Author's Note: Hi everyone! Happy Friday! Hopeless4Life - Hey there! I'm glad you liked it; hope you enjoy this update as well! Hellish Red Devil - Hee! Well, TX-306 certainly keeps things interesting! More to come on that Obi-wan / Siri flashback in upcoming chapters, as well as Jarrick background info... Stay tuned! Meandmysharpie - a good kick in the butt, huh? Well, there is something of the sort coming down the road a little ways. :-) Anakin's Girl - Yeah, that's going to throw our Ani for a loop and hang in the back of his mind. (Cue suspenseful music). Thanks for stopping by! To all - Thanks for reading; hope it's keeping you entertained! Have a great weekend! Mine will be crazy, but I hope to update on Monday!
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Anakin lunged towards the droid, desperately punching buttons as he tried to bring up the rest of the Holovid. After several long moments passed with no result, Padme put a hand on his arm and sent him a soothing wave of love through their Bond.
He immediately stilled, scrubbing a hand over his face tiredly. She watched him, concerned as he processed the images they had just seen. With a muffled curse, he looked at her.
"What did Jarrick mean by that?" he asked hoarsely.
"I don't know," Padme replied, trying to sound dismissive. She didn't like the haunted look that had come over Anakin's face. "He's insane, Ani - driven over the edge by evil. His words don't have any truth to them, surely you know that?"
"He sees things more clearly than I can, Padme; things like the future," he acknowledged fearfully.
She shook her head emphatically, refusing to believe that someone as twisted as Jarrick could possibly be The Chosen One. There was no doubt in her mind - there was something special about Anakin. His mere presence spoke of greatness and destiny - two things that could not be faked.
"I need to see Obi-wan," he suddenly decided, rushing towards the exit. He had already kicked off his iceblades and was halfway to the far rink by the time she made it off the ice.
Sinking onto one of the benches, she heard her new datapad chirp and she rummaged in her cloak, trying to find the elusive object. Finally, her fingers closed around it and she pulled it free, expecting a note from Masters Windu or Yoda about the meeting scheduled to follow their next performance.
But the message that appeared on her screen was something else entirely.
"We will be reunited soon. I have Chosen you..."
Numb, she stared at the words until they started to blur. With a few flicks of her finger, she deleted the message and stuffed it under the cloak.
How had he found her? When Master Windu had given her the new datapad last week, he had assured her that it was completely untraceable.
It was as if Jarrick could sense her...
Suppressing the chill that was working its way down her back, she stood and began to walk in the direction her husband had gone, her steps growing faster and faster with each passing second. When she finally arrived at the entrance to Rink C, she was nearly sprinting.
"Whoa!" Siri cried, grabbing her elbow and bringing her to a sudden stop.
Catching her breath, Padme gasped, "Where's Anakin?"
"Off with Obi-wan," she replied. "He said something about a Holovid?"
Siri's eyes grew wide as she listened to Padme's description of the scene. As her words died away, she noticed the Senator shaking violently and she grabbed her cloak, wrapping it around her shoulders.
"Thanks," Padme replied, snuggling into the thick folds. "I left mine back there and I can't quite seem to get warm..."
"And?" the Jedi prompted, tilting her head expectantly.
"And what?"
"And what else is bothering you?"
"Nothing. It's just the Holovid," came the unconvincing reply.
Siri sang, "You promised, Padme..." She let the implication hang out there ominously, knowing it would drive her friend wild.
Sure enough, Padme sighed in resignation and murmured, "You are annoyingly perceptive."
"So I've been told. Now, out with it," she commanded. She crossed her arms and gave her a toned down version of what Obi-wan always called the "Tell me Now" face.
The mere act of remembering made Padme want to retch, but she did so anyway. "I checked my datapad before I came over here. There was a message on it. I thought it was from Master Windu or Yoda, but it wasn't. It was from Jarrick."
"What did it say?" Siri began to pace, feelings of anxiety welling up within her.
"He said we would be reunited soon - he had Chosen me."
"Well I'm sure that gave you the warm fuzzies."
Despite her worry, Siri's biting disregard for their unseen enemy had Padme laughing quietly as she replied, "Not quite."
"We've got to tell Obi-wan and Anakin," Siri insisted, starting towards the front rink. "This is getting too close for comfort now that there's been contact."
"No!" Padme cried, grasping the Jedi's arm tightly. "Please. He's upset enough over the Holovid; this will just make him more paranoid about my safety."
"He's going to be more paranoid if he thinks we're keeping something from him."
"I know," she replied, biting her lip guiltily. "But please, Siri. It was just a message, nothing specific was even mentioned! He doesn't need to know, at least not yet. Let's give him some time to work through this Chosen One nonsense with Jarrick. It's critical."
Siri blew out a breath, torn. She had learned that when you tried to keep secrets, it usually only made things worse. However, she had also learned that Anakin was overwhelmingly protective of his wife. Any further fear for her safety might be a distraction from which he couldn't recover.
And she knew he needed his wits about him for the upcoming battle. They all did.
"Fine," she agreed. "But this is it. Anything else and we spill everything, got it?"
"Got it. Thank you, Siri."
Side-by-side, they started towards the suites, practice forgotten for the time being.
SUITE OF LIRI AND KAIDE - ONE HOUR LATER
Padme watched Threepio enter the room, delicately balancing two steaming cups of tea, one of which he quickly handed off to Siri.
"Your droids continue to amaze me," Siri insisted, impressed by the display of impeccable manners.
"Thank you; we're very lucky to have them," she said, smiling at the droid warmly as she accepted her tea. Closing her eyes in bliss, Padme took a long sip before taking a spot on the softly carpeted floor.
"You're former royalty and you're sitting on the floor?" Siri cracked, nearly spitting out her mouthful of tea.
Padme rolled her eyes and flipped her braid behind her shoulder. Lightly, she explained, "It detracts from the seriousness of the situation. I do this when I'm stressed."
"How odd."
"Not really if you think about it," she replied. "I've never had to negotiate a peace treaty or plotted a military strike while seated like this - but I've played games, watched Holo-dramas and eaten a picnic lunch. It's relaxing - you should try it sometime."
Just then, the door slid open and Obi-wan and Anakin entered the chamber, looking unsettled but none the worse for wear. Artoo rolled in behind them, guiding the silent TX-306 droid with his mechanical arm.
"I must say, I rather like this new side of TX-306," Threepio proclaimed, returning with a tray of crackers and cheese. Catching sight of his maker's glare, he set the food down quickly and hurried back to the kitchen.
"Any luck?" Padme asked, already knowing the answer.
"No," Anakin stated flatly. Angry, he looked like he wanted to throttle the deactivated droid, but simply turned away, his back to the group. Padme tried to soothe him again, but as she explored their Bond, she felt him blocking her.
"Don't do this," she demanded.
"Don't do what?" he exploded. "I'm not doing anything! That's the problem! I'm just sitting here, skating around in sparkles."
Uncomfortable, Siri quickly sank to the floor, desperately hoping Padme's advice was right. Nope, still tense. Well, actually perhaps it is the slightest bit better...
"Anakin," Obi-wan said. "The Council has sent us here for a reason."
"I know," he admitted reluctantly. "We need to strengthen our bonds. But Master, how is that going to help us defeat the Dark side? We should be out there looking for him, not waiting for his move."
"You must trust the Force, Anakin," Siri piped up, looking at Obi-wan tentatively from her spot on the floor. He nodded his encouragement and she stood, clearing her throat. "I heard what Padme did on Plauu. If that wasn't an example of the Light defeating the Dark, then I don't know what is. I believe in us - in all of us. In fact, I feel sorry for this Jarrick character. He doesn't know what he's getting into."
During Siri's impassioned speech, Padme had come to Anakin's side and wrapped her arms around him. Initially, she felt his heart thumping wildly but as Siri's reassurances began to sink in, it began to calm.
"Thank you," he finally managed, swallowing thickly. "All of you."
Thank you for always believing in me when I can't. The words may have gone unspoken but the intent was clear.
Four pairs of eyes met, determined and strong.
LATE AFTERNOON - PRACTICE RINK B
"So Artoo is our choreography droid now?" Padme asked, grinning at the tanky droid as he arrived in the hoversled.
"Just until I can finish the tests on TX-306," Anakin replied, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"Ferroooooooooo!" Artoo whistled, bobbing up and down.
Threepio moved forward to interpret, "He has finished the download and will be presenting you with visual instructions. As such, it appears my services will not be necessary."
Catching sight of Obi-wan and Siri as they returned to their rink, Anakin said loudly, "That's good because you need to get back to the other rink. Our friends are going to need all the help they can get."
"Oh dear," Threepio fretted, spotting the rude looks Obi-wan and Siri were sending their way.
Artoo beeped steadily.
"I will most certainly do my job well," the golden droid sniffed. His entire body jerked as he caught Artoo's response as he glided away. "What do you mean I'm going down? Come back here you blasted hunk of metal!"