Chapter 13
Their trek through the bowels of the city continued, Padmé trusting her memory to lead her in the right direction. Coupled with Anakin's Force enhanced instincts they made good time and avoided any further mishaps.
Padmé was still sopping wet when they finally felt a breeze beginning to penetrate the tunnels and she turned her face into it. "We're getting close, Skywalker. Now we'll find out if our information is worth the price I paid."
He leaned in close. Anakin had chosen to get drenched after she'd been inundated, and the smell that had been clinging to them from the raw sewage was almost gone. Which would now, hopefully work in their favor. "What's next, Captain?"
She glanced at him before looking back up, this time straight at a grate that was in the roof and pointed. "That's where the water comes from and we need to get in. If we time it just right we should avoid being dragged to our deaths."
"You're not asking much from a tired Jedi Master are you?"
She smirked. "Need a rest?"
"Only if you do."
One eyebrow arched. "Is some inconsiderate person keeping you up at nights, Master Jedi?"
His look turned positively molten and she was suddenly dragged against him, aligning hip to hip, her feet dangling off the ground. "On the contrary, Captain. A very considerate Lady of Fortune is teaching me all about the value of inconsideration."
She winked at him. "I bet they don't involve sweeping you off your feet."
"Figuratively speaking." His lips settled over hers.
She reluctantly pulled back after several sizzling moments of fire. "I hate to break it to you, Skywalker, but this is neither the time nor the place for antics. If we don't hurry, we're going to wash away when the next deluge happens."
His reluctance to release her was obvious in ever movement as she was slowly put back on her feet. His eyes shone with promise as he ducked to catch her lips in one last quick, hard kiss before turning to the task at hand. "Just stealing a little of that fire, Padmé, to see me through."
She swatted him, but he wasn't paying her any attention, the lightsaber already on its way up the shaft. She narrowed her gaze, looking from the hilt to Anakin's waist and back. The rope that had been tied around him was now tied to the lightsaber and climbing towards the grate at alarming speed.
Anakin's hand came up as it neared, slowing it quickly. Two motions later the lightsaber had sliced through, at an angle, a hatch in the grate. The lightsaber shut off, and Padmé lost it in the darkness. Anakin's face was strained, his hand moving in an intricate movement she didn't completely understand.
Several tense minutes later, the lightsaber came back to rest in his hand, missing the rope which was still hanging suspended in the darkness between them, the other end attached to Padmé still. Anakin wiped the sweat off his brow and, without a word, leapt upwards to disappear in the darkness. The rope jerked, dancing before her eyes, and Padmé finally understood.
He'd been tying the rope to the grate.
Show off.
She pulled her flight gloves from one jacket pocket and slipped them on before gripping the rope tightly. The tension increased as she dropped the slack to the ground and stood on it. The jerkiness of Anakin's actions smoothed out and she could feel his speed along the length increase. Mentally she ticked off the minutes before the next water release.
It was going to be close.
Anakin's weight suddenly disappeared from the rope and she tugged it once, ensuring it was secure - which was ridiculous since Anakin weighed more than she did and had scaled it without problem - before jumping upwards several feet and latching on. She inched upwards, careful to keep her movements fluidic for fear of sending herself swinging like a pendulum in the center of the shaft. She shook her head in frustration; blasted Jedi anyway - didn't he know that climbing with the help of a wall would have been easier?
Then, as if her thoughts had conjured him, the rope tugged taught on his end and she herself starting to rise at a faster pace. One careful tug later, she had the rope wrapped around her wrist for a better grip. The wind rushed past her as her speed increased again, climbing as she practically flew up the shaft. A reluctant grin tugged at her lips. Jedi certainly had their uses, especially this one.
She shot through the hole cut in the grate and was pulled from the air directly into Anakin's grasp. The sound of the cut piece of grate sliding back into place was almost inaudible over the rest of the noise.. Noise! She darted a look up, seeing the valve beginning to open.
"Skywalker!"
Anakin followed her gaze. His lightsaber flared for a moment, cutting through the synth cord that held her tied to the grating and in a flash jumped straight upwards into the valve. They passed beyond the aperture mere seconds before water crashed into it, catching their feet as they shot into the clear. Anakin reached out with one hand to grab the ledge surrounding the flow and caught it with his finger tips as the water rushed past beneath them.
Padmé, still clutched in his other arm, stared at him with grudging respect. "You sure know how to make an entrance."
The grin she loved so much creased his lips. "Anything to impress the girl of my dreams. Where to from here?"
Her heart lurched at his words but she pushed it aside. They didn't have time for nonsense if they wanted to get off planet alive. "Up."
"Hold on; I'm going to try and pull us up."
Padmé slipped her arms around his neck, allowing him to free his other hand. He shifted, swinging slightly to bring his other hand up and grip the ledge. Then, to Padmé's complete surprise, he used nothing more than his fingers to haul them to safety.
"That's-"
"Impossible?" He winked at her. "Nothing's impossible with the Force. I thought you'd be used to that idea by now."
"How'd you do it?"
He shrugged, rolling his shoulders as if to stretch abused muscles. "The Force is my ally. It gives me the ability to enhance my muscles temporarily."
"Can any Jedi do that?"
"Those that are trained, yes."
"Oh." She didn't quite know how to take this particular detail; it opened many possibilities beyond the uses she'd just seen. She pushed to her feet, tucking the information away for a later date. "Come on; we're almost to the exit point."
"Are you sure this leads out by the space port?"
A crooked smile crossed her lips. "You said you trust me."
"To my detriment." He waved her to lead on. "You're going to kill me, you know that right?"
The look she slanted him was almost malicious. "I intend to, Master Jedi; but not until we're back on the Blue Skies as I intend to see you die a happy man."
He caught her hand, dragging her to a halt and caught her off guard with a rough kiss. "If I die today, Padmé, I'll die happy. Just try to keep yourself out of trouble, alright?"
"Likewise, Skywalker." She tugged her hand away, pushing down the urge to tell him her feelings now, before the fight they were expecting. If she did, it'd be as good as saying she didn't expect to live and she was, if nothing else, a survivor. "Come on; let's get this over with."
He didn't argue, but he also didn't answer, simply fell into step with her once more as they headed for the exit.
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"Hulgar."
The Anosian jerked at the soft hiss, turning slightly to try and find the source.
Padmé suppressed a smile, extending one hand from the grating behind which she and Skywalker were crouched. She beckoned.
Hulgar looked left and right, checking to see if he was being followed, before backing up to lean against the wall next to the grate. He kept a careful eye out and Padmé nodded approvingly, though he couldn't see her. "I thought you were dead."
"The rumors are highly exaggerated." Padmé's dry response did little to put her friend at ease. "How's my ship?"
"About to be impounded." Hulgar's words were clipped and soft. "I've done all I can, Captain Naberrie, but bribes don't work on these troopers. They insist I get the ship ready for impounding."
"Then that's what you'll do." Padmé would have laughed at Hulgar's incredulous expression if the situation hadn't been so serious. "Just tell them you'll have to take it over yourself or the Captain will be far more unpleasant than the Emperor."
"I can't; if I don't do as they say, I'm dead."
"Hulgar."
"Master Skywalker?"
Anakin's grimace was barely visible to Padmé as he spoke to her friend. "Cooperate with them. I'll handle the toppers outside, but you need to get Padmé on board. Can you do that?"
"I think so."
"Good. I didn't want to have to cut my way in and make her un-space worthy. Once Padmé's on board, let them take it to impound, understand?"
Hulgar nodded, though he didn't appear to understand at all. "What about you, Master Skywalker?"
Anakin's grin was lost on the Anosian, but his feral response was not. "I'm going to bust her out."
"Won't they expect that?"
"I'm counting on it. Where should Padmé meet you?"
"The collections department building." Hulgar was starting to look nervous. "Fifteen minutes."
"Done. Remember, reluctantly obey; we don't want you in danger."
"Yes sir. Good luck." Hulgar moved away from the grate, effectively ending their discussion.
Padmé turned to Anakin. "You realize it's going to be expensive to keep him quite?"
"Add it to Bail's tab; or mine. Whichever."
Her grin was wolfish. "If I took all my payments in the form I accept yours, my ship would never make it off the ground. Come on; we don't have much time."
They backed into the tunnels, Padmé glancing about to ensure they had the right bearings and then stepped out in the direction of the collections department.
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It took ten minutes to work their way around to the proper building, finally stopping directly below the staging area behind it. Padmé let Anakin work his magic, cutting through the roof on an angle so the plug would fit back nicely, and just shy of the surface so his lightsaber wouldn't be visible. He shut his weapon down once finished and brushed the dirt from his face.
"This is going to take careful timing." Padmé considered him. "Are you sure you'll be able to hear my signals?"
"Jedi hearing."
She rolled her eyes. "Twenty minutes from the time we hit the impound, I expect you to be latching yourself into the co-pilot's seat in one piece."
"You do your part, I'll handle mine. Be careful, Padmé. I wouldn't want to lose you at this point in our quest."
"Lose me, Master Jedi?" She cocked her head at him coyly. "I still have a debt to collect and a promise to keep. I wouldn't dream of it." She turned, taking a step towards the cut he'd made, but his hand on her arm held her back. "Was there something else?"
Anakin's expression was one of fierce, tender emotion. "Just one."
She arched an eyebrow in silent query.
"When this is all over with, Captain Naberrie, your last name is going to become Skywalker."
She blinked, caught completely by surprise for the second time in as many hours, and he didn't let her get her equilibrium back. He pulled her close, kissing her soundly before placing her back on her feet and disappearing back through the tunnels.
Padmé raised her hand to her tingling lips, staring after him in shock. He was crazy if he thought she would marry him just because he said so! And yet, despite the silent command in his words, her stomach still fluttered in a funny pattern at the thought. Skywalker's wife. The images the idea conjured were enough to make her heart race - and not with trepidation!
A sound from above brought her back to reality and she mentally shook herself, pushing the thought with some difficulty to the back of her mind to concentrate on the task at hand. She cocked her ear, listening, and then, bracing her back against the plug Anakin had cut, she heaved upwards.
There was a brief moment where the plug sat firm before the sound of something tearing above drifted down to her and the plug was pushed up and out of its hole. Padmé scrambled quickly through before replacing it with a quick shove. It slid back into place and, with a minor adjustment, sat seamlessly against the ground.
She looked around, tilting her head this way and that as she listened for signs that someone had heard her. Nothing. She darted across the ground and knelt next to one of the packing crates in the area.
Footsteps echoed softly as they approached the staging area, and her hand dropped to free her blaster from its holster. It slid almost thoughtlessly into her grip, coming up to the ready position as she peered around the crate. She relaxed almost immediately.
Hulgar. Right on time.
He was looking down at a datapad, appearing to study the contents, but she could see how his gaze flicked left and right, to see if he was being followed. She could also read the tense set of his shoulders and the way his nostrils twitched; he was nervous and trying to hide it.
She crept forward to another crate, checking behind him to see if he was being followed. Hulgar disappeared into the shack that qualified as the collection's office, and Padmé waited. She waited past their appointed meeting time, creeping forward and staying out of sight, until she was near the door, just around the corner. Hulgar, she could see, was pacing back and forth inside; waiting.
Twenty minutes had elapsed before he exited the shack and she made her move. Rising swiftly, she placed the blaster to the back of his head, caught him around the mouth, and dragged him with a sharp tug into the shadow. His muffled exclamation traveled no further than her ears as he hit the ground with a grunt. She moved around him, keeping her hand over his mouth, and then smiled when she saw relief take over his features. She released him, confident he'd keep quiet.
Hulgar let out a shaky breath. "I thought you were the clones."
"Not the last time I checked." She returned dryly. "What's the plan."
"I thought you had one."
She shrugged, holstering her blaster and crouching in front of him. "I like to talk right in the front door. Does that work for you?"
"You're the pilot taking her to the impound?"
Padmé grinned. "Do you still have those fake ID I gave you?"
"The one that says you're Nightwing Klatt? Yeah; somewhere. Why?"
"Nightwing is a pilot who can fly my ship. Get it; I'll meet you back here."
"What'll you be doing?"
Padmé smirked, tapping her forehead with one finger. "Becoming Nightwing. Be quick Hulgar, or they'll use someone else to pilot my ship."
He nodded, scrambling to his feet and was off like a shot.
Padmé checked to make sure she wasn't being watched and then ducked into the shack to look for what she was going to need.