Padmé took a deep steadying breath as she gripped the metal pole in her hand tightly. She held it out in front of her ready to strike while she eyed the approaching probe droid. The metal pole was about as long as Anakin's lightsaber when it was ignited.
Padmé waited patiently, allowing the droid to get closer to her before beginning her attack. Once the spherical droid had inched its way into her swinging range, Padmé brought the metal pole behind her before swinging it back at the droid. She put her weight behind the swing hoping to cause maximum damage with the impact. Unfortunately, Padmé's blow did not connect with the droid who moved to the left before the pole could connect with it.
Staggering slightly from the force of her attack, Padmé turned quickly to maintain eye contact with the elusive droid. The small probe droid was now moving in circles in front of her and would periodically change direction suddenly in an attempt to catch her off guard. However, Padmé kept her eyes fastened on the droid's movements and was able to move the metal pole around her to protect herself and ready her next attack.
Both Padmé and the droid were locked in a seeming stalemate. The two merely watched each other. Moving periodically to find a point of weakness to its opponent. Padmé's goal was to destroy the droid and give Anakin a chance of finding her. The droid's goal was to administer its next dose of ysalamiri serum to the target its owner had given it.
Thinking about what Anakin would do in her situation, Padmé decided to go on the offensive once more. When the tiny droid drifted to her left, Padmé feigned a lunge at it before quickly diverting her attack to the right. Based on her observations of the droid, she figured that it would move right if she attacked to the left. Her assumption was correct and Padmé's metal bar connected with the tiny droid, with a loud clang echoing around the room.
The little droid wobbled slightly out of Padmé's reach and hovered erratically for a moment. Padmé tried to lunge at it once more in this weakened state, but the droid evaded her hit and flew over her head to the opposite end of the room.
Padmé spun around quickly to follow the droid. The droid was moving very quickly around the room in an attempt to confuse Padmé. It appeared that Padmé's blow had only left a thin scratch in its black surface rather than any severe damage. The weakness the droid had shown earlier was gone as it became more persistent in its actions.
The droid began to circle her more rapidly than it had before and was making quick changes in direction to throw her off. Padmé kept her guard up as she watched the droid. It seemed that she had angered it with her blow because it was buzzing at her angrily. It had made no noise when she first encountered it.
The probe droid made a quick zigzag movement in the air before propelling itself at Padmé. Now Padmé was on the defense while the droid attacked her.
Padmé was a little surprised by the ferocity of the probe droid's attack, but she was able to hold it at bay with her metal pole. She hit the tiny droid a couple of times as it attempted to come after her. Although she had hit the droid very hard, it did not seem to sustain any damage. Apparently the outer casing of the droid had been reinforced, making the droid a tougher opponent than it looked.
Padmé quickly found that she had to move hurriedly across the room to evade the droid and get into position for an attack. After a few more failed hits on the droid, it became obvious to Padmé that she was not going to be able to defeat her opponent. However, she was going to put up her fight for as long as possible. Fifteen minutes into the fight, Padmé was tiring as she circled frantically around the droid, but knowing that the only way of helping Anakin find her was her continued struggle kept her moving. She could not give up with her life and more importantly her child's life at stake.
Anakin waited for thirty minutes for Bail Organa to arrive in his office. He had been keeping a vigil on the chrono on the wall outside the Chancellor's office pleading with each passing second that Padmé was all right.
When Organa finally did show up, Anakin was pacing back and forth trying to keep himself occupied with something other than his worry. "I am sorry, Anakin. Media wanted pictures. I escaped them as quickly as I could. I hope you understand." Organa replied, giving the nonsense excuse Sidious had come up with.
"Of course Chancellor." Anakin stated with a weary sigh. "I know you are a busy man."
"Nonsense." Organa stated with false sensitivity. "This is far more important." He then laid his hand on Anakin's shoulder in a sympathetic fashion as he directed him inside.
Once inside, Organa went around his desk and directed Anakin to take the seat before him. He bent down to open a drawer in the side of his desk while he stated, "Now let me get you those files I promised and then you can ask me any other questions that you have."
"Thank you Chancellor." Anakin stated. "Can you tell me when you saw Padmé today?
Sidious kept Organa quiet for a moment, so that it seemed the Chancellor was considering the young Jedi's question. "Well she contacted me early this morning to schedule an appointment for a meeting later in the day. That was the appointment you saw in her appointment log. I then met her here and we spoke for about an hour before she left."
"Do you know where she went?"
"I believe back to her office. I think she said she had some work to do." Organa replied. Sidious had him look thoughtful so that it seemed he was thinking about his answers.
Anakin nodded his head sadly, the state of Padmé's office and the Chancellor's description of the afternoon's events confirmed that Padmé was abducted there. However this was not helpful because he already knew this.
"What did you two discuss?"
"Some matters of the Republic. There are still some star systems that refuse to join, citing their loyalty to the Empire." Sidious silently noted that these systems would be praised and lauded once the Sith ruled once more. "The Senate is currently negotiating with these systems to join us."
"Is there anything else you two discussed?" Anakin prompted trying to divert the conversation from this mundane topic and to something that could be more useful to him.
Sidious noted his former apprentice's impatience and was content to cause more. "We discussed what will happen to all the former clone troopers now that the Imperial army is disbanded." Sidious smiled when he saw Anakin clench his jaw at this second unhelpful topic. He was enjoying watching the young man squirm as he tried to politely listen to the Chancellor babble. "The Senate has not made a final decision, but it seems they will be allowed quarter in a number of systems."
"Very good, your Excellency." Anakin stated trying to hide his frustration as he asked, "Anything else?"
"We discussed Padmé's resignation. That is how I found out the two of you are expecting a child." Sidious grinned at the thought of his future apprentice. The child of Skywalker would be a strong Sith, and with training from infancy they would not have the weaknesses of their father. Love would never light a path away from the darkside for the future Sith.
"Was there anything else?" Anakin asked desperately.
"No." Organa shook his head. "However, she did give me a copy of her letter of resignation. I believe she sent one to Queen Apailana this morning." Organa then handed a datapad to Anakin, which held a copy of his wife's letter. Anakin switched it on and began reading the letter as Sidious pushed a few more datapads at him. "The rest of these are the notes from today's meetings. You are welcome to them and anything else you may need. I apologize that it seems I cannot be further help to you." Sidious would have cackled at this, but he kept it to himself. He would taunt Padmé about it later.
Anakin was half listening to the Chancellor as he scanned the letter. It was identical to the note Master Yoda had found in Padmé's office. The Chancellor had not given him anything he already knew. His shoulders sank in defeat and he placed his head in his hands as the realization that his search had led him nowhere took hold.
"Oh, Anakin. Do not despair, I know that if anyone can find her, you can." Organa replied while Sidious basked in Anakin's misery.
Suddenly, Anakin jerked his head up as he felt something, a presence. His heart rate quickened as he realized it was familiar.
"What is it?" Organa asked curiously as Anakin closed his eyes and immersed himself in the Force. Trying to pinpoint the presence, Padmé's presence.
Sidious tapped into the Force as well, curious as to what had captured his former apprentice's attention. When Sidious felt Padmé's presence anger seethed through him. That meddlesome Senator was trying to ruin his plans.
Had Anakin's eyes been open and focused on Organa, he would have noticed they had changed a sickly yellow as the Sith's anger grew.
While Anakin searched her out, Padmé continued to battle the droid. She was sweating profusely, her heart was beating rapidly, and she was breathing rapidly as she continued to evade the little probe droid. She did not know how much time had passed. She was very tired, but the thought of Anakin kept her moving.
The tiny droid lunged at her and Padmé went to dodge it once more, but found herself immobile. An invisible force was holding her still, while the little droid opened itself up. The once spherical droid now had opened a small hatch on its surface to reveal a hypodermic needle filled with Padmé's next dose of ysalamiri serum. Helpless in her current position, she screamed when the droid approached her. "Anakin!"
Anakin heard his wife's scream through the Force, but then felt her presence disappear once more. "No!" He yelled as he frantically searched the Force for her, his eyes remained closed as his search continued.
"Anakin, what happened?" Organa asked after Sidious had calmed his anger. That had been a close call. If the Sith Lord had not been able to immobilize Padmé so she could have her next dose of ysalamiri all would have been lost. The usually cool Sith was sighing in relief at his good fortune. "What happened?" He had Organa repeat.
Anakin opened his eyes, the look of desperation returning to his features. "I… I… felt her."
"Padmé?" Sidious had Organa say with shock, maintaining his ruse.
"Yes, she is here somewhere on Coruscant."
Sidious controlled his anger at this as he had Organa ask, "Do you know where?"
Anakin shook his head, "No, I could not pinpoint it. Her presence disappeared before I could find it. Oh gods!" Anakin placed his face in his hands as he broke down.
"Are you sure she was not kil…"
"She is not dead!" Anakin shouted interrupting the Chancellor. Then he softened when he realized whom he was speaking to. "Sorry Chancellor. I… I… must be going, I have to find her." Anakin got up and started making his way out of the office.
Sidious smiled, his secret was still safe and his former apprentice was still clueless. "Find her." He had Organa call after the young man's retreating back. Once the young man was gone, Sidious took a moment and relaxed within his host's body as he replayed the previous meeting in his head. Organa's eyes turned yellow once more as he recalled the last part. Standing up, Organa began to make his way to the secret catacombs of the Senate building under Sidious's direction. The Sith had a Senator to deal with down there.
