Chapter Sixteen
Later that evening, Sarali was meditating again. In that time, Anakin had gone to the balcony to think, which left Obi-Wan to monitor things. Eventually, Obi-Wan went back out to Anakin and said, "You look tired."
"I don't sleep well anymore," Anakin said seriously.
"Because of your mother?" the older man asked.
Anakin looked down for a second before nodding reluctantly. After another moment of silence, he said, "I don't know why I keep dreaming about her."
Obi-Wan walked closer and said, "Dreams pass in time."
"I'd much rather dream about Padme. Just being around her again is...intoxicating," Anakin said, walking back into the room.
"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin. They betray you," he said seriously. "You've made a commitment to the Jedi order, a commitment not easily broken, and don't forget she's a politician. They're not to be trusted."
"She's not like the others in the Senate, Master," Anakin insisted.
"It is my experience that Senators focus on pleasing only those who fund their campaigns," Obi-Wan said warningly. "And they're in no way scared of avoiding the niceties of democracy in order to get those-"
"Not another lecture, at least not on the economics of politics," Anakin said exasperatedly. "And besides, you're generalizing. The Chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt."
"Nor does a mushroom appear to be poisonous," Sarali said, surprising both of them. They turned to look at her. She sat on the sofa, her eyes still closed. However, she was most definitely not meditating. A second later, her eyes flicked open and settled on the two men.
"Palpatine is a politician," she said seriously. "Very few of them are as noble as they seem."
"I have observed that he is very adept at following the passions and prejudices of the Senate," Obi-Wan added.
"I think he's a good man. My-" Anakin stopped speaking and turned his head toward Padme's room.
A moment later, Sarali was sprinting toward the door, a blaster in her hand.
"I sense it, too," Obi-Wan said hurrying after both her and Anakin.
Anakin made it into the room first. He drew his lightsaber and swiftly cut two giant millipedes that had been crawling up Padme's bed. That certainly woke Padme. In that time, Obi-Wan looked to the window and saw a droid. Quickly, he ran to the window and leapt out of it, grabbing onto the droid. It flew away into the distance as Sarali and Anakin watched.
An instant later, both of them were running out of the room. As they ran, Sarali said, "Two levels up there are speeders."
Anakin nodded and began to sprint with Sarali following suit a moment later. Within a minute, they had reached the speeder parking level. Sarali led the way out onto the platform to a yellow speeder with an open cockpit. Anakin jumped in to the pilot seat with her in the passenger side. A second later, they were off to save Obi-Wan.
Sarali clung tightly to the speeder as Anakin wove through the crowded skies of Coruscant. Along the way, he narrowly avoided colliding with several speeders. Of course, he was still a wonderful pilot.
Soon, Sarali spotted something falling. A closer look revealed it to be Obi-Wan. "Over there!" she said to Anakin, pointing. Anakin glanced over and turned the speeder to manoeuvre under the falling man.
Seconds later, Obi-Wan landed on the back of their speeder and pulled himself forward. Sarali quickly scooted over to let Obi-Wan sit in the passenger seat. She sat squished between the two men.
"What took you so long?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Oh, you know, Master. I couldn't find a speeder that I really liked," Anakin said as he flew after the assassin.
"Oh, yes," Obi-Wan said.
"With the open cockpit and the right speed capabilities," Anakin said.
"If you spent as much time on your saber techniques as you do your wrench, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman," Obi-Wan remarked.
"I thought I already did," Anakin returned.
"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice," Obi-Wan returned, sounding much more like a master.
After a little more manoeuvring, Anakin directed the speeder straight down after the assassin. A second later, a large ship moved into their way. "Pull up, Anakin," Obi-Wan said seriously.
Anakin only laughed giddily.
"Anakin!" Sarali said sharply.
Almost too late, Anakin pulled up the speeder, realizing how close they had been. "You know I don't like it when you do that," Obi-Wan said.
"Sorry, Master. I forgot you don't like flying," Anakin said.
"I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide," Obi-Wan insisted.
"He has thrill issues," Sarali said to that same man.
The three of them continued to follow the assassin into the burned portion of the city. Soon, the assassin shot a power coupling with their blaster. The power coupling burst to a life of crackling energy just before they flew through. It electrocuted both them and the speeder. As the electricity dissipated, Obi-Wan said indignantly, "Anakin! How many times have I told you to stay away from power couplings!"
They continued to follow the assassin back into an inhabited part of Coruscant. Almost as soon as they were back amongst the speeders, the assassin flew off into a tunnel. Anakin flew right past it.
"Anakin! They went that way!" Sarali said immediately.
"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked, also confused.
"Master, if we keep this chase up any longer, that creep is going to end up deep-fried," Anakin said. "This is a short cut, I think."
"You think? What do you mean?" Sarali demanded.
"It means we're lost," Obi-Wan said bluntly, folding his arms over his chest.
"Well, what are we going to do-?" she began to ask.
Anakin interrupted her by saying, "If you'll excuse me..." With that, he leapt out of the speeder and let himself plummet through the air toward some unknown target.
Obi-Wan looked up from his apprentice to Sarali and said while shaking his head, "I hate it when he does that."