Disclaimer: I don't own SW. It all belongs to GL.
AN: Here's chapter 8! Thanks for all the great reviews!
A Matter of Hope
Chapter 8: Betrayal
Padme brushed out her curls, as she sat at the vanity. Lando had shown them to their quarters and informed them that dinner would be in a couple hours. Lando had offered to take the kids on a tour of his facility and they had gone, along with Han and Chewy. Padme smiled, as she felt her husband's arms snake around her waist. She smiled, as he pushed her hair aside and sensually kissed the spot where her neck and shoulder met.
"What are you up to?" she asked playfully.
"Just taking advantage of the fact that we're alone," he replied.
"Do you have an off switch?" Padme teased.
"Ha ha, do you?" Anakin retorted.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she mocked.
"It means that you want me as bad as I want you," he replied, as his hands roamed her body.
"What if the kids come in?" Padme asked.
"They won't. We've spent six days cooped up on a ship with them. Annoying us with their antics has lost it's appeal now," Anakin replied. Padme giggled.
"Luke does those kind of things, because he knows they annoy you. I'm sure you used to do the same to Obi-Wan. You and Luke are so much alike it's frightening," Padme replied. Anakin mocked hurt.
"Angel, are you saying that I purposely drove my master crazy?" he asked, giving her his best puppy eyes. Padme giggled.
"He has the gray hairs to prove it," Padme replied, as she kissed him passionately, while running her fingers through his shaggy curls. She broke the kiss and sauntered toward the bed. She beckoned him to follow and he did...
Lando slipped into his office. It was just before dinner and he could not go through with it. Not after watching the Skywalker family together. He could simply not rip a family apart, not even for five million credits.
"I can't do this," Lando said into the comlink.
"Do it or you're dead," the Sith's voice was cold as ice.
"I can't. I'm going to tell him that he's in great danger by being here. You can have your credits back!" Lando spat.
"If you tell him, my troops will storm your city and spare no one. Do this or sacrifice the people you are responsible for protecting. Do this and no one else gets hurt," Psion said. Lando felt it very hard to breath and clutched his throat.
"All right...all right, I'll do it," Lando rasped.
"See that you do Mr. Calrissian, or you will regret crossing me," she said evilly, as the comlink went dead.
Lando watched, as the Skywalker family sat down at the table. Han and Chewy were with them and seemed to fit right in. His heart ached for them, knowing that he was going to be the one to rip a husband and father away from his family. He poured the wine into four glasses. Quickly, he slipped the liquid from the small vile into Anakin's drink and swirled it around. He picked up another glass with the tainted one and carried them to the table.
"The finest wine in Cloud City," he served to them with a fake smile.
"Thank you," Padme replied, as she clinked her glass with Anakin's and they sipped.
"Mmm...this is good. Thank you Mr. Calrissian," Padme replied.
"Please, call me Lando, milady," Lando said smoothly. Han rolled his eyes. Leave it Lando to hit on a married woman in front of her husband.
"Real smooth pal," Han teased and Luke laughed.
"Mom's used to those kind of lines. What did you say to mom the first time you saw her?" Luke teased. Anakin rolled his eyes, as hesipped athis glass of wine.
"I asked her if she was an angel. And it wasn't a line, I really thought she was. I still do," Anakin replied, as he gazed at her fondly. Padme smiled up at him, just as he got a very puzzled look on his face.
"Ani, what is it?" she asked. A feeling of dread washed over him, as he felt himself being closed off from the Force.
"We've been betrayed," Anakin said.
"What are you talking about?" Padme asked.
"There was something in this drink. It's cut me off from the Force," Anakin said. Padme's eyes flew to Lando.
"I'm so sorry, I never wanted this to happen" Lando said. Han looked at him in disbelief, but before he could say anything, the door slid open revealing Darth Psion.
"NO!" Padme cried. Anakin stumped out of his seat and pulled Padme behind him, as he ignited his saber. His vision blurred and he shook his head to clear it.
"You've got about two minutes of consciousness left Anakin. Come with me quietly and no on has to get hurt," Psion said.
"Not a chance!" Luke yelled, as he ignited his green blade and charged at her.
"Luke, no!" Anakin cried. Psion shot Force lightning at him and picked him up, using the Force. She hurled him hard into the wall and he fell to the floor, unconscious.
"LUKE!" Padme cried. Han drew his blaster and shot at the Sith. Psion simply held her hand out and absorbed them into the Force. She pulled the blaster from Han's hand and then pushed him into the wall. Leia ran to see if Han was okay and Larisa ignited her sapphire saber. Psion shot Force lightning at the girl, but Anakin stepped in and caught it with his saber. The bolt of lightning was deflected and hit the ceiling, causing dust and pieces of duraplaster to come down around them. Psion smirked evilly, as Anakin stumbled from a wave of dizziness that hit him. She picked up a large piece of duraplaster and sent it barreling toward Padme. Anakin ran for her and the piece of plaster hit them both. They fell to the floor, unconsciousness taking over both.
"Mom, daddy!" Larisa screamed. Psion hit her on the head with the butt of her saber, knocking her out, as her storm troopers entered the room.
"Get Skywalker and take this one too. Leave the rest," Psion said, as she looked at a frightened Lando in the corner.
"You said no one would get hurt," Lando said. She laughed evilly.
"You're stupider than you look then for trusting a Sith," she laughed, as she left behind her troopers, taking Anakin and Larisa Skywalker with her.
Dagobah was a planet lush with life and the Force. But Obi-Wan Kenobi despised it and couldn't imagine how master Yoda had been able to stand this swampy mess. His fourteen-year-old son Zach sat beside him and Master Windu sat across from them. They all sat quietly beside Master Yoda's bedside. Yoda coughed again. Mace and Obi-Wan exchanged glances, as they felt his life Force slowly slip away.
"Master Yoda, you can't die," Zach cried.
"My...time it is...young Zachary. Powerful...Jedi you will become...like your father. Go, all of you must...defeat...the Sith. The Force...be with...you always..." Yoda trailed off, as his eyes closed and his body became still. A few moments later, his body faded into the Force. The two Jedi masters and the padawan bowed their heads in silence.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt a great disturbance in the Force.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said.
"I feel it too," Mace said.
"He's in great danger," Obi-Wan said.
"You and Zach get to Cloud City and find out what's going on. I will head for Naboo to meet up with the alliance," Mace said. Obi-Wan nodded, as he and Zach headed back to their star fighter. They left Dagobah and jumped into hyperspace, coordinates set for Cloud City.
Lando stood in the med bay, while his medical team saw to Luke and Padme's injuries. He avoided Han and Leia's eyes, which were currently boring into him with fire. Luke stared at Lando, the fire of betrayal burning in his eyes as well. He mostly made it out with only bruises and just sore from the Force lightning. The healers continued to run scanners over him to make sure he had no serious injuries. Padme still lay unconscious with a bacta patch over the cut on her head. She had suffered a slight concussion, but the healers assured them that she was going to be fine.
"I trusted you," Han spat at him.
"I told you that I didn't want this to happen. I told her that I couldn't do, but she threatened to kill everyone here at the facility if I didn't. She told me no one would get hurt. She said that she just wanted Anakin.
"You were stupid to trust a Sith Lord," Luke growled. Padme moaned in pain and Leia went to her side.
"Anakin...Anakin," she tossed her head from side to side.
"Mom, it's okay," Leia soothed. Padme opened her eyes and focused on Leia. She quickly sat up and looked around.
"Easy Mrs. Skywalker," the healer urged, but Padme ignored him.
"Leia, where's..." Padme started to say, but then stopped, unable to find her voice. A few tears dripped down Leia's face.
"She took him mom...and Larisa," Leia cried.
"No..." Padme cried, as Leia hugged her. Padme's eyes locked on Lando and she leapt up from the table.
"YOU...how could you!" Padme screamed, as both her children held her back. Tears poured down her face, as she thought about her husband and daughter who were now in the hands of a monster. Lando's assistant came into the room.
"Lord Calrissian, someone by the name of Ben Kenobi is requesting landing clearance. Should I allow it?" the man asked.
"Obi-Wan! He must have sensed what happened," Luke said. Lando nodded curtly and the assistant left.
"Don't worry mom, Obi-Wan will know what to do," Leia comforted. Padme nodded, as they followed Lando to the landing platform.
"Obi-Wan!" Padme called, as she hugged him.
"It'll be all right Padme, we'll get him back," Obi-Wan told her.
"She took Larisa too," Padme said, as she saw the shock registered on Zach's face. He and Larisa were best friends and had grown up together.
"Right now, we must leave for Naboo. The alliance is meeting to discuss our plan of attack on the death star. We'll determine our strategy and then go after Anakin and Larisa," Obi-Wan said.
"Please, let me help. You can use pilots, right? It's the least I can do," Lando said. Obi-Wan stared at him intently and Lando felt as if the Jedi was staring straight through him. Obi-Wan nodded.
"All right, we'll accept your help Mr. Calrissian. But I will be keeping an eye on you," Obi-Wan said. He and Zach departed in their star fighter, while the others departed in the Millennium Falcon. Padme could not believe it. She was finally going home to Naboo. But she always imagine that Anakin would be with her when she returned home. She resolved in determination. She would get him back, even if she had to go after him herself...
Anakin woke up, his head pounding. He could feel that the drug had worked its way out of his system, but his use of the Force was still compromised by the Force restraining shackles on his wrists and around his neck. Suddenly, he heard someone scream.
"Let me go!" the female voice cried. Anakin's heart nearly stopped. She had him, so why did she bring her here.
"Daddy!" Larisa cried.
"You had me, why did you bring her!" Anakin asked, horrified.
"For leverage against you of course. And the Emperor thinks she might make a good apprentice, if he can turn her," Psion said. Anakin leapt forward at her, the chains choking him back. Anakin ignored the pain of the chains cutting into him.
"Leave her alone!" Anakin yelled. Psion smirked and handed Larisa off to the storm trooper.
"Put her in the next cell," Psion said, as she approached Anakin.
"You look young for your age," she said, as she traced her finger along his jaw.
"And you look twice as old as you should be. Guess that's one of the prices you pay for using the dark side," Anakin bit back. She glared at him for his insult.
"Tell me where the newest rebel base is. And don't try and tell me it's Hoth, because I know that base is no longer in operations," Psion said.
"You truly are crazy if you think that I'll reveal that information," Anakin spat back. The storm troopers entered the cell again and waited for orders.
"These are my enforcers. They might help you talk," Psion said. Anakin grit his teeth, as he knew what was coming. But no matter the pain, he would never reveal the location of the base, for he knew by now that Padme and the twins were there.
Larisa sobbed quietly to herself, as she listened to her father's cries of pain, no matter how much he tried to suppress them for her sake.
"Please...help us," she spoke into the Force.
"Fear, you should not young one. Trust in the Force you must," she heard a ghostly voice speak to her through the Force.
"Master Yoda?" she asked in wonder, as she looked around in the darkness. His blue Force presence appeared to her.
"Strong you must be young Skywalker," he spoke.
"I don't know if I can," Larisa cried.
"Needs you, your father does," Yoda replied.
"I'll try master," Larisa replied.
"Do or do not young one, there is no try," Yoda said, as he faded into the Force. She wiped her tears away and stood up, closing her eyes. She lost herself in the Force, as she concentrated on the opening the locked, sliding door...