It has been several weeks since the ambush at Korriban. But for Anakin Skywalker the details of that day are still fresh in his mind. Tonight like many nights since then he sat alone at the computer console pouring over the holo recording left by his children's kidnapper, desperately trying to find a new piece of information he might have missed. A new detail that might have been overlooked. But yet again as always he found nothing. I'm missing something. There's got to be something here I'm not seeing. What is it? What am I not seeing? Anakin's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned to see Padm'e standing in the doorway. "Can't sleep", he said.
"Anakin how long can this go on? How long can you keep torturing yourself like this?"
"As long as it takes. Until we find them and their home. Until I know their safe. Until then I can't rest, can't sleep knowing their out there and not knowing if their cold, or hungry or if their scared. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to them."
"Nothing will happen to them Ani I promise."
"But something has happened to them Padm'e. We were suppose to keep them safe and we failed."
"We didn't fail Ani and you need to stop blaming yourself for something you had no control over."
"But it is my fault Padm'e. I should have seen it coming. I should have known something like this was going to happen."
"Oh Anakin ", she said taking him into her arms and kissing him.
The next day Padm'e woke Anakin up at dawn with an urgent message from the Jedi temple. Still half asleep Anakin made his way to the cockpit. Once there he activated the view screen. The view screen came online and Obi-Wan's image appeared. "Anakin!"
"This better be important Obi-Wan."
"I apologize for the earliness of the hour Anakin, but I found something or rather someone I think who might be of grate use to you."
"I'm listening."
"For the last few weeks I've been tracking…well for lack of a better fraise your clone and I believe—"
"Wait a minuet didn't the council say not to get involved?"
"As I was saying—"
"Obi-Wan!"
"Alright, yes they did." Anakin raised an eyebrow.
"Am I hearing this right? The grate Obi-Wan Kenobi disobeyed a direct order?"
"What you thought you were the only Jedi to ever break a rule", Obi –Wan asked rising an eyebrow? "No, I'm just the only Jedi under thirty to ever brake a rule."
"That isn't funny Anakin."
"Sorry Master."
"Anyway as I was saying I've been tracking your clone and I think I've found him."
"Where?"
"Ah, now that's where things get interesting. I found him on Ord Mantel."
"Ord Mantel? Why Ord Mantel?"
"I can't figure that one out either. Of all the planets in the galaxy Ord Mantel."
"Do the sith even exist on Ord Mantel?"
"The sith? Who said anything about the sith?"
"Cloning me was Palpatine's idea so it's obvious the sith are behind this."
"Now Anakin let's not jump to conclusions anyone involved with the empire could have known about Palpatine's plan anyone."
"I don't think so. Not many people knew about that room. The people who designed it, lab teaks, cleaning crews maybe but no one important."
"Still there's not enough proof to suggest sith involvement."
"Maybe." Silence. "So where do I meet you?"
"Ah I'm glad you asked actually I'm on my way to meet you now."
"But how do you know where I am?"
"Well…I may have put a tracking device on your hull,"
"You did what?"
"I did it years ago when you were still my Padawan."
"Oh so is that how you justify tracking me."
"I had to keep track of you didn't I? And besides you weren't the easiest person to keep track of admit it Anakin."
"All right! All right! I'll see you when you get here.
"Alright Anakin see you then. May the force be with you."
"May the force be with you Obi-Wan." Anakin ended the transmission.
"So what's the plan", Anakin asked as soon as Obi-Wan arrived?
"It's nice to see you too Anakin."
"Sorry Obi-Wan, I'm just so worried about the kids they're all I think about anymore."
"That's why I'm here Anakin, to find them and bring them home." Obi-Wan began to walk off in the opposite direction "Ah Obi-Wan, the conference room is this way."
"Oh yes." Opening the door Anakin let Obi-Wan pass before entering. Once inside they found Padm'e already there waiting for them. "Lady Skywalker."
"Obi-Wan."
"I feel I must apologize for the events that transpired on our last encounter."
"No apology needed Obi-Wan. We both said things we regret but please understand that I was acting out of emotions that I'm not accustomed to feeling and in no way were they directed towards you."
"I understand completely."
"Will you please sit down?"
"Oh thank you." Obi-Wan took a seat across from Anakin and Padm'e. "Now I think I know why Anakin's clone choose to go to Ord Mantel. As of recently there is a coal mind there that is attracting considerable attention. Besides the business men looking to profit off of the new found commodity but the new mind also is a safe haven for those who don't want to be found."
"But why take to children there", she asked?
"That's what I'm hoping to find out."
"So what's our next move then", he asked?
"We are going to infiltrate Ord Mantel."
A few hours later the small cruiser ascended upon the atmosphere of Ord Mantel. Anakin expertly landed the ship on the outskirts so as not to bring any unwanted attention. Anakin opened the hatch letting Obi-Wan and Padm'e out first. Then once he was sure they were out safely he also departed from the ship. Saying goodbye to Obi-wan Anakin and Padm'e walked off to their destination. "So what's our plan", Padm'e asked when they were half way down the road? "We're posing as overseers so we can get a look at the records to see if there's been any strange activity within the last month."
"Stranger then usual you mean." The two walked in silence for the rest of the journey until they reached their destination and then Anakin spoke once more. "We'll need aliases if we are to convince the other mind officials that we are who we say we are. I'll be Zanh Lars and you'll be Vola Reeta ."
"Lars?"
"I'm sure Owen won't mind besides it's the best I could come up with." Padm'e laughed
"Hey I said we needed aliases I didn't say they had to be good. Here are your papers. They have everything you need to get past the guards, don't loose them." Just as Anakin had finished speaking they came up on the central part of the minds where the records were kept and that is where they would be able to find them if indeed they were here. Anakin and Padm'e walked up to where all new overseers and other important officials came to check in. Anakin walked up to a clerk who was sitting behind a desk. "May I help you", the clerk said looking up from a stack of paperwork that was on his desk?
"Zanh Lars and Vola Reeta reporting for the annual record sweep." The clerk checked his clipboard. "You're not scheduled to arrive for another week." Padm'e glanced at Anakin. "The schedule was moved up there's new management at headquarters and he wants to see if everything is in order, you understand."
"One moment." The clerk went away but returned a moment later with a surprised look on his face. "It seems there has been a slight change in the schedule, this way." Padm'e flashed a surprised glance at Anakin then followed the clerk.
Sticking to the shadows Obi-Wan slowly made his way into the workers camp, scaling the wall Obi-Wan saw a bright light, following it Obi-Wan found a line of people filing into a rundown Air Bus. Obi-Wan knew that this was the bus that took new slaves to the minds for processing. Using the shadows as cover again he made his way into the lines unnoticed and climbed aboard the Air Bus. The plan was while Anakin and Padm'e searched the records for their missing children Obi-Wan would pose as a slave so that he could search for Anakin's clone. Once sure no one else had seen him Obi-Wan blended into the line of slaves and stowed aboard the small Air Bus.
A few days later Obi-Wan had heard nothing from Anakin and Padm'e fearing the worst Obi-Wan continued to search for Anakin's clone. So far he had no success, but he was confident he would find him soon. Obi-Wan looked up from the pile of cole he was shoveling into a ferrous but quickly looked down again. A guard was kicking a slave who had fallen behind on his work. Since Obi-Wan's arrival here he had learned to tune out such distractions, otherwise one could not survive under conditions such as these. It was a time like these that Obi-Wan really understood what life was like for his former apprentice. Suddenly an alarm rang and Obi-Wan knew it to be the alarm that signed it was time for the evening meal. When it was Obi-Wan's turn in the serving line he held up his bowl and was dispensed his meal. He felt his stomach turn at the sight of the green substance before him. Mission rations are fine dinning compared to this. Walking away Obi-Wan sat down to eat the discussing concoction. Just before Obi-wan could even take a sip he heard what sounded like a woman's scream. Looking up he saw a woman being beaten for not giving up her bowl of gruel. In a burst of speed Obi-Wan raced to her aid and just before the man delivered another blow to the helpless woman Obi-Wan punched him square in the face and the man went flying. Standing in front of the half beaten Obi-Wan met her eyes his face full of concern. "Are you alright", he asked?
"Mm hmm ", she said weakly. Obi-Wan offered her his hand, taking it she lifted herself up and on to her feet. "Thank you."
"What was that all about?"
"He wanted my food and I wouldn't let him have it so he hit me."
"Here." Obi-Wan handed her his bowl.
"No, I can't take this it's yours."
"I insist."
"But…won't you be hungry?"
"I can go a day without this trust me. Look at it this way you saved me from eating it." They both laughed. "My name is Obi-Wan, what's yours?"
"E…Ellie. My name is Ellie."
"Hello Ellie it's nice to meet you."
Meanwhile at headquarters under their new aliases Anakin and Padm'e continued to search the records for any poof that their children could be hidden on this planet with no success, but they knew that they had to keep trying. "Did you find anything", he asked? "Still nothing." Anakin sighed.
"There's got to be something we're missing, some scrape of evidence that we've overlooked!"
"Well unless someone came and erased everything I don't think we'll find anything of value."
"That's it!"
"What's it?"
"Erased! The data must have been erased. Oh Padm'e you're a genius!"
"Erased? But how is that possible?"
"its simple all someone would have to do is open the data base select the file they want and wipe it clean. I don't know why I didn't think of this before."
"But how do you know if it was erased?"
"Whoever erased it should have left behind a residual trail. If I can pinpoint it I may be able to restore the data." Anakin bent over the computer console searching for any indication that a file was erased. There it was appearing out of nowhere a vary fait but visible energy serge. "Got it!" Anakin traced the energy serge back to its starting point. A moment later Anakin had retrieved the erased data. "Here it is." Anakin scrolled down the list of files. "Here we go: Spaceport comings and goings."
"But how do we know which ship they come on when we never saw what it looks like?" That thought had never occurred to Anakin before. How would they know? All they had to go on was a holo recording. They hadn't even heard anyone in the house let alone their own children's screams, if in fact they screamed at all. To be onus Anakin wasn't sure if he was really cloned at all. Yes it was his image on the holo recording but he wasn't completely convinced of its legitimacy. Reason being recordings tampered with or faked, and two with Palpatine dead there was no one else who knew about the cloning lab (unless you count the people who built it and the lab technicians.) Otherwise no one else knew about the secret lab. So it was nearly impossible that he could have been cloned especially since Anakin had not given him a DNA sample. But even if there was a remote chance however unlikely it may be Anakin had to investigate it, he owed his children that much. So Anakin had to think. If I were an evil clone what kind of ship would I have? He thought back to when he was Darth Vader. What kind of ship would Darth Vader use? Then it came to him. "A TIE fighter!"
"What?"
"Look in the database for a TIE fighter." Padm'e scanned the database for any record of a TIE fighter. "According to this one docked here a week ago."
"Dose it say if it's still here?" Padm'e scrolled down the database.
"It is, but it's scheduled to leave in two days."
"That doesn't leave us much time .WE should contact Obi-Wan he'll know what to do."
"All workers report to sleeping quarters", a voice screamed over the intercom. That Obi-Wan knew was the signal that the work day has finished. Obi-Wan slowly made his way to the workers quarters when his comlink beeped. Obi-Wan looked both ways, making sure no one saw him. Once sure the coast was clear Obi-Wan hid behind a rock formation and activated his comlink "Anakin where in blazes name have you been?"
"I'm fine and how are you?"
"Anakin do you have any idea what It's like down here? I was beginning to think you were dead. Have you found anything yet?"
"I appreciate the concern and yes we have found something."
"Well?"
"According to the docking records which we recovered after someone erased them a TIE fighter docked here a week ago and a TIE fighter can only mean one thing…"
"The Empire. Is it still here?"
"Well that's what we contacted you about. Yes it's still here but according to the records it's scheduled to leave in two days."
"Well that doesn't leave us much time now does it? So what's our plan?"
"It's not safe to
discuss over the comlink wait until the power in your complex goes
out then meet us by the ship then we'll work out a game plan. May
the force be with you."
"And with you Anakin." With that the
connection was severed.
That night as soon as the power went out and Obi-Wan was sure everyone was asleep he began his trek through the minds and to the outskirts. He was half way to the ship when he felt someone was following him. In a flash his lightsaber and he had wrestled the intruder to the ground. "No don't hurt me please I…I just wanted to know where you were going. I sorry Obi-Wan!" Obi-Wan backed away startled.
"Ellie? What are you doing here?"
"You're…you're a Jedi?"
"I'm sorry I lied but it was necessary that I keep a low profile."
"But…but what are the Jedi doing here?"
"There's no time to explain right now I have to meet someone it's vary important."
"There are more of you?"
"Two actually ",Obi-Wan said turning to leave.
"Wait!" Obi-Wan turned back around. "Take me with you."
"Take you where?"
"On your ship. I promise I won't be any trouble."
"But you don't understand I'm not leaving."
"Your not?"
"No."
"Then if you're not leaving why are you going to your ship?"
"Like I said I have to meet someone." Obi-Wan walked away.
"Wait for me."
When Obi-Wan and Ellie finally reached the ship Anakin and Padm'e were already their waiting for them. "Who is this", Anakin asked when Obi-Wan was finally in ear shot?
"A friend", Obi-Wan said.
"Dose this friend have a name?"
"I'm Ellie."
Hello Ellie I'm Anakin Skywalker and this is my wife Padm'e.
"Hello."
"Hello."
"Well now that we're all properly introduced can you please tell us what was so important that it couldn't be said over the comlink?"
"The reason Obi-Wan we couldn't reveal our plan over the comlink is we needed to maintain complete secrecy."
"I don't understand what's going on", Ellie asked? They both looked at Obi-Wan.
"You haven't told her?"
"Told me what?"
"The reason we're here Ellie…a few weeks ago Anakin's children were kidnapped."
"Oh that's horrible! I'm so sorry."
"We followed the kidnapper here and if we don't catch him in two days he'll escape and we won't know where to find him. So you see we must find him the children's lives depend on it." He turned to Anakin. "Please continue." Before Anakin could open his mouth they heard what sounded like someone wrestling in the bushes up ahead. "What was that", Padm'e asked?
"We'll check it out." Activating their lighsaber's Anakin and Obi-Wan silently approached the bush. Carefully they moved the bush aside, peering in they found nothing there. "That's odd."
"Vary odd indeed", Obi-Wan agreed. Suddenly Obi-Wan felt a cool breeze on the back of his neck. Turning around slowly for an instant Obi-Wan could not believe what he was seeing. "Anakin?"
"That would be my clone", Anakin said leaning over to whisper in his ear.
"I knew that."
"On your knees", the clone demanded! Obi-Wan glanced over at Anakin.
"Do as he says I don't want him hurting my children."
"Wise move Skywalker, now on your knees!" Anakin and Obi-Wan seemed to kneel down but at the last possible second they leaped into the air, lightsaber's in hand. Upon their landing however he was nowhere in sight. Obi-Wan felt a disturbance in the force and turned around just in time to stop the clone's lightsaber from piercing him in the back. A moment later Anakin came running up to help his former master. Soon all three were dueling. "You think you can defeat me", the clone hissed?
"You're a clone of me remember? We share the same weaknesses."
"Not all the same weaknesses." The clone leapt into the air so fast that no one knew he was gone until it was too late. The clone landed in front of Padm'e and before either Anakin or Obi-Wan knew what was going on the clone had locked Padm'e into a headlock. Padm'e screamed. "Anakin!"
"Padm'e!" Anakin ran towards her as fast as his legs could carry him. When he finally reached her he saw that the clone was holding a poisoned needle to her neck. "Padm'e doesn't move it's poisoned."
"Like I said not all the same weaknesses." The clone pierced Padm'e's neck with the needle and vanished. Padm'e fell to the ground. "No!", Anakin screamed. He ran to her, picking her up he held her in his arms. "No Padm'e, please don't die. Please, I need you."
Obi-Wan and Ellie came running over. "Anakin what happened?"
"Poison…he poisoned her." Anakin buried his face in her hair.
"Anakin", she said weakly
"Yes angel", he sobbed tears running down his face?
"Help me."
"Come on Anakin let's get her inside." Anakin nodded picked up his wife and carried her to the ship.
Three hours later their ship descended on Coruscant 's spaceport and already there was a med team outside waiting for them. The hatch opened and Anakin came out with his wife in his arms who at the moment was unconscious .A med tech came up put her on a bed and wheeled her away.. Anakin's hart filled with dread as he watched her fade out of view and he wondered if he'd ever see her again. Just then a med tech came walking up. "Sir would you like to wait for your wife in the waiting room?" Anakin nodded and followed the tech into the waiting room.