Ch. 12

Anakin started his approach into Kashyyyk, the tracking light on their map blinking in a remote location on the planet, far from any large Wookiee civilization.

"How far away should we land, for safety?" Anakin asked Obi Wan.

"Make sure that your approach is out of their line of sight," Obi Wan advised. "Then fly low, through the trees, to get closer. Make sure we are hidden- touch down in a densely forested area, the closest you can get."
Anakin nodded and began his descent onto the planet, quickly descending far from the kidnappers' ship then cruising just above the surface of the planet until he found an outcropping of trees.

"We're about a mile from them," Obi Wan noted. "This is perfect," he said as Anakin landed the ship.

"So um," Anakin began, voicing the opinion of all three of them. "What do we do now?"

"Padme, you stay and-" Obi Wan began, but was cut off.

"No," Padme responded firmly. "I'm coming with you."

Obi Wan eyed Anakin.

'I agree that it isn't the best idea for her to be with us,' Anakin told him through the Force. 'But I don't want to leave her here alone, Master.'

'All right,' Obi Wan consented. 'And you don't have to call me Master anymore, I thought you learned that years ago.'

'Habit,' Anakin smiled at him.

"Well?" Padme grumbled, aggravated that they were talking through the Force.

"Sorry," Anakin apologized, giving her a hug. "You can come, but just be careful and quiet."

"Anakin, I think I can handle it," she said sarcastically.

"She has been in a lot of similar situations," Obi Wan commented. "She'll be fine."

"You were the one who didn't want to bring her!" Anakin said, annoyed that somehow Obi Wan was making him sound like the bad guy. "I wanted her to come." He wrapped his arms around Padme and kissed the top of her head as she crossed her arms frustratedly. Obi Wan rolled his eyes.

"We'd better get going," he said, and they all quietly disembarked.

The three stealthily moved through the trees, trying to get as close as possible to the other ship. Finally, Obi Wan held up his hand and they paused behind a tree about fifty feet from the other ship. The activity in front of the ship was in a frenzy. The guards huddled together, looking nervous and even scared, talking in hushed voices. The cloaked figures, who obviously were not just hired for pay like the guards and had more investment in the situation, ran frantically around, yelling to each other, blasters held high.

"We must get them back before The Master finds out," yelled one, rounding up several others and throwing blasters.

"How did they get away?" Yelled another, following him.

"They had help," answered the first. "But I don't know."

Padme and Anakin stared at each other, hope back in their eyes. The twins had escaped- the news was wonderful to hear. They hugged each other, and turned to Obi Wan, waiting for his suggestion of what to do next.

"Oh, I'm supposed to have the plan?" He asked, amused. They nodded.

"You're so wise, Obi Wan. Please give us your advice," Anakin said sarcastically.

"I see, now that the situation is looking up, you're all sarcasm and taunting again, is that it Anakin?"

"No, not at all, what would make you say that?" Anakin asked innocently.

"Don't give me the puppy dog eyes Anakin. They stopped working on me years ago."

"Not on me," Padme chimed in, kissing Anakin on the cheek. Obi Wan turned away, pretending to be disgusted by them and laughed. "Now, what are we going to do Obi Wan?" Padme asked.

"Well, I would suggest finding your children."

"They boy must have helped them," Anakin said, as Padme and Obi Wan looked at him as if this was obvious. "I wonder what made him change his mind about getting involved so quickly?"

"Well I suppose we will soon find out," Obi Wan said. "Let's see if we can't decipher in which way the children ran." They turned back to the figures, now organized to go out in search of the children.

"This way," One cloaked figure said, and they began to run in disarray in that direction.

"Well that was easy enough," Obi Wan said, and he turned to follow. Anakin stayed put. "What are you waiting for Anakin?"

"Age before beauty, Master," Anakin laughed, and Obi Wan rolled his eyes.

"Honestly," Obi Wan said, shaking his head, and they began to run parallel to the cloaked figures, hidden by the trees.

"We're lucky they chose to land in the forest," Anakin commented as they ran, his breathing growing heavier. Obi Wan nodded, and they continued. Suddenly, Anakin stopped short, and Padme bumped into him and fell backwards.

"Oh Force, Padme are you all right?" Anakin asked hurriedly, rushing to her side to help her up.

"Of course, Anakin," She answered, giving him a weird look. But then she noticed Anakin's hand on her stomach. "Oh I see, you're actually concerned about your own future offspring, not your wife," she laughed, and Anakin shook his head.

"Both of you, love," he told her tenderly.

"Anakin, stumbling down onto a pile of leaves cannot hurt the baby, don't worry. Honestly you are so protective." She smiled and gave him a kiss.

"You're pregnant again?" Obi Wan asked, obviously offended that he had not been told sooner.

"Um, yes…" Padme answered.

"Thanks for telling me, Anakin," Obi Wan said, still feigning anger.

"Well we just found out, ok? And don't go getting angry, at least I do tell you everything, you're the one with all the secrets," he said indignantly. Obi Wan shrugged his shoulders, Anakin obviously annoyed that he was still being kept in the dark about Obi Wan's social life.

"Why did you stop Anakin?" Padme asked, grabbing his hand and intertwining her fingers with his.

"Oh," Anakin said. "Because they're that way." He pointed in a direction perpendicular to that in which they had been running.

"How do you know?"

"Do you not sense it Obi Wan?" Anakin asked, surprised.

"Now that you call it to my attention, yes, but I am not yet familiar enough with their Force signals to have noticed them as strongly as you did," he answered, and they turned and began to hurry in the direction in which Anakin had pointed.

"You should be more familiar with Luke's, you know," Anakin teased his former Master. "He is your Padawan."

"He's been my Padawan for one day," Obi Wan said rolling his eyes. "Trust me Anakin, if he's anything like you, before I even want to I'll be able to feel if he so much as gets his hair pulled even when I'm seven systems away."

"Ok, that was a fistful of hair being pulled out, and it was on Hoth, and you know that the cold makes things hurt way more than they normally would," Anakin pouted.

"Tell me that story later," Padme said, turning toward Anakin interestedly and teasing him.

"He screamed like a little girl," Obi Wan said, and Padme laughed.

"You weren't even there!" Anakin yelled frustratedly.

"Voice down Anakin, you don't want anyone to hear us. And I know how you react to things like that. You know I'm right."

Anakin frowned and they continued to walk towards the children. Anakin pretended to be angry, but he secretly enjoyed these bouts of mutual taunting with Obi Wan. He loved the fact that they had become such close friends over the years that they always knew just how to make fun of each other, and just what to expect as a reaction. The best part about it was that both knew it was always all in fun, and understood their deep compassion for each other if something were to go terribly wrong, as it had when the twins went missing. But now that the twins had escaped, they could joke like this again, and Anakin always enjoyed it. He was thinking about this, as well as about Padme and how ready he was to just get home and continue their happy life together with their children, when suddenly he felt the twin's were in danger.

"Something's wrong!" Anakin and Obi Wan exclaimed at the same time, running forward. Obi Wan stopped them short, suddenly, holding out his arm. They saw from behind a tree a clearing that ended in a steep cliff. Several cloaked figures stood at the edge of the cliff, blasters pointed downwards.

"Give them back!" One of them yelled, raising his blaster to shoot.

"No," they heard a small voice say determinedly. "Please, they're just children, don't hurt us… remember…"

"Traitor!" Yelled a cloaked figure.

Suddenly, Obi Wan and Anakin burst onto the scene, light sabers ignited, knowing that there was no more time to observe. They slashed easily through six or seven of the figures, and the remaining few stumbled off, cowering in the bushes. Anakin rushed to the side of the cliff, and the sight that met their eyes was very peculiar.

A Wookiee held with one paw onto the edge of the cliff, holding the boy's hand in his other paw. Luke clung to the Wookiee's back, and the boy held Leia with his free arm, hugging her to his chest. The Wookiee growled.

"He wants you to take Luke," the boy said. "Then he can pull us up." They did so, and sure enough the Wookiee was able to pull them safely onto the ground.

"You speak Wookiee?" Padme asked.

"I'll explain later," the boy said uncomfortably, and Padme knew this wasn't the time to question him.

"Thank you," Anakin said to the Wookiee, then the boy. He and Padme embraced their children, tears of joy streaming down Padme's face.

"Mommy!" Leia giggled, hugging her. Anakin lifted Luke in the air, squeezing him tightly to his chest. Anakin then picked up Leia, holding both twins tightly, and Padme stood up and clasped Luke's tiny hand.

"Hi Master," Luke said, waving at Obi Wan. Anakin walked over and handed Luke to Obi Wan, who was caught off guard. He took the boy in his arms somewhat awkwardly and smiled at him.

"Hello, Luke," he said warmly, now more comfortable with the situation.

"When you train me am I going to be like daddy?" Luke asked.

"Oh dear," was all Obi Wan said, the thought obviously being too much for him at the time. Anakin laughed.

"You'll be even better Luke," Anakin smiled at his son, and Luke looked up at him brightly. "I'll teach you how to really get on Master Obi Wan's nerves, ok?"

"Ok Daddy!" Luke giggled excitedly. Obi Wan looked like he might cry.

"Just kidding Master," Anakin said, putting his hand on Obi Wan's back. "Sort of."

Padme clung to Leia and stared into Luke's bright blue eyes. "I missed you so much," she said, crying. "How did you…how?" She asked the boy, and he just smiled. "And thank you, too," She said to the Wookiee, and he growled.

"Why…Why did they call you a traitor?" Anakin asked the boy, unable to hold his curiosity any longer.

"It's such a long story," the boy said, shifting around nervously and again very uncomfortable. "We had better get out of here, but I'll tell you everything, I promise… This Wookiee is a friend, he wants to help. I know him from, um… a long time ago." He looked down at the ground, and Obi Wan and Anakin eyed each other suspiciously. However, they decided to let it rest for now and they turned to walk back towards the ship.

"Anyway," the boy continued. "Luckily, he was hunting nearby and heard the struggle, otherwise… anyway, he will help us back safely, he knows the land."

Obi wan nodded and walked ahead, holding Luke's hand, and Padme and Anakin followed, each holding one of Leia's hands and swinging her between them. They walked into the trees.

"Watch out!" They heard suddenly, and turned around with lightning reflexes to see the boy jump on the Wookiee, knocking him to the ground so that a laser blast just missed the two of them. The boy got up quickly and turned his blaster to the side, shooting ahead of him. Anakin and Obi Wan rushed back out, Padme holding the twins with her, safely hidden in the trees.

Tons of cloaked figures and guards suddenly had discovered them, and the fight quickly escalated into a small battle. However, the two Jedi Masters were able to kill many of the basically unskilled figures before them, and the boy was quite a good shot for his age. The Wookiee, unarmed, used his sheer strength to kill anyone who approached the boy. Suddenly, Padme threw him her blaster and he defended the boy even more skillfully.

"Why are you helping me?" The boy asked. "Protect them," he nodded towards the twins. The Wookiee growled. "But you don't owe me anything. You already saved my life too, on the cliff." The Wookiee growled again. "Oh, right...well, ok." The boy smiled.

"Go back," Anakin yelled. "Obi Wan and I can handle this."

"No, I am not leaving you," Padme said. "If you can handle it, then I will be fine."

Suddenly, all of the cloaked figures stopped fighting, and sunk to their knees. Anakin and Obi Wan stood awkwardly, light sabers hanging ignited at their sides, unwilling to kill anyone in so defenseless a position.

"Oh no," the boy yelled. "Get out of here, now!"

"What is it?" Obi Wan asked nervously.

"The Master," the boy said quietly, staring ahead. "Please, run away now. I honestly don't know what he wants from you or your children, I really don't, but this man … If he finds them again, they won't escape this time, please…"

"Padme, hide," Anakin yelled.

"It won't help," the boy said. "He's like you, he's…" Suddenly, the boy's eyes were filled with tears. "Please just go. Please."

"Wait a minute," Anakin said. "He's like us, you mean that-"

Before he could finish his thought, a red blade was at his throat.

"Anakin Skywalker," said a trembling, evil voice. "I've been waiting for you."