Chapter Thirteen

"Dorme!" Padme leaned over her friend, gently and then more firmly patting her cheek.

"Not now Anakin.." Dorme mumbled nearly incoherently, swatting at Padme's hand. The words had not escaped the attention of Shmi. Padme glanced at her and smiled. To her relief and surprise, the older woman simply smiled back.

"Dorme! Wake up! We've got to get out of here!"

"What Mi'Lady?" Eyes groggily opened as Padme pulled her friend up to her feet.

Dorme finally shook her head and regained her senses. "Did you get the the transmitter out?"

"Yes, I did." Padme held her blood stained palm open and Dorme gingerly grasped the tiny device. "This little thing can blow up a person?"

Shmi, still sitting on the ground looked up at Dorme to answer her. "Several persons, actually."

Padme knelt down beside Shmi to inspect the oozing wound on her foot. "We need to wrap this up so she can walk." Both Padme and Dorme looked down at what they were wearing.

"I don't think we have enough material to spare for a bandage Mi'Lady."

Shmi began tearing away at the bottom of her grungy smock. Padme winced at the thought of its grime contaminating the fresh wound, but they had little choice. Upon tying the torn material tightly around Shmi's foot, Padme looked up startled andfound Dorme's expression to be the same. In the not too far distance, they could hear voices of Jabba's guards combing the city in search of them.

Helping Shmi to her feet, the three women once more scurried through the darkness of Mos Espa. Hiding behind a pile of crates, Dorme contacted Ric again on board, warning him to prepare for a hasty departure.

They were nearing the edge of the city, the ship just within their sight when they were stopped by the sound of several clicks of blasters behind them, apparently being prepared to be fired. The three women turned slowly to face a mob of beings of several species, all holding a blaster aimed at them. Padme, Shmi and Dorme all held up their hands in surrender.

Suddenly, Dorme felt a vibrating sensation in her hand. The transmitter! She had never let go of it.

She spoke to Padme out of the side of her mouth. "Mi'Lady! I still have the transmitter in my hand and its vibrating!"

"It's going to detonate! Get rid of it!" Shmi whispered from behind.

Dorme glanced to Padme. "Throw it!" Padme yelled.

Dorme did as she suggested and the three of them threw themselves down and covered their heads. The boom of the detonation shook the ground and showered them with sand, debris, and dirt. Dorme coughed and waved the dust from her face before peering to where the mob had been. Not one of the guards remained standing.

"Let's go!" Padme urged the women to their feet and they raced for the ship, whose platform was open, engines revving.

Dorme glanced once more behind her and screamed at the sight of several more guards who were now closing their pursuit. Several blaster shots fired, sparking off the outer hull of the ship, missing their mark by just a few feet. Dorme hurled Shmi and then Padme into the slowly rising ship and was about to enter herself when her leg was suddenly grasped by one of the guards. She fell hard down onto the ramp and kicked fiercely at the face of her attacker. Reaching behind her, she grabbed onto her flight bag and flung it at the being, knocking him backward off the platform and down to the ground below just as the ship began its ascent, the platform door shutting securely.