Anakin Skywalker had been in quite a few nasty places in his life. Some had been painfully hot or cold, some had noxious fumes, and still others just smelled bad.

No matter what the environment was like, the worst place to be on any planet was in the clutches of an enemy...especially if said enemy enjoyed treating you like garbage for entertainment.

It was far from the first time that Anakin had been captured. But he had liked to think that no enemy had him in their clutches more than once...at least not for more than a few minutes. It had been years since the Jedi had seen the inside of a prison, much less been a tenant in one. It would be too easy to attribute that to his own personal skill. Anakin preferred to credit it equally to his own wits and the Force.

There had been a lead about the group of pirates who had escaped judgment on Balmorra. They were said to be hiding out in the place that the infamous Hondo Onaka's group had long ago called home. Upon arriving to investigate, Anakin found the rumors to be true; there were pirates on Vanqor again. But these were not of the same cut as the previous tenants. Hondo Onaka and his band at least made a show of being polite and businesslike.

That wasn't the case this time. They had emerged with blasters drawn and, upon hearing who Anakin was and what he was there for, holed themselves up in their makeshift fort and refused to come out. Mind tricks hadn't worked in this lot, as they had Yinchorri acting as guards. Anakin remembered drawing his lightsaber to prepare for 'aggressive negotiations', deflecting the bolts, and the constant strong sense of danger. Then something had stung his neck and the world had suddenly gone hazy. The Jedi had collapsed into a dead faint.

When he awoke he was in a cell, shackled at the wrists and ankles, and fighting off a terrible headache. The gleeful bragging of a nearby guard told Anakin that a dart to the neck was what had brought him down. Rather than the usual poison it had been tipped with a strong sedative.

It wasn't long before the leader of the gang had come in to sneer at his victim. It was another Weequay, dressed much like the others but wearing a set of nicer clothes and a set of armbands made of precious metals. His knotted dreadlocks had been cropped close to his head and a thick scar ran from the left eye to the right cheek, giving him a permanent scowl. Apparently something had happened to his left side as a whole, because both left arm and left leg were crude but serviceable prosthetics and the left eye was cybernetic.

"So," mused the pirate, arms crossed as he peered through the green-tinged force field. He lifted his left leg and settled the booted foot on a shipping crate. Servomotors made a metallic grind. "This is the Jedi who made such a racket at our front door." He spoke with the same accent as Hondo, though his voice was several octaves deeper.

"You started it," croaked Anakin, who by then was just barely coming out of consciousness. "I just came to ask a few questions." Already he was mentally weighing his condition against the number of pirates and what fortifications he could see.

"We so dislike having company," sighed the pirate. "It spoils everything. But since you are here, I suppose we must make an exception, Jedi...what did you say your name was, again?"

"Anakin Skywalker." Said Jedi carefully gathered his legs beneath him and inspected his bonds. Anti-tamper stun cuffs. They sent out a painful shock if meddled with and were almost impossible to open with no key, Force or no Force. And of course his lightsaber was gone. He couldn't help but flinch when he noticed that.

The pirate glanced over his shoulder at his accomplices. "Did you hear that? We captured the legendary Anakin Skywalker." He grinned while his band laughed loudly. "Missing something, Skywalker?"

Poodoo. Anakin straightened his spine and weighed his options. Escape would certainly be difficult without a lightsaber, but it wasn't impossible. It had happened before...though Anakin hadn't been alone, then. There had always been someone else around to help. Now he was on his own.

But no, he wasn't. There was always the Force. If I could just distract them long enough to wake up a little more... "What about you?" he asked presently.

The pirate leader frowned. "What about me?"

Anakin shrugged a stiff shoulder. "I introduced myself. It'd be rude for you not to do the same."

The pirate laughed in derision and leaned on his mechanical knee. "Rude! As you can well see, Jedi, we are not at all familiar with what is considered rude. And what we do know...we do not care about." More laughter from the cronies. Finally the pirate brought his leg down from the crate and shrugged without concern. "No matter. I was planning on introducing myself anyway. I am Anto Bakara. The name is not familiar to you?"

Again, Anakin shrugged. While he had developed an uncanny ability to remember names and faces, even from years before, this one escaped him.

Bakara's eyes narrowed and all pretense vanished from his face. "No. You would not know the name of a man you killed."

The declaration had taken Anakin aback. "What are you talking about?"

Bakara nodded to one of the guards, who switched off the force field. The pirate stepped into the cell, crouched painfully down on one knee, and glared directly in Anakin's eyes. "The pirates demanding their fair share on Balmorra. The one with the blue bandanna was Rando Bakara. He was my brother."

Anakin, scouring his mind, recalled one young-looking Weequay in the group at Balmorra who wore a blue bandanna. He had been wounded in the arm by a ricochet and still managed to flee in one of the transports. "I do remember him. He was injured, but I didn't kill him. As a matter of fact, he was one of the pirates to take a ship and run. A shot in the arm shouldn't have been fatal."

Bakara glared angrily at Anakin. "He is dead! He was the only one aboard with knowledge of the ship, and so was the pilot. His injury caused him to crash...because of you!"

What in the name of...? Anakin blinked. Truth and grief rang in the pirate's voice, but something wasn't right. A pirate died from his own foolishness, and his brother captures me? "Your brother was trying to kill me and my children. I was only defending myself and them. I didn't want to kill anyone." The Jedi sighed. Feeling had returned to his limbs by then, and he was mentally picking a path through the pirates should reason fail him again. If all else failed he might be able to push his way through with the Force. In the meantime he felt obligated to try and calm the angry Bakara. "Look. Ando...I'm sorry your brother died. I didn't know he was going to fly that ship. If I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have hurt anyone. But you have it wrong; I didn't kill your brother. Even if I did, capturing or killing me won't bring him back."

The speech did nothing to change Bakara's mood. If anything he was even angrier. He scoffed. "You think I am a fool, Jedi Skywalker, that I do not see what you are trying to do? You talk only long enough to regain your strength before you kill us all! Let me tell you, Jedi...you will not have the chance."

Anakin chose that moment to drop to one knee and go into a tuck-and-roll, pulling Bakara's blaster out of his hands with the Force and tossing it aside. He then cleared a path through the other pirates with the Force, and managed to loosen the cuffs around his ankles so he could get up and run, ducking and dodging blaster bolts. Mental nudges to the cuffs around his wrists had worse results. It was only after the explosion of pain and the smell of singed wiring that he realized the stun cuffs must somehow be tied into the mechanics of his synthetic hand and forearm. He winced and stumbled.

That was enough of an opening for the pirates to be on him. Six fell on top of him and pummeled him, pinning every limb in place. If they were tossed aside with the Force, more piled on. It took another jolt from the stun cuffs to make Anakin submit...at least for the moment. He was still recovering from the sedatives, and the fists that had connected had left marks. Now was not the time to fight.

The Jedi stifled a yelp as the pirates hauled him up by his elbows. He eyed Bakara. "What do you want from me?" he croaked, trying to wipe his bloody nose. "If you're looking for a bounty, or ransom, forget it. The Republic doesn't negotiate with your kind."

Bakara scoffed as he circled Anakin. "I want no money, Jedi. Hondo tried ransoming Jedi before, and look where it got him."

Anakin's mouth quirked to one side at the memory. "Smart move. So, what's in it for you holding me here?" Seeing the cold look in Bakara's eyes made even that small smirk disappear. "Killing me won't solve anything."

The pirate swore and wheeled around to glare at Anakin. He seemed to wish for lasers to turn Anakin into a pile of ash. "I am not a child. Do not speak to me as if I was one! Besides that, I have no wish to kill you. I cannot take revenge on a dead man."

Torture, then. Anakin took a deep breath to calm the twist in his stomach. "Maybe you should. I'm not an easy man to contain for very long." Of course Anakin wasn't suicidal, but any time that could be bought should be taken advantage of.

Bakara slowly shook his head before turning to meet Anakin's eyes again. "You Jedi have patience, yes? Well, it is not enough for what I have planned. I swear upon my dead brother that you shall wish for death long before I finish."

Before Anakin could react any more, he caught sight of a syringe out of the corner of his eye. A brief stabbing pain assaulted his spine, and every limb went utterly limp. He collapsed to the floor in a heap.

:=v=: :=v=: :=v=:

Bakara's threats hadn't been idle. The injection given to Anakin paralyzed him from the neck down, though every limb still had feeling. Bakara took full advantage of this. His goal seemed to be inflicting as much pain as possible. Anakin, after he was suspended by his arms, expected the standard beatings and electrocutions. But the pirate's twisted sense of justice demanded another way. So he chose Anakin's lightsaber.

For the first few hours Anakin wasn't sure if he kept passing out from the pain or as a side effect from the injection. Either way it was a mercy. Bakara didn't do anything reckless like hack off appendages. He worked with cold efficiency, dealing shallow cuts to every joint and major muscle group one at a time until it wouldn't matter when the paralytic injection wore off. Anakin would be in too much agony to even move.

After two days it seemed to be working. While the injection was wearing off, the Jedi could hardly do anything but lie on the floor and moan. He was trying to heal himself with the Force during those rare periods of respite. So far it didn't seem to be working very well. Bakara had noticed this and just re-injured his prisoner. Any attempts at taking back his lightsaber with the Force failed miserably, and just doubled the torture session. It was enough to make most men give up.

Anakin wasn't most men, or even most Jedi. Despite the long odds against him he steadily refused to give up on escape. He had to get out, if nothing else for the sake of his family. Thoughts of Padme, Luke, and Leia often comforted him, though he knew his children could feel his pain. Would they tell anyone about it? The only other one that knew anything had happened was Artoo, who had stayed with the ship. He could still give word that something was wrong. Would the Jedi send anyone to help? Anakin didn't want to count on it, though escape without help was looking less and less likely. His only thought was to keep his children from getting into the same predicament.

Stay where you are, he kept thinking. Don't come for me. I'll be all right as long as I know you two are safe.

Something told him that neither twin would do so without a fight.

:=v=: :=v=: :=v=:

Jedi Sentinels were often considered the loners of the order. Theirs was the job of keeping peace in the farthest corners of the galaxy, and as a result some didn't see the Temple for years at a time. Most of them liked it that way.

As far as Sentinels went, Ahsoka Tano was a bit more of a 'homebody' than her peers and liked to make it back to the Core at least twice at year. Half of this was to check in with her former master and close friend Anakin Skywalker. Lately the young Togruta had been getting more communiqués than ever from him, mostly about his twin children. It troubled Ahsoka that Leia didn't have a master yet. So she was headed back to Coruscant again to ask the Council about taking the girl on herself. Ahsoka didn't know Leia as well as she would have liked, but it was still better than most. She only hoped the young girl would be all right with the idea. Anakin certainly seemed enthusiastic about it.

But something was wrong. Ahsoka could sense it even as she came out of hyperspace. For one thing, neither child was on Coruscant. That wasn't necessarily unusual for Luke. He was going on missions with Obi-Wan now. And though Leia wasn't anyone's formal student, she might have been home on Naboo visiting her mother. Somehow Ahsoka didn't think this was the case. Her unease only increased when she was called directly into the Council chambers.

It wasn't a formal session. That much was obvious. Half of the Council members were standing with grave expressions and Obi-Wan was reporting in via hologram. A red-eyed Luke was at his side.

Mace Windu turned to beckon to her. "Come in, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka bowed even as her stomach continued to twist. "If this is a bad time, Master, I can come back later."

Master Windu sighed and shook his head. "No. It's just as well. In a way this concerns you, as it concerns the one you wish to take on as a Padawan."

Ahsoka's heart sank. If Luke was crying, then- "Has something happened to Leia?"

Obi-Wan pursed his lips. "No...not yet, anyway. But I'm afraid she's putting herself into harm's way."

Plo Koon sat as he usually did with steepled fingertips. "It seems that both Luke and Leia Skywalker have received visions that their father is in grave danger. Leia acted on this vision and stole a fighter in an attempt to rescue him...despite orders to the contrary."

"That sounds familiar," grimaced Ahsoka. She remembered disobeying many orders to save her master, or even a friend. "But then, that means Anakin-"

"Not necessarily," granted Plo Koon. "But moments ago we received a message from Skywalker's droid. Anakin has been missing for the past forty-eight hours and has left any communication since."

"Oh, no." Ahsoka felt her heart reach the toes of her boots. It was a struggle to keep her emotions in check as she realized what this meant. "I knew something was wrong, even before I landed. Masters, I don't want to speak out of turn, but this must be enough evidence to show that Anakin is in some kind of trouble...something that could put his life in danger."

Yoda nodded. "Aware of this we are, young Ahsoka. But also resourceful is Skywalker. Escaped from many pressing situations, he has."

Ahsoka's emotions wanted to argue the point, but she had to nod. Yoda was right. Anakin had gotten out of countless 'impossible' situations before, besides which the Jedi had still not recovered from their losses during the Clone Wars. Sending in half a dozen to help the second most powerful Jedi in history was unneeded. She turned to the boy at Obi-Wan's side. "Excuse me, Master Kenobi...Luke? Do you remember where your father was in your vision...who had him, or what was happening to him?"

Luke choked back further tears. "I don't know...I couldn't tell where, but I could see a bunch of Weequay like we met on Balmorra. They're hurting him..." The boy closed his eyes for a moment. when they opened, there was desperation. "Isn't anyone going to help him?"

Obi-Wan squeezed Luke's shoulder. "Your father will be all right, Luke. Honestly, it's Leia I'm more worried about," he confessed, surveying the group. "She's done something very rash and foolish setting off on her own."

Ki-Adi Mundi nodded. "I concur. It is she, not her father, who is in more need of rescue."

"I'll go," blurted Ahsoka without hesitation. "My ship isn't fancy, but she's fast, and she's got a cargo hold big enough for a fighter...and if it comes to it, a tractor beam."

"We thought you might say that," nodded Master Windu. "Thank you, Ahsoka. You'll get the coordinates immediately."

"Right. Where am I going?"

"Vanqor."

Ahsoka hid her grimace. She'd been there before, and never under pleasant circumstances. The planet was notorious for two reasons; the first, it was home to the riffraff of the galaxy.

Second, it was the native planet of gundarks. Ahsoka had only ever met one, and she wanted to keep it that way. But her heart kept being tugged toward Anakin. Maybe if she intercepted Leia quickly enough, she could check in on her old master, just to make sure he didn't need any help as the Council seemed to think.

Obi-Wan looked thoughtful. "Master Windu, if I may...there is nothing urgent about Luke and I's mission here, and we're within three parsecs of Vanqor. And Luke may have more success in convincing his sister to come quietly."

Half the Council pursed their lips and shook their heads. The other half didn't react beyond crossing their arms. None of them looked surprised.

After exchanging a glance with Yoda, Master Windu sighed heavily. "You're a senior council-member, Obi-Wan. When you complete a mission is at your discretion. Only, Luke...please don't take this as permission to follow your sisters' example. You're to help recover her, and nothing else. Understood?"

For a moment it looked as if Luke might protest. At last he sighed and nodded. "Yes, Master Windu."

The bearded Jedi Master nodded in relief. "Then my Padawan and I will rendezvous with Ahsoka at Vanqor."

Ahsoka's eyebrows shot up. Obi-Wan, bending the rules? He's been spending too much time around Skywalkers...