Chapter Five

I accompanied Padmé to her office for the next several days in a row. It was difficult to maintain my composure around certain Senators now. Were there more who knew about this initiative, and if so, who were they? Or were there any who supported the Jedi and felt the same way Padmé did?

As far as I knew, Bail Organa was the only one who was on our side, but there was very little he could do to stand up against nearly two thousand in opposition. Surely, there were more, but they were keeping quiet for the time being. I wondered if they would ever speak out, which made me love and respect Padmé all the more. She would've made an excellent Jedi herself – always willing to sacrifice everything to obtain peace.

She was doing her best to be a team player; taking an active role in the committees she was assigned to. During such times, I waited in the hall, pretending to nap while seated on a cushioned bench. Even with my eyes closed I could feel the stares of passersby and once in a while heard a whisper speaking of how I was a 'one of those Jedi.'

It was nearing mid-meal and I was passing the time playing tricks with one of the housekeeping droids. In my hand was a wad of tissue, and once in a while, I'd float a piece of it onto the carpet further down the hallway. The thing would sense the foreign material, remove it, and I would continue distributing more either closer and further away. We had been playing this game for at least half an hour when Padmé burst through the door.

"Quickly, come with me," she told me in near panic.

I followed her in the opposite direction of the lifts and she opened a sealed stairway door with a passcode. We descended three flights and went out a back door into a garage, walking quickly. I hadn't yet asked her where we were going and why were in such a hurry. I waited, trusting her to tell me when she was ready.

"Comm Typho and tell him to get here as soon as he can with my ship. We're leaving the system."

"Wait," I told her as calmly as I could, to try and reverse the alarm I felt radiating along our bond. "Tell me what's going on."

"Please, Obi-Wan. There's no time. Trust me."

"I do," I assured her, taking her hand. My Jedi patience would be put to the test though. I didn't like what I was feeling.

We continued down through the parking area, walked a ramp up to the roof, passing rows of personal speeders, though not seeing anyone in particular until we spied her personal craft approaching in the distance. At that moment, someone in the stairwell behind us yelled out for us to stop. I glanced behind me to see not just one, but a crowd of senators and security rushing forward.

"He's a Jedi! Stop him!"

Quickly, I judged the distance of the mob approaching us and the time it would take for the ship to reach us. It was going to be too close for comfort and I hailed Typho on my wrist communicator.

"Open the hatch and fly close. We're coming aboard."

"You're what?" Typho replied with frantic worry.

"No time to argue! Open the hatch!"

I was glad to see the Captain did as I had requested and glanced at Padmé while informing her telepathically of my intentions. She nervously nodded her head and the two of us ran toward the edge of the roof. I hadn't yet caught sight of the ship, but knew it was close. So was the mob running toward us.

I had to time this perfectly, and with a count of three, we leaped, aided by the Force, which carried us safely on board. When we landed, I pulled Padmé to me, wrapped my arms about her and rolled onto my back to cushion her fall.

"Are you two crazy?" Typho yelled at us while he shut the door and helped us up.

"Take us away from Coruscant immediately," she told him. "I'll explain later."

"Yes ma'am," the officer replied, returning to the bridge.

She then turned to me and smiled nervously. "I'm sorry, but all I could think about was getting you to safety."

"To safety? Why?" I asked. "What happened?"

"It'll be easier to show you," she replied, walking toward her private suite.

I followed and sat next to her on the arm of her desk chair while she brought up the latest news via the Holonet.

A Chelani female was delivering the headlines.

"This just in from Chiss Space. There has been an attack on Csilla Labs with numerous deaths being reported. The damage is currently being estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. The main laboratory facility as well as all research have been destroyed. The victims include Dr. Tordin Kell of Chandrilla, as well as his associates. Authorities are looking for this man.."

I couldn't hold back a gasp of shock when an image of none other than my own Master appeared on the screen.

"…Master Qui-Gon Jinn of the Coruscant Temple, who is the prime suspect. If anyone sees him, do not approach him. He is considered armed and very dangerous. Please contact your local authorities instead."

"What the hell?" I uttered in disbelief.

"Apparently, there were lightsaber scorches on the lab equipment and evidence of them on many of the victims," Padmé informed me.

"There's no way," I told her.

"I know that. Someone set him up. And we were stupid enough for fall for it!"

Padmé stood and began pacing, as she usually did whenever she was upset. "He walked right into a trap! Why didn't we see this coming? Are we as blind as the council?"

There were tears of frustration in her eyes and I grabbed her almost roughly and pulled her to me. I held her as she shuddered in my arms.

/We're not to blame,/ I spoke quietly and calmly along the bond. /We couldn't have known something like this would happen. That someone would be so evil as to kill innocents in order to frame one of us. It only goes to prove that you were correct in your suspicions and that the Jedi are in grave danger./

"We need to contact Master Yoda," she said through sniffles.

I agreed, and released her. "Hurry. We may be too late."

Padmé rushed back to her comm station and hailed the Jedi Temple, but there was no answer. She tried again with the same result and I was overcome with a feeling of dread.

"Captain Typho," she said through the onboard comm system. "Fly by the Jedi Temple and be quick about it."

We both rushed for the bridge and stared out the front. I had hoped my intuitions were wrong, though they seldom were. I had learned to trust them long ago, so when I saw smoke rising from the Temple spires, I wasn't surprised, though quite distraught.

"Land there. We need to help. I've got a weapons stash on board…"

"No," I told Padmé adamantly. "We need to get you to safety. You are my responsibility. The Jedi can take care of themselves. They'll be fine, but I'm not about to let the Chancellor prosecute you by association."

I was thankful she didn't argue with me.

"Captain, leave the system," I demanded.

"Which heading, sir?"

I looked to Padmé for a suggestion. The Chancellor's influence was extensive. We would need to go someplace outside Republic space.

"Tatooine?" she proposed, smiling.

"Tatooine," I agreed with a wink.

We had landed there during an emergency while dealing with the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo and had met a kind woman who would most likely help us.

"I had a bad feeling you were going to say that," Typho grunted while he entered the coordinates.