The beast screamed in pain as twin white blades slashed through left front and right middle paws; the third and fourth such wounds it had been dealt in as many minutes. It glared through yellow eyes at its enemy, sized her up, and snorted through four nostrils. The enormous red and brown gundark was missing two paws and one of its huge ears, and the Togruta had barely been nicked. Maybe it would find an easier meal elsewhere. With another feral cry, it turned and hobbled back into its cave as fast as it could.

Ahsoka still stood in a ready stance with her two white sabers held at the ready as the gundark retreated. She waited until the echoing cry had faded away before lowering her weapons with a shudder.

She had landed on the planet relatively close to the settlement that seemed to be the most likely hiding place for a band of ne'er-do-wells. It was only afterward that she'd received word from Luke and Obi-Wan that they'd picked up the tracking signal for Anakin's ship and were going to land nearby. It was nearly three kilometers away, so Ahsoka was in for a long walk. The young Togruta had not gone far before this gundark had attacked.

No one ever said the life of a Jedi is boring, Ahsoka reminded herself as she clipped the sabers back to her belt. The sense of personal danger had faded and soon she sensed two fellow Jedi approach. They certainly weren't wasting any time. When she rounded the nearest corner she found Obi-Wan and Luke running toward her with sabers in hand.

Ahsoka waved. Normally she would make some kind of wisecrack about how late the two of them were...but now wasn't the time.

"Master Tano! Are you all right?" asked a breathless Luke as he skidded to a stop not far from her.

"What happened to you?" Obi-Wan wanted to know. He eyed Ahsoka's torn tunic and the scratches on her head.

"Apparently a gundark thought I'd make a nice snack. When he found out that my bite was worse than his, he decided to leave me alone," explained Ahsoka. "I'll be all right," she added when she saw Luke's look of concern.

"Well, then...let's find the wayward Youngling." Obi-Wan led the way through the narrow canyon from which he and Luke had come.

Ahsoka had to jog to keep up. "Do you have any idea where Leia might be?"

Obi-Wan pressed his lips into a thin line. "We found the Delta-wing less than half a kilometer away from Anakin's ship. Artoo-Detoo was quite agitated when we met up with him. It seems that despite his protests, Leia decided to head straight for the nearest settlement...alone."

Ahsoka grimaced. "And without a weapon," she added. "How long ago was this?"

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to grimace. "Nearly an hour."

Ahsoka bit her lip and tried not to think of the trouble Leia had gotten herself into...let alone the kind of trouble Anakin was in. Even at a cautious walk, it shouldn't take any more than twenty-five minutes to travel two kilometers on foot. "Well, if Anakin is injured, he wouldn't be able to travel very fast...and it's going to take a while to get through all those pirates."

"And that's assuming that Leia wasn't simply captured herself," Obi-Wan reminded.

"I'm trying to be optimistic." Ahsoka frowned and turned to Luke. "Luke, Anakin says that you and Leia can sense each other from unusually long distances." When Luke confirmed, Ahsoka continued. "Can you sense her now?"

Luke closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "She's close...somewhere in the complex. I don't know if she found Dad yet, but he's still there...hurt..." The boy's voice broke.

Obi-Wan blinked at something in his eyes. "I know. I sense it, too. But he'll be all right. Something has given him a fresh burst of strength, and he seems to be on the move. I wouldn't doubt that he's making his way out right now." But the smile he gave was halfhearted, and the worry he felt was obvious. "What you need to do now is help us find your sister before she gets into any more trouble. You did say that you and she have talents in the area of telekinesis. Can you talk to her now and see if you can find out exactly where she is and what she is doing?"

Luke chewed his lip. "I tried when we landed. She hasn't said anything to me."

"Try again."

The boy took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on his sister's presence. Leia...Leia, where are you?

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

Standing back to back with her father, firing as fast as she could at the pirates that kept surrounding them, Leia flinched when she felt the touch of her brother's mind. She had felt it only a few minutes before, but at the time it had seemed distant and far away. Now it felt close. "Luke?" she murmured, half lowering her blaster.

"Focus, Leia," Anakin said firmly, still blocking the bolts that sailed their way as they moved step by painful step down the endless corridor.

But the push came again, more insistent. Leia, please answer me, Luke begged.

Leia's eyes widened as she realized just how close her brother's presence was. Luke! You're here? How?

A sharp sense of relief exploded from Luke as he continued the conversation. I had a vision, too. When we told the Council, they knew we were right that Dad was in danger. They let Obi-Wan and I come here to find you.

Surprise and relief mingled at the revelation. There was also further guilt at disobeying orders... and a renewed trust in the Council. Finally! "He's here," she mumbled with brightening eyes.

Anakin glanced back at his daughter as they ducked around a corner and the blaster fire ceased for a few moments. "What? Who's here?"

"Luke...and Obi-Wan. They came for us," hissed Leia under her breath. It might not do for their foes to know reinforcements were coming.

"Thank the Force," sighed Anakin. "We could sure use their help. When can they be here?"

"Hold on..." Leia closed her eyes to call on her brother again. We need help!

I know. Where are you? Did you find Dad? Luke was nearly frantic with worry.

Yes, but he's hurt. He can hardly walk. She paused to take in her surroundings. I'm not sure exactly where we are. I don't have a map. But I came in from the South. Dad was in a cell on the far Southeast, and we're in a corridor headed West now.

There was a pause, probably because Luke was relaying the information to his master. Okay. We found your ships and we're going to come in from the South, too.

Leia turned to her father. "They're coming from about the same place we landed."

Anakin tried not to cringe. That was still a good two kilks away. Even at a fast run, the fight might be over by the time help arrived. He was fairly certain his limbs couldn't hold out that long. Still he nodded. "All right. We'll try and hold the pirates off until then. Let's hope Luke and Master Kenobi can be here soon."

Father says to hurry, urged Leia, throwing a worried glance to her wobbly-legged father. We haven't even gotten through halfway. Please hurry.

We're coming as fast as we can, promised Luke. May the Force be with you.

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

"She says they're not even halfway out," reported Luke, chewing his lip as the trio moved along at a jog. "Dad must be hurt bad if he can hardly walk. Come on! We have to hurry," he urged, picking up the pace.

"Wait, Luke, before you rush ahead," called Obi-Wan. He motioned to the boy to put a hand on his shoulder. "I realize you're worried about your father and sister. You mustn't let your emotions cloud your judgment. We'll do all we can to help Anakin and Leia...but keep your mind clear. You'll do no one any good if you're captured or injured. Stay either beside or behind Master Tano and I. Understand?"

"But-" Luke's protest died on his lips as he realized Obi-Wan was right. He might have been talented, but he was still just a Padawan. He couldn't take on an entire gang of pirates by himself. Reluctantly the boy nodded. "Yes, Master. Let's go!"

"Right with you, little Jedi," said Ahsoka with a look of encouragement.

Luke greeted this with a slight smile. Normally he hated being called 'little', but 'Little Jedi' had been Ahsoka's nickname for him since he was a toddler. Ahsoka was practically family. She was the only exception to the rule.

Together the three of them broke into a run until the shadow of a large and decrepit building- half built into a sheer rock wall that rose nearly thirty meters into the air -loomed into view.

Quickly Obi-Wan motioned to the others to drop behind a pile of rusty shipping crates before the guards at the entrance noticed them. There were two of them, armed with ancient blasters that seemed to be cobbled together from spare parts. Neither seemed very interested in their job.

Luke thought of how easily the three of them would get in and unclipped his lightsaber. He frowned when a touch from Obi-Wan stopped him. "What are we waiting for?"

Obi-Wan touched a finger to his lips and motioned to a second level that was nearly hidden. Three crude windows were cut into the rock and another pirate paced atop the roof. "Use your other senses, Padawan," he whispered.

Luke cringed. His master had a point. If they just ran in, they'd be bombarded from above and below. "So how do we get in?" he hissed. He followed Obi-Wan's nod and then saw a group of three swoop bikes hovering just a few meters away. "You want to ram them?"

The Jedi Master shook his head. "What we need is a diversion. Concentrate. Can you see the controls with the Force?"

Accordingly Luke closed his eyes and reached out with his feelings. He sensed the pirates, his masters...his father and sister deep within the complex...and the swoop bikes. With a little more effort he was able to see the control panel in his mind's eye. "Yes."

"Good. Turn on the engine and release the air brakes."

"Ohhh." A slight, mischievous smile dawned on Luke's face as he realized what his master wanted to do. This was going to be fun. "All of them?"

"If you can manage. I'll help you."

"I've got it." Luke unconsciously reached his hand toward the swoop bikes and imagined flipping the switches all at once. The rising whine of the engines rewarded his efforts, followed by the hiss of releasing air brakes.

Within seconds of each other, all three swoop bikes sped off riderless. The pirates were left to stare, curse, and blame each other before scrambling behind a corner and grabbing five more swoops that had been parked out of sight. Three bewildered pirates were left behind.

Ahsoka's mouth twitched in amusement. "Well, that's five down. Good job, Luke."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Well-done, Padawan." He pulled out his lightsaber. "Stay alert. There's no telling how many more we may encounter." After a few seconds and a calming deep breath, he motioned to his fellow Jedi and burst out from behind the crates.

Almost immediately more blaster fire began to rain down on them from above.

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

Leia's feelings were caught in conflict. On the one hand, she and her father had finally managed to put some distance between them and their pursuers. At least twenty had gone down.

On the other, she wondered how much longer they could go on. Anakin's burst of energy was nearly gone, and his limp grew more pronounced by the moment. Leia didn't even need to see his face to know he was in pain. He radiated it like a fire radiates heat. He was pushing himself for no other reason than a love for his daughter. Somehow, that made Leia feel guilty. I shouldn't have come alone, she realized. Now I'm putting us both in danger.

They didn't have any choice at that point. If they slowed too much, the next batch of pirates would be firing on them again.

Leia gripped her father's arm all the more and tried to help him along. "Hold on...hold on..."

Anakin spared a brief smile for his daughter. Then without warning his grinding knee gave out and sent him sprawling to the floor with a cry. His lightsaber rolled from his hand, skidding until it came to a rest about half a meter away,

"Father!" Leia immediately dropped next to him.

"I'm...all right..." panted Anakin as he levered painfully up to his elbows. Another cry stole his voice when he tried to get his legs under him. The left trembled violently while the right dragged uselessly on the floor. His weakness had caught up with him. "No...no, I'm not," he mumbled.

"J-Just rest a minute," sputtered Leia. Further guilt at making her father run while injured made her eyes sting. "Breathe," she added, echoing one of the words that Jedi seemed to use the most.

Anakin tried to smile for her but failed. I'm slowing her down. She needs to get away. Every breath brought a fresh stab to his cracked ribs. He thought he could feel them grinding against each other when he moved. It would be a wonder if he escaped without a punctured lung. And he was tired...so tired. His arm kept shaking until the elbow gave out and sent him down into almost a prostrate position. To keep from landing on his ribs, Anakin rolled over onto his side. Tears that had nothing to do with his injuries stung his eyes. I'm not going to make it.

"Father, no! You can't lie down now. They're right behind us," reminded Leia, though she could feel her father's exhaustion. "Come on. I'll help you up." And she grasped Anakin's arm to haul him back up to a sitting position.

Anakin rose with a hoarse cry, but slumped backward almost immediately. His heart broke when Leia moved to catch him and nearly fell over herself. "No...I'm not going anywhere."

Leia's throat closed. "No." She shook her head against it. "You have to. I came here to save you, and I'm going to!"

Anakin sighed. "Leia...you can't."

"Yes, I can!" There was the edge of anger in Leia's voice as her nose began to run. "I'll drag you if I have to!" to demonstrate she grasped her father's good arm in hers and began to haul him backwards with a determined grunt. He moved only three or four centimeters at a time.

"Leia...Leia..." Anakin closed his eyes and shook his head. I can't let her be captured by these monsters. "Leia, let go...please."

Reluctantly, realizing she was probably hurting her father, Leia lowered his arm and moved back around to look at him. "I'm sorry."

Anakin struggled to his elbow to look at her. "I know you want to help me...and I appreciate it...but I can't go any farther...and you can't get me out of here by yourself...not in enough time." He took a deep breath and spoke the words he'd been dreading. "So I want you to go on. Leave me."

Tears brimmed in Leia's eyes. She glared. How can he ask me to do this? After I came all this way, got him this far? I can't! "No. I'm not leaving you here!"

Anakin gripped Leia's arm. "You have to. I'm just slowing you down, and those pirates aren't going to look the other way. If anything happened to you..." His throat closed, and he closed his eyes. "Just go. Run. Find Obi-Wan."

"They'll kill you," cried the girl urgently.

"No, they won't. The leader wants me alive. Besides, Obi-Wan and your brother are close. They can help. Go." He gently pushed her away.

"Father-"

The tramp of booted feet around the corner filled the air, and the next moment Bakara himself arrived with a dozen of his cronies behind him. He skidded to a stop and held out an arm for his men to do the same. Then he smirked. "Did I not say that you would never escape, Skywalker? You were foolish to allow your daughter to help you. Now you will watch her die." He leveled his blaster at Leia.

"No! Leia, run!"

Leia dove to the floor as a bolt sailed over her head. But she didn't run. She took up her father's lightsber and ignited it. Then she glowered at Bakara. "You're not hurting my father again."

Bakara laughed. "Oh-ho-ho! Is that so, little one?" He slapped at a device on his wrist, which activated another red-hued force field directly behind Leia and Anakin. "There is nowhere to run. Do you still wish to fight?"

Leia raised the blue blade high and glowered all the more. "You're going to be the one running... when the other Jedi get here."

Bakara scoffed. "Such a pathetic ruse! But very well. If you want adventure, little one, you have found it. Let us see how well you fight." He motioned to his cronies, who all raised their blasters.

Anakin, lying at a painful angle on the floor, bit his lip at the sight. There was very little he could do to help his daughter. Not physically...but we have the Force as our ally. The man spared a glare for the pirates, then directed his gaze back to his daughter and concentrated on reaching her mind. Leia...listen to me. Don't use anger to fight them. It only leads to the Dark Side.

Leia glanced back at her father with a pained expression. I know...but what they did to you...I hate them!

Anakin shook his head. No, Leia. You must let go. Don't worry about me...don't worry about anything. Breathe...I can help you, but you must release your anger. Can you do that?

Trembling with emotion, Leia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She held it for a few moments, flinched as if in conflict with something, and pushed it all out in a deep, shuddering sigh. Yes. I'm listening, Father.

"Ha! You think your Force will help you now?" scoffed Bakara.

"The Force is my ally," murmured Leia, her eyes half-closed as she felt its power surround her.

"And a powerful ally it is," added Anakin with a nod. "Especially when it comes to family."

Bakara snarled and stepped back behind the first line of cronies. "What are you waiting for? Kill them! Fire!"

Though she was afraid for her father, Leia raised the blue blade high and sank into the welcoming embrace of the Force. It moved her arms at a speed she never could, increased both strength and reflexes tenfold. When doubt crept in, her father was there to remind her of what she was...a Jedi.

It was only then that Leia fully understood the bond between master and apprentice. It went beyond blood and tapped into the fabric of the Force itself. This was what Luke was talking about. This was why he was stronger around Master Kenobi than by himself.

Another mental nudge from Luke distracted Leia for half a second. What's happening?

We're fine, responded Leia, scrambling to deflect yet another bolt back at the pirates. She knew her brother and Obi-Wan were close, along with yet another Jedi. Who could it be? Leia had no time to ask.

We're close, assured Luke. Hold on.

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

Step by step, the trio of Jedi made their way through the haphazard collection of rooms and corridors. One by one, pirates fell. Others had only to see the lightsabers before they decided to flee. Only the foolish stayed very long to fight.

Ahsoka felt as if she was running blind with a child as her guide. She knew Anakin was close, but finding a direct path to him through this maze was not easy. It was Luke who led them on.

Suddenly the way ahead was clear. All the pirates, at least on this side, seemed to have either been dealt with or fled.

"Come on!" cried Luke, running ahead and turning a corner. "We're almost there!"

By this time the direction of Anakin and Leia was clear and even Obi-Wan and Ahskoa could sense both of them clearly. But then there was something else...danger...

"Dad!" cried Luke as he spotted the red haze of a force field between him, his father, and his sister. He recklessly plowed ahead.

"Luke, wait!" Obi-Wan increased his pace to match Luke's and put out an arm to stop him. "Don't touch the field."

"I want to help," Luke insisted with a breaking voice. "Dad's hurt, and Leia-"

"Leia's doing quite well," murmured Obi-Wan. Even from there the connection between father and daughter was obvious. He shared a surprised glance with Ahsoka at the growing pile of dead or wounded pirates that had fallen, and the increasing number that had fled.

Ahsoka gave a guarded smile in return. Pride in her former master's accomplishment rose, but she got into a wide stance anyway. "That doesn't mean we can't help," she said, dipping into the Force to give a hard shove to the remaining pirates.

Obi-Wan added his own power to the mix and separated several pirates from their lightsabers while pushing three more into a small room off to the left. He locked the door behind them.

Now only two pirates remained. One fled. The other, Bakara, had been knocked on his backside and sat groaning as if something had been broken. His blaster was out of reach. He surveyed the scene and glowered.

Leia, meanwhile, felt safe lowering the saber and turning to look at her fellow Jedi. "Luke! Master Kenobi...Master Tano? What are you doing here?"

Anakin lifted his head to give his former apprentice a painful smile. "You're late, Snips."

Ahsoka's own smile was strained as she clipped her sabers back to her belt. "That's nice. I fly all the way out here to save your backside, and you still call me Snips?" It became a grimace as she saw just how badly Anakin was hurt. "Just hold still; we'll be there in a minute." And she began searching the walls for the door controls.

"Dad...your arm," cringed Luke.

"I can fix it," grunted Anakin as Leia knelt beside him again.

Then, at the same moment, all five Jedi sensed danger and stiffened. Luke was to first to notice Bakara taking something out of his boot. "Look out!"

Leia leapt to her feet in time to see a small- palm-size blaster pointed right at her.

"NO!" Anakin reached out to rip the blaster from Bakara's hand. It went off and fired crookedly.

The red bolt went wide, hitting Leia in the left shoulder. She cried out and was knocked off her feet. To the others it seemed she was falling in slow-motion...directly for the force field.

Anakin impulsively reached for her. His fingers closed around empty air as Leia's shoulders connected with the red haze.

Luke, who had only just found the controls, smashed them and was there to catch his sister as she fell lifeless to the floor.

A large hole opened up where Leia's presence had been only seconds before. Her Force-signature was gone.