming up next.
TUNNEL 6 - SAME TIME
Obi-wan tensed as he heard a small growl. The hairs at the back of his neck began to stand as he stepped down into a damp opening. He gingerly brought up his lightstick and felt his heart plummet as he saw the red light reflect off several dozen beady eyes.
Trying to calm himself, he remembered a small part of his training - A Jedi shall not allow fear to detract from his actions.
Seconds later, as he sprinted beside Mace with a swarm of furry bat-like creatures swirling around his head, he thought flatly - Well, it's not exactly detracting from my actions - it may even be enhancing them!
TUNNEL 5
Padme felt the water slosh over her boots as she stepped into the cavern. Looking down, she could see an array of shiny stones sparkling in the clear water. So beautiful.
Reaching down, Anakin plucked one from the bottom and handed it to her with a grin. She studied the soft blue color for a moment, noticing how it matched the color of her husband's eyes. Gently, she tucked it into a small pocket in her cloak for safekeeping. She would add it to her memory box when they returned home.
Suddenly, they could hear the hurried scrape of boots and looked up to see Obi-wan and Mace dashing across a thin ledge, pursued closely by some type of winged creatures. Their hovering camera droid came zooming along behind them, recording their actions for all the Galaxy to see.
Anakin cringed as he imagined the mood Master Windu would be in later. Peeking at the map over Padme's shoulder, he was suddenly very anxious to get moving.
