Chapter 4

Ari tried to use the Force to slow her fall, but she knew it was only buying her seconds.

Luke. Luke!

She was frantic. She knew that there were others, but only Luke would be able to help her now.

Ari, I'm coming!

Hurry! She didn't have to explain it. She knew that Luke would know what was happening.

Ari someone managed not to be hit by any other vehicles in the city planet. If she had, it might have been alright. She might have been able to grab on. Through she knew it could also have things end up worse.

She felt her fall slowing more and then she saw Luke. In a speeder below her. She was still falling, but his help meant the impact wouldn't be as strong.

Luke was able stay under her. Closer and closer.

Then she fell on the seat beside Luke with a grunt. The impact wasn't as strong, but she was certain she had a few small injuries and big bruises now.

You could have been killed. Luke didn't sound pleased.

I had to go. The children. Ari groaned as she sat up. Yes, definitely hurting. She was exhausted, but called on the Force to help a little. If not for her, then for the twins she was carrying.

Where are they?

Shuttle. Hope, Ben and Anakin are out.

What about the others?

I tried…there was someone. He was using the Force. The Dark Side.

Luke didn't respond right away, but he pushed the speeder up, probably to look for it.

Ari did as well and she reached out to sense her children. Then she frowned. Even from a distance, she could sense them. Maybe not another planet, but they couldn't be far, could they? And with the hole, they couldn't leave the planet. Where were they?

I can't sense them. She was trying not to show her panic, but it was obvious.

Ari could sense Luke sensing too. He frowned a little and she saw his hands tighten on the controls. He couldn't find them either.

Luke reached for his commlink. It went to Leia.

"Luke?" she answered. The panic was obvious in her voice.

"Leia, I need you to try to stop ships from leaving Coruscant."

"What? Luke what is going on?"

"You need to do what you can to stop them."

"I can't stop all the ships from leaving and arriving."

"Then extra patrols or something," he said, his tone sharper than Ari had heard in years. She knew that it was fear. She was scared too. What had just happened? And what about the children? She had done everything she could, but it hadn't been enough. She should have known there was a Force user there, but she hadn't sensed the presence.

"Luke…" Leia started.

Luke sighed and Ari could sense his anger fading, being replaced with determination. Not only could Ari sense it through the Force, but she could see it in his features. His tight grip on the controls of the speeder lessened, his knuckles of his real hand no longer white. His brow wasn't creased and his eyes held determination that Ari had always seen. The determination to go off and have adventures, determination to help the Rebellion, determination to create a new Jedi Order. "Leia…they have some of our children still."

There was a long beat of silence and then Leia finally spoke. "I will do everything I can." Then she ended the communication.

Ari reached over and touched Luke's arm. "We'll get them back, Luke." Nothing, not even a supernova, would stop her from going after her daughter, nieces and nephew. She was determined.

It didn't take long to join the others at the Solo suite at a nearby building. Leia had a few different residences all around the galaxy, two on Coruscant. This one wasn't used as much, being smaller, but when Ari saw all the security, she knew that it was probably easier to defend as well.

As soon as Ari and Luke walked in, Ben flung himself at his parents. He was crying, holding onto them tightly as if he never planned to let go.

Luke managed to help untangle Ari from his son's grasp, then he picked up the boy. Though he could have told Ben to control his emotions, he was a young child. Instead, Luke just hugged him and assured him that he was safe and that soon they all would be safe.

The rest of them were together. Anakin was curled up with his parents. Though he wasn't crying, there was evidence he had been crying. The tear stains on his young cheeks stood out. Now he looked pale, shaken from the experience.

Eean was wrapping Hope's arm while Taylor stayed close. While the parents were clearly worried, Ari could see that the injury wasn't life threatening. She would probably just need to rest it for a few days and she would be back to normal. At least physically. None of them would be normal until they found the others.

Mara and Lando were standing off to the side talking with Chewie. The droids were off in the corner of the room near the information outlet, clearly working on something.

"What about Tiri?" Ben was still crying, but they had lessened slightly.

"She will be alright. We are going to get her back," Ari assured him. Then louder, she said. "We are going to get all of them back."

No one asked the important question of how they would get them back. Ari was grateful, because she wasn't sure. All she was certain about was that they would all do everything possible to rescue them.

Ari sat down on one of the sofas and Luke sat beside her. Ben crawled onto his mother's lap, still holding one of Luke's hands. Chewie, Lando, and Mara moved closer. It seemed as if being closer by proximity might help everyone feel better.

"Mistress Leia, could I assist you in anyway?" C-3PO asked.

"Keep helping R2 and R4. We need to find the transport."

"I told them the make and model," Mara explained.

"Thank you." It wasn't a lot to go on, but it was a starting place. She could see the others were looking at her, so she knew they wanted details about what had happened. Though she was disappointed to not have noticed the Force user before, she told them all the details. The rescue of the children, her encounter with the Force user, how the other children were together. Her fall through the air. Anything would help at this point.

"So they are taking Force sensitive children," Luke said. It wasn't even a question.

"And our children are certainly strong in it," Ari admitted.

"That is great, but how are we going to stop them?" Han asked.

"We need to find the transport. Then we will find them," Lando said. "We have connections, Han."

"Coruscant is big. You think we'll know everything?"

"No, but we can try."

"I have faced a few Force users, even those using the dark side," Taylor spoke up. "I know how it can feel. Even if a person is trying to hide themselves, there is a certain feel in the Force. It might take time and it will take all of us, but we can find them."

Ari was so grateful for Taylor. She had always been grateful to have met this Jedi. They had become friends and Taylor was always quick to offer her knowledge and experiences to help the others. She was young when the Jedi were hunted down, just a Padawan. Yet, she clearly remembered her lessons at the Temple and what her former Master, Siri Tachi taught her.

"And I will do what I can with the government," Leia said. Though she had practiced some of her Jedi training, she was much more comfortable with politics.

This means we have politics, some smuggler and black market connections and the Force Ari said, keeping her thoughts just aimed toward Luke. Will that be enough?

Luke's firm answer came back immediately. It has to be.