Chapter 4
Half an hour later the trio found themselves onboard a civilian-class speeder blazing over the grasslands towards Theed. Anakin had found the craft in the caretaker's garage. One of several vehicles he could've chosen, this particular speeder had the advantage of swiftness and an enclosed passenger compartment. It had something else as well: a pair of hydroengines that would allow it to alternate between travel over land or water. It seemed a practical adaptation for a world like Naboo. Of course, cross-wiring the ignition had been no challenge.
Dormé stared out the window from her vantage point behind the pilot's chair. She appeared composed and resolute in Padmé's blue-gray senatorial gown, her hair swept up in an elaborate style.
The object of her impersonation sat next to Anakin, carefully reviewing readouts on a small hand-held datapad.
The plan was to find a discreet location for the speeder, ditch the craft and make their way in to the palace hangar bay. Once inside, they would locate a functional ship capable of outrunning Federation starfighters. It should be simple at that point to ensure the Senator's decoy would be seen climbing aboard. The vessel could then blast it's way out of the dock towards open space. While debris might block the runway for small N-1 & N-2 starfighters, Anakin felt certain it would be no obstacle for a luxury class Nubian ship. If the ruse succeeded, any ongoing search for Senator Amidala at the Palace should end.
Anakin prayed the plan would succeed, though in his experience it was rare to pull off even well thought out plans without a hitch. Infiltrating the castle would be significantly easier without having to avoid ongoing searches by security patrols.
Padmé interrupted his contemplation. "We'll head for the gardens. The forest to the south can give us ground cover for the speeder and it isn't likely that the invaders have much set up there by way of security. From those woods we can enter a small utility outpost and take the tunnels in to the power generator complex. I don't know if you remember, but the complex adjoins the main hangar."
"Tunnels?" Anakin sounded intrigued.
"There are a myriad of underground tunnels running under the palace grounds – a holdover from Naboo's less peaceful days. I guess maybe you were a little young to remember, but we used them to sneak into the palace during the blockade crisis."
"I'm thinking it has less to do with my age and more to do with the fact that I didn't make it into the palace proper. I got a little distracted blowing up the Droid Control Ship, remember?" Anakin couldn't let Padmé's off-hand comment slide without some type of teasing response. Now that she mentioned it, he did vaguely recall walking through dark, musty corridors before finding himself climbing into the cockpit of an N-1 fighter.
She slid him an amused glance. "Oh yes, that's right. I guess you were a little busy that day."
Anakin had to admit her plan sounded reasonable. The alternative, of course, was just to walk right in the front door and meet the opposition head-on. Not the best idea considering there were only three of them. Perhaps surprise was wiser.
Although his eyes were fixed on the path in front of him, his mind filtered through the information Padmé had given him about the castle and grounds. He'd pressed her for every detail she could recall, knowing that the strangest bit of information could be their salvation in unforeseen circumstances. Once they reached the woods there wouldn't be time to second-guess their mission. Getting Dormé off-planet as quickly as possible was critical to beginning the search for anyone left alive.
The route down from the lake country to the cliff-side city of Theed was winding and difficult, especially if one wanted to stay off the main thoroughfares. Anakin opted for the course of least resistance. As he crossed a branch of Solleu, Naboo's main river, he flipped the land-to-water converter switch and turned the speeder on a course over the waves.
According to the on-board navchart, this tributary would take them right to the edge of the woods near the gardens. If his suspicions were correct, Federation forces would be ignoring the waterways. The best thing about this course was it wouldn't lead them into the city. He hoped to spare Padmé the unpleasant task of facing the damage from the bombing as long as possible. There would be time enough for her to absorb the enormity of the destruction to her home. For now, she needed to remain focused on the job at hand.
Sure enough, the offshoot of the river took them right to the edge of the forest near the palace. Finding a place to hide the speeder in the dense underbrush was easy, as was finding their way into the small shack that led to the tunnels. The subterranean passageways were a bit more of a challenge as they had only the emergency light from Anakin's utility belt. A time or two he chose to use his lightsaber to dispatch a slithering creature, but otherwise their path was unimpeded.
After a lengthy walk, and several wrong turns, they ascended a set of rough permacrete stairs to find themselves at a small portal. From the symbol on the durasteel hatchway, it looked to be the entrance to the main power generator building.
Anakin searched for a locking mechanism, finding only a simple code panel with a dozen or so dimly lit buttons. They appeared to be marked with random letters from the Naboo alphabet.
"It takes an access code." His voice was impatient and he reached for the lightsaber on his hip.
"Wait!" Padmé slid forward. "I bet they haven't changed the codes since before I was queen." She quickly punched a series of symbols. Sure enough, the door slid open. Anakin saw her give a small, satisfied smirk.
Anakin peered around the open doorway into a small control room. No security yet. He detached his lightsaber from his belt anyway, balancing it loosely in his palm. This place made him uneasy. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something hung heavy in the air. He had the strangest sense that he was being drawn somewhere.
How ridiculous. It was probably just that dark corridors and hidden passages brought a sense of drama to this whole thing. He gave himself a mental shake and the feeling dissipated somewhat.
They passed quickly and quietly through the room to a service corridor on the other side. The passage was long and narrow as they moved along. Frequently they were forced to dip under the occasional duct or step over a hot vent pipe. Flickering red and blue lights from various monitor panels combined with lamps inset on the baseboards to give the walkway a faintly purple luminescent glow.
"Creepy." Dormé uttered the word under her breath, but the other two heard it and agreed wholeheartedly.
They followed the corridor until it ended abruptly at a tapered opening just wide enough for a single person to squeeze through. Anakin moved through the portal into a huge circular room. He appeared to be on some kind of ledge about an arm-span wide, the rim of which encircled a huge pit. Anakin froze. Whatever he'd felt pulling him, it led to this place. A chill ran up his spine and he forced himself to take a breath.
"Stay here," he muttered in a tone that brooked no argument. They remained where they were in the passageway.
Anakin looked around slowly. The walls housed a myriad of shadowed recesses, pipe housings and electrical assemblies, none of which gave him cause for concern. He crossed to the pit, peering over the edge into the darkness. Of course. It was a melting pit; a disposal unit for the power station's residue. The Temple had a similar – if somewhat larger – set-up. Vertical lighting tracks in the metal refuse tube started just below the rim and disappeared down into the abyss. Annular red lamps stuck out like unblinking eyes protruding from the walls several feet down.
There was a presence here – a cold, oppressive spirit that seemed to emanate from the very depths of the pit itself – and it chilled him to the bone.
Anakin crossed to the pit, peering over the edge into the void. The aura intensified and grated over his nerves like discordant music. He stretched out his hand toward the darkness, closing his eyes in deep concentration.
The visions came to him almost immediately. It was, Anakin thought, oddly like dreaming while awake. Picture after picture from all those years ago crowded into his head. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan running after the shadowy Sith warrior. The warrior himself, with his crown of horns, vividly tattooed face and strange double-bladed lightsaber.
The images came faster now: leaping among the catwalks, finding the passageway, barriers of light. Then, in the blink of an eye, Qui-Gon's end at the hands of his dark opponent.
Anakin heard Obi-Wan's agonized scream, unaware that he'd echoed it aloud. He saw the wall drop, saw Obi-Wan lunge for Qui-Gon's murderer. Saw his master's attacks against the Sith, moves faster and more powerful than any he'd ever seen before. He felt the fury that emanated from Jedi and Sith alike.
Once, twice, three times Anakin thought his Master would fall to the dark Lord only to have Obi-Wan escape by a hair's breadth. He felt Obi-Wan's elation as he split the handle of the Sith weapon in two; cringed at his master's overconfidence as he lunged for his opponent's head and missed; watched as the Jedi lost his grip on his lightsaber and slid helplessly over the rim into the pit.
Anakin forgot to breathe as the spectral Obi-Wan grabbed desperately for purchase, finding it in the protruding lamp. He felt his master's anger dissolve into desperation, then return gradually to focus and peace.
The Sith's emotions crackled through him as well. Impatience as he paced the rim of the pit. Wrath as he made wild strikes against the edge with his saber. Disbelief as Obi-Wan launched himself into the air, calling Qui-Gon's saber into his hand. Agony as the emerald blade bisected his torso, then nothing but the black abyss as he followed it down…down…down…
That same rage, bitterness and hatred were all still here in this room, remnants of the Sith, irrevocably tied to the place and circumstance of his death.
"Anakin!" He felt something yank him backwards, back against the floor and back into the present. Hands shook him roughly. "Anakin, please!"
His eyes opened to see his wife kneeling beside him, horror written on her face.
How had he gotten here, on his back at the rim of the pit?
Padmé wound both arms around him, drawing him farther back from the edge. He hugged her, not fully understanding her fear or the significance of what had just taken place, but sensing her need for comfort.
"What happened?" Clearly he'd missed something.
She hugged him tighter. "I don't know. You shouted something and fell to your knees. We ran to you just as you were reaching into the pit."
Anakin blinked in confusion. Reaching into the pit? Perhaps trying to saveObi-Wan? He shook his head to clear it.
"This place," he muttered, "there is something dark about it. Something I couldn't place at first."
"And now you know?" Padmé voice was steady, but the tremor in her arms conveyed her unease.
"Yes. Now I know." Anakin released her and sat up gingerly, running a hand through his hair. "This place is where Master Qui-Gon died."
Padmé nodded, laying her hand on Anakin's shoulder as if touching him would reassure her that he was all right. "I should've remembered that. Master Kenobi recounted the incident in great detail to the Palace's investigative committee. Still, that fact alone should not send you diving headfirst into thermal reactor!"
He rose unsteadily to his feet, taking his wife's hand and helping her up as well. "Padmé, the Sith died here too. He fell down there when Obi-Wan killed him." Anakin motioned towards the melting pit. "Some part of him is still here, an essence left behind when he died." He paused, looking uncertainly into the darkness. "There is still danger here."
"No argument from me!" Padmé retorted.
"Well, if we're all in agreement, then maybe we could go before something happens that scares another ten years off our lives." Dormé offered her practical suggestion from where she stood behind them.
"Fine by me." Anakin was more than ready to be rid of the stifling evil of this place. Foreboding still curled in his stomach as they turned towards a doorway on the opposite side of the room. The exit appeared to lead to a service corridor. A hint from his recent vision nudged at his memory. There was something about that passage...
The hum of capacitors gave only a split-second warning as they entered the darkened hallway. Anakin reached for both women, pulling them back just as a solid barrier of energy formed in front of them. Four more barriers locked into position beyond the first.
"Well, that was intense!" Dormé exclaimed.
Anakin burst out laughing and both women cast him looks that seemed to say he'd obviously just lost his grip on sanity. "I'm sorry, but am I the only one who finds it odd that Naboo has no planetary defenses, but your power disposal unit is secured against all intruders?"
Padmé shot him a withering look. Obviously she preferred to appear less than amused by the irony of the situation. When she spoke her voice was laced with sarcasm. "How about you impress me with your amazing Jedi powers and figure a way out of this."
"Well, OK." Anakin replied. "I suggest we wait a few minutes and try to stand very still. The barriers appear to be motion activated, so they'll drop faster if we don't move. Even if we did move, they're on a pulse charge system. Eventually they'll have to drop to recharge. When the one in front of us falls, jump to the next section of the hallway. We'll do the same thing to get through the next four barriers. It won't be quick, but it should see us through to the other side." Anakin walked up to the wall. Padmé and Dormé followed him. All stood a respectable distance from the barrier.
"That's it? What's the catch?" Padmé seemed incredulous at a security system that could be so easily bypassed.
"The catch is that if you try to go too far at once you'll hit the next reforming energy wall. It'll send a shock through your body that you won't soon forget. That is, if you survive it at all."
Padmé and Dormé shared a dubious look before all three settled in to wait.
It was only a matter of minutes before the barrier dropped. The other four quit in rapid succession as each dampening field powered down. Silence echoed conspicuously after the loud hum of the transformers. Jedi, Senator and handmaiden remained perfectly still, as if waiting for some unspoken signal.
Though he continued to stare straight ahead, Anakin took the opportunity to remind them of the plan. "When I give the word I want you both to run. Remember, just far enough to get past this barrier. We'll only have enough time to clear this one wall. Understood?" He felt more than heard their agreement.
"So, are you ready?" he asked.
Although they each gave a soft affirmative he stopped to glance at them out of the corner of his eye. They remained motionless, but tension was evident in their stance.
He didn't delay. "Go!" he shouted, waiting until he felt them move before following suit. The buzz of the igniting capacitor vibrated through the air as they cleared the first barrier, sliding to a stop several feet short of the next energy wall just as it materialized in front of them.
They looked at each other, then at the barrier, then at each other again. Padmé was first to speak. "Let me guess. We get to do it all over again?"
"You guessed it." Anakin nodded, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. For a moment Padmé could've sworn she detected a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. She studied him intently before deciding she must've been mistaken.
Once again they waited for the barrier to fall, then jumped, clearing it without a hitch. The last three went just as easily and they soon found themselves at the end of the corridor facing the exit.
Dormé looked back over her shoulder at the energy fields. "Hey, that was kind of fun." Her eyes had lost a little of the lifelessness they had held since her arrival at the lake retreat that morning.
"Yes, I've got to hand it to you. You sure know how to show a lady a good time." Padmé flashed him the wide smile he dearly loved.
He tried not to let the relief he felt show in his face. It seemed the shock of the attack was starting to wear off where both women were concerned. A good sign, as he needed them in fighting form and able to focus on what lay ahead.
He grinned back at his beloved. "Well, I've been known to rise to the occasion a time or two.
The double-entendre wasn't lost on her. "Just once or twice." She replied with a sly sidelong glance.
Excellent, Anakin thought, the barrier exercise had served its purpose. He hoped they were feeling forgiving because he was about to tip his hand.
He crossed to the control panel by the door, staring intently at it for several seconds. Pulling a small data pad from his belt pouch, he ran a wire from the hand-held device to the wall panel using a standard upload socket connector. Once the link was secure he typed in a few short commands. Without warning the panel erupted in a shower of sparks. The hum behind them wound down pathetically as the energy barriers flickered and died.
"There." Anakin mumbled, disconnecting the datapad. "You never know when you'll need a clean get-away route."
Dormé couldn't resist adding her own comment. "What if you're being followed at that point?"
Anakin flashed his mocking grin at her. "Well, then, we'll have to hope we can turn the barriers on again from the other end of the hallway." He traded his teasing look for one that was appropriately abashed as he waited for comprehension to dawn.
It only took a second for Dormé's brown eyes to widen in understanding. "You mean you could've just –"
"Yup. There are control panels on either end of the hallway. I could've disarmed them before we ever crossed the first one." Perhaps smug confidence was the wrong impression to project.
Dormé advanced on him with what appeared to be murderous intent. Anakin raised his hands defensively. "Hey! You said it was fun!"
"Not as fun as this is going to be!" The handmaiden reached for his throat as he backed away, ducking out of her reach only to bump into Padmé.
"Give a guy a break, would ya? I really did need to know that you were both with me on this." They looked doubtful and still just a touch homicidal. "I had to find out how things would be once we got in to the palace. It hasn't been an easy morning for either of you; you've been a little distracted. I just wanted to be sure you were focused and willing to listen to what I tell you."
"And did you find us focused enough?" Padmé punched him gently on the shoulder.
"You're doing just fine." He smiled at them again, seeing that they really did understand and were only giving him a hard time.
"Come on!" He motioned towards the doorway. "We've got Separatists to dispatch and people to rescue!"
They followed him through the portal.