Author's Note: Our adventure continues! Thanks for the previous chapter's reviews; each and every one made me smile! Hope you enjoy this segment, I'll be back with more soon!

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"I'm afraid the tables have turned, Jarrick," Mace growled. "You are under arrest. I hope for your sake that you will come willingly."

Padme watched as the three Jedi raised their hands slightly and their light sabers flew out of the folds of the dark lord's cloak. She noticed that Anakin's mechanical hand seemed to grip the hilt a little tighter than normal and she sent him a wave of reassurance. Her gaze sharpened until she saw him loosen his fingers slightly.

"Your victory is fleeting, Jedi," Jarrick snarled, the honorable title spinning off his tongue maliciously. "My Master will triumph in the end. You are only postponing the inevitable."

"I don't think so," Obi-wan murmured. The three Jedi held their light sabers in a defensive pose as they started forward cautiously. Suddenly, they froze in place as a large boom rattled the building from within. Padme put her hand on the wall to steady her balance and winced as a shower of rubble rained on her head.

"I believe your stay has been extended after all," Jarrick gloated. "Indefinitely by the looks of it." Cracks appeared in the ceiling above them, the building's structure already beginning to crumble.

Realizing time was not on their side, the three Jedi reached for their captor when a sudden blinding flash of light sent them reeling. By the time their sight returned, the spot where Jarrick had been standing was empty.

"Blast!" Obi-wan muttered. But any further regrets were put on hold as they recognized their precarious situation.

"How do we get out of here?" Anakin asked, his voice straining to be heard over the din of the collapsing building. He put a protective arm over Padme, trying to shield her from some of the flying debris.

"Artoo!" she gasped. Ducking under Anakin's embrace, she hurried to her cloak and searched frantically for her com-link. She let out a relieved cry when her hands met the familiar object and she quickly activated it.

"Come in Artoo!" she begged. "Please, I need you to show us a way out of here."

There was a moment of silence and she felt her heart begin to sink to the floor that was now shaking violently beneath her feet. She hoped the fierce little droid hadn't gotten himself captured; he did have a tendency to rush into situations without much caution.

Of course, I'm not much better, she thought ruefully.

Her patience was rewarded as an urgent series of beeps and whistles crackled across the device. Within seconds, she heard her datapad chime, indicating that it was receiving information and her fingers slid across the floor, trying to locate it underneath the growing pile of dust and building fragments.

Anakin rushed over to help her and she nearly wept with gratitude when he pulled it free. Glancing over his shoulder, she saw that the screen was filled with a map of the complex, depicting all of the various exits with a bold highlight. Thank the Force!

"Good job Artoo!" she called into the com-link. He responded with a shrill scream, indicating his discomfort with the rapidly deteriorating situation.

"Don't worry, we're on our way!" Anakin responded. Artoo whistled in excitement at the sound of Anakin's voice. Padme quickly pulled at his sleeve and he followed the path of her eyes to the gigantic weaponry depot swaying ominously above them. When those weapons hit the ground, they will discharge! he realized. His mouth dry, he swallowed thickly before his voice finally recovered and he shouted: "Masters, move! Hurry!"

Before he could even finish the warning, the two Jedi had already sensed the danger and were scrambling. Anakin grabbed a fistful of Padme's gown and hauled her along behind him as they clambered over the obstacles that had fallen in their path. Seconds later, the first bin overturned and blasters spilled out, firing nonsensically as they struck the ground. Padme shrieked as she felt the heat of a laser blast tear past her cheek. She flinched as another flew over her head, burning a hole in Master Windu's cloak as he leapt towards an exposed drainage pipe.

"Anakin! Does this register on the map?" Mace called, his light saber twirling in a blur of light as he deflected the barrage of blaster bolts. Obi-wan joined the effort, frowning as another carton began to spill over. Anakin pushed Padme behind the Jedi Masters as he consulted the datapad.

"Yes," Anakin replied, breathing heavily. "But Artoo indicates that it is not preferred."

"Well it can't be much worse than this!" Obi-wan insisted.

"Good point," Anakin acquiesced, easily blocking a series of stray blasts. Suddenly, there was a flurry of bangs and Padme edged to the side of Mace as she struggled to pinpoint the sound. There!

She watched as the far door began to buckle as if several small objects had rammed it repeatedly. She gasped as a small puncture was made and quickly widened, sparks showering the floor like rain. Immediately, several tiny objects flew into the cavernous room, seeking out their targets.

"Dart droids!" Mace called grimly. Anakin grimaced in response.

"What are those?" Padme asked, at a loss.

"A mere aggravation," Obi-wan explained, but his heightened awareness underscored his seriousness.

She watched the small machines as they zipped through the room, their movements erratic and unpredictable. Catching sight of the sharp electrified prongs that were attached to the front of the machines, she began to understand why they had been nicknamed 'dart' droids.

Her attention was once again brought back to the shower of blasters as another shudder sent a carton tumbling to the ground. Not good, definitely not good! she thought worriedly. Their attention is being fractured! Her fears seemed to solidify as the droids spotted their prey and began to swoop towards them crazily. The Jedi struggled to aim some of the deflected blast bolts towards them, but the droids' irregular pattern made it impossible.

"Perhaps this would be a good time to utilize the escape route?" she suggested, her voice rising with a sense of urgency.

"Yes, perhaps," Mace agreed. A large chunk of duracrete fell with a roar as if in agreement. He nodded with vague satisfaction as it crushed a few of the dart droids. "Please, follow me, Milady. Skywalker, Kenobi - bring up the rear. Keep an eye out for any of those dart droids that might try to follow." With a flap of his singed cloak, he leapt into the dark abyss, pulling Padme with him.

She felt the biting ridges of the pipe as they dug into her gown, snagging the fabric and leaving it in tatters. She cried out in surprise as she suddenly felt herself free falling through open space before splashing into a giant pool of dirty liquid. She popped up, sputtering in disgust as she took in her surroundings.

"The trash chute?" she gagged. "No wonder Artoo said it wasn't preferred."

Mace smiled thinly as Anakin and Obi-wan came tumbling into the mess. Despite the imminent danger that still surrounded them, Padme had to fight the urge to keep from giggling at the sight of Anakin and Obi-wan's faces when they realized what they were swimming in.

"I hope the vacations we won are better than this," Anakin commented wryly. Wiping his eyes gingerly, he consulted the datapad and paled as he absorbed the impact of the information.

"What is it?" Obi-wan prompted when several moments of silence passed.

"The exit," Anakin said. "We're going to have to swim through a pipe to get out of here."

"Fine," Mace acknowledged. He took a deep breath and started to dive for the bottom, but stopped when he felt a firm hand on his arm.

"It's complicated, Master. Only one opening operates at a time," Anakin explained seriously. "When the first hatch opens, we'll enter into a holding pipe for a few moments. Then, the final hatch will be released and we will be deposited into the T'olp Reservoir."

"We're good swimmers. We'll make it," Mace promised. "Have faith in the Force, young Skywalker."

"It's not the Force I'm worried about, Master Windu," he maintained. Padme felt her blood begin to chill as she took in the look of dismay on his face.

"The holding pipe will be filled to its maximum capacity. There will be no air."

They were quiet for a moment, waiting for Anakin to continue. He studied the datapad furiously before closing his eyes in resignation.

"If Artoo's calculations are correct, the building's computer system will be permanently offline in four to five minutes. According to this schedule, the next waste cycle will occur within three minutes. Then, we will be locked in the holding area for at least two minutes..." Padme looked at him questioningly; she was certain that if they been on solid ground, he'd be pacing.

Anakin sighed deeply, his blue eyes traveling morosely over their expectant faces.

"The hatches are operated automatically by the main control system," he murmured quietly. "Once the system goes offline, it's over. The hatches will freeze in place...

And we could be trapped until our lungs run out of air."