Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.
AN: Here's part 5! Thanks for all the great reviews! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette
Part 5/?
Where's my daughter?" Anakin demanded, as Bane appeared on the screen.
"She's fine Jedi and she'll remain that way as long as you do exactly as I say," Bane replied. Leia yelped, as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him so they could see her.
"Daddy…I'm so sorry," Leia sobbed.
"It'll be okay Leia," he assured her.
"Your Daddy is right, as long as I get what I want," Bane hissed to the young girl.
"And what is it that you want?" Padme demanded.
"I'm a business man, Senator. How much is your daughter worth to you? I usually don't make it personal, but you both cost me a lot of money when you spoiled all my plans at the Opera House. And now if you want them all back alive, you'll pay the hefty price tag," Bane replied.
"I want to see my daughter," Obi-Wan demanded.
"Me too," Mace added.
"I'm the only one that makes the demands. They're fine for now and they'll stay that was as long as I get my money," Bane snapped.
"Just tell us how much and where to bring it," Anakin snapped back.
"Well, considering that all three of them are highly precious to you, I'm going to ask ten million a piece. That's thirty million credits," Bane informed.
"We can do the math, sleamo," Anakin growled.
"Tsk, tsk, temper, temper, Jedi," Bane goaded.
"Where?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The Docks at midnight," Bane ordered.
"Fine. We'll be there," Anakin replied.
"Not you, Jedi. Do you take me for a fool? No, you'll send the pretty little wife with the credits," Bane said. Anakin glared at the bounty hunter.
"I'm not sending my wife into your scum infested hideout that's filled with your sleazy, fully armed employees," Anakin growled.
"It's either that or the three girls die. She can choose two people that are not Jedi to accompany her. The three of them will be searched for weapons when they arrive, so I suggest they come unarmed. No Jedi within ten miles of the Docks or they're all dead and my scouts will comm me if they see a Jedi anywhere near my operation. Don't be late, Senator," Bane said, as he cut the transmission.
"I'm going with you, sweetness," Riley said.
"And I'm going too," Zia added.
"Zia…" Mace started to protest, but she stopped him.
"I'll be fine. I need to do this. Believe me, I'll make sure Chase will never be able to hurt our baby again," Zia replied. Mace nodded reluctantly.
"This whole thing could just be a set up. We can't let the three of you go in there alone," Obi-Wan said.
"And we won't," Anakin replied.
"But Ani, if they see you, they might hurt Leia," Padme protested.
"And they won't see us. I have several star fighters that have been tested with my new Sentry cloak. We'll be able to infiltrate the area undetected by air and take action if needed. I'm going to wire a listening device to you, angel. So we'll be able to listen to the whole operation. Let's get to the Temple. We've only got a couple hours till midnight," Anakin said. They all nodded in agreement. With that, Anakin briefly turned his attention to Jake.
"As for you kid, you better hope Leia isn't hurt," Anakin aid sternly.
"This isn't all Jake's fault. Those monsters are always after your family. If anything, your daughter only puts my nephew in danger that he otherwise wouldn't encounter," Clovis retorted.
"Uncle, I really care about Leia," Jake protested. Han snorted.
"Yeah, you cared so much that you cowered in fear, while they manhandled her," Han retorted. Jake glared at him.
"You didn't do much better, scoundrel," Jake seethed. Lando held Han back, before he could advance on the other boy.
"Boys, this isn't the time for this. Let's all get to the Temple," Padme reasoned.
"She's right," Anakin stated. Padme gave Rush a stern look.
"And if you ever even hint to the fact that you don't think our Leia is good enough for your nephew again, you'll find out how good my right hook is," Padme said, as Anakin led her out.
~*~
Dorme met Padme when the arrived at the Temple and had brought her white battle suit to her. Padme left to change out of her dress and into her battle uniform quickly, while Anakin led the others to his personal landing pad. Rush nor his nephew had ever been inside the Temple before and were unable to hide their awe, as they lay eyes on the pristine architecture. As they arrived at the expansive landing pad, in which Anakin stored all his Sentry ships and prototypes, Rush and Jake had to be impressed again. "These four ships have the cloak capabilities we need. They seat two people and once we clear the hanger, we only have to activate the cloak and no one will be able to detect us," Anakin said, as he went to his workbench, just as Padme joined them, now dressed in her white battle uniform. He pulled out a case and opened it, revealing a set of Sentry blasters.
"I'll bring these along, so if things get rough, the rest of you will have weapons. Now, for a listening device," Anakin said, as he pulled out a small pouch and took out a small device.
"I need you to wear this. I will let me hear you and everyone around you," Anakin said.
"But they're going to search us. What if they find this?" Padme asked.
"They better not look where you're going to put this or I'll Force choke them all," he said hotly. She looked at him curiously.
"Where am I putting this?" she asked, as she held the tiny device.
"It goes in your bra," he said, looking at her sheepishly. She shook her head and looked at him coyly.
"I should have known you'd invent something like that for me," she playfully scolded. He shrugged.
"What can I say? I'm always thinking about you," he said.
"And your body," he added. She smiled, as she turned away in order to tuck the little device into its intimate place.
"There, all set," she said, as he took her in his arms.
"Please be careful," he pleaded.
"I'll be fine and you won't be far behind. We'll get the girls back and with any luck, Bane will earn himself a one way ticket to Kessel," Padme said. He nodded.
"That's my plan," he replied, as he kissed her softly. They parted, as Padme got into the speeder with Zia and her father. Yan handed them a card.
"This is the access card to the account with their money," he said.
"Thank you Grandfather. That's a lot of money, even if we are planning to arrest them," Padme replied.
"Money is no object when it comes to family," he told her. As Anakin watched his wife leave with her father and Zia, he sighed deeply. He didn't like this plan very much at all.
"All right, Luke and I will take one ship, Obi-Wan and Mace can take another, Dad and Jayden in the third one, and Grandfather in the last one. Be sure to activate the cloaking device as soon as you clean the hanger," Anakin instructed.
"Dad, how come we always get left behind? We're Jedi too," Jenna demanded to know.
"I need the two of you to stay here. If things get ugly, which I suspect they will. I'm going to have you two standing by for back up with Master Secura and Master Fisto," Anakin stated. Realizing that they were short on time, Jenna wisely dropped the subject. Her father had enough to worry about as it was. Leia had really gotten them into a fine mess.
~*~
Padme's curls wafted in the breeze, as her father drove the speeder. They were nearing the lower levels of Coruscant, the most dangerous part of the planet. The Docks were at the center of the danger and it was a place Riley knew all too well. He used to make some of his living there and used to associate with the very scum that had taken two of his grand daughters hostage. His one good eye scanned their surroundings and he noticed that he place was crawling with Bane's goons. He hadn't been kidding when he said that his men would be watching. He heard the comm on the console chime and opened the channel.
"Talk to me Rock," he told his baby brother.
"Chelle, the boys, and I are behind Bane's hideout. This place is crawling with his goons," Rocky told him, the boys, referring to Han and Lando.
"Yeah, I'm beginning to see that. Don't get yourselves caught," Riley told him.
"Yeah, easier said than done. Be careful. I think Bane has more planned than he's letting on," Rocky replied, as the channel went clear.
"Stick to me like glue, sweetness. I got a bad feeling about this," Riley told her, as they neared the Docks.
~*~
Leia huddled close to Ryoo and Mara, as Bane's armed men milled about. Bane himself stood in front of them, standing at one of the control consoles. He was talking to someone and though they could hear the conversation, they had no idea who it was. On the screen with Bane was a Xalryn female, though she was so deformed it was difficult to distinguish her sex from her image, which only showed her from the shoulders up.
"Iceheart must not find out who you are really working for or it may jeopardize my Master's plans," the raspy female voice uttered.
"Iceheart nor her agents have any knowledge of our business relationship. She simply thinks I'm toying with the Jedi by dangling their brats in front of them for money and in many ways that's all there is to it. Besides, isn't your so called Master still incapacitated?" he asked.
"He is and will remain so for some time. But…he has regained a small amount of consciousness and he is aware of what is going on. He simply wants to see her. He realizes that it would be nearly impossible for you to capture her with Skywalker so close by," the woman hissed.
"Your Master underestimates my capabilities," Bane snapped back.
"And you underestimate Skywalker. You should not toy with him. Harm her and there will be nothing you can do to combat his powers, not even with the tools we have provided you with," she sneered.
"Fine, but if I see the opportunity to take her off planet, where shall I bring her?" Bane asked.
"If you manage to pull such a feat off, we'll discuss that at the time," she replied.
"You're the boss or rather, your Master is, even though a bunch of tubes, wires, and bacta are keeping him alive," Bane said.
"The Master will rise again! And he will be more powerful than you can imagine! Dangle the Senator and his children in front of Skywalker to get your money if you must, but do not harm them. If something happens to the key to his power, then there will be no where you can hide, bounty hunter, for the Master will seek and destroy you," she hissed, as the transmission went blank. Bane scoffed. He wasn't scared of any of them, Jedi, nor Sith. He may have just been a bounty hunter, but he was legendary. People knew his name and they feared him. The so called Master was just a mangled mass of wires right now. And Iceheart was a fool. They were all fools, at least in his mind.
"Hey boss, our guests have arrived," one of Bane's goons called. The bounty hunter smirked.
"Invite them in, Chase. It's time to have a little fun," Bane chuckled, as he lit a death stick and calmly approached his company, as they were let inside.
"Search them," Bane ordered. As they patted Riley down, he noticed one of the other goons taking his sweet time in patting Padme down.
"Hey sleamo, keep those hands in check," Riley snapped.
"I'm just doing my job. And what a fine job it is," he hissed, as his hands moved up Padme's sides.
"Get your hands off me. I'm unarmed and I think that's plainly clear," Padme snapped.
"If your hands get any higher, you pervert, and it's gonna get real fighty in here," Riley growled, as two of Bane's men held him back.
"Jared, you're being rude to our lovely guest," Bane said. Jared removed his hands and sniffed her hair.
"You're one sweet piece of ass," he hissed in her ear, as she cringed away.
"That's it," Riley growled, as he punched the guy in the throat. He fell to the ground, choking for air, while two men pounced on Riley, restraining him.
"Where is my daughter," Zia demanded, as Chase finished searching her.
"And Leia and Ryoo," Padme added.
"Mom!" Leia called, as she and the other two girls stood up. Padme started toward them, but Bane stood in her way.
"Here's your money. Now let our girls go," Padme said, as she produced the account card. Bane snatched it from her hand.
"You can go to your girls now, but you'll all remain here while I make sure the money is all in this account. I hope for your sake the good Count hasn't tried to double cross me," Bane said, as he turned and walked to his control console. Padme, Riley, and Zia sprinted to their girls, hugging them tightly.
"Oh Mom…I'm so sorry," Leia sobbed.
"It's all right honey. The important thing is that you're all okay. We'll talk about this at home," Padme told her, as she kissed her hair and then hugged Ryoo.
"Did they hurt you or touch you?" Riley asked. The three girls shook their heads, giving him relief.
"Well, it seems that the money is all here," Bane announced.
"Fine. Then we'll be going," Riley replied. Bane chuckled.
"Not so fast," Bane leered.
~*~
Luke watched his father clench his fist and release his anger into the Force, as they listened to the conversations through the comm, thanks to the listening device his mother was wearing. The man that was frisking his Mother was lucky to still be breathing at the moment. They finally heard Bane approach with a smug tone in his voice.
"Not so fast," Bane leered.
"I knew it. He's going to try and pull something," Anakin said, as he and Luke continued to listen.
"Look, you got your credits. Now let us go," Riley growled.
"You and the others are free to go. However, I would love it if the Senator would stay as my honored guest. I have…someone who is willing to pay me a cool fifty million for her," Bane sneered. Anakin's jaw clenched.
"Land on the roof. They'll never see us coming until we're already in the building. I'm not letting Bane think he's going to sell my wife to his employer," Anakin said into the comlink. They landed the star fighters on the roof, only then deactivating the cloaking devices. Anakin ignited his light saber and cut a hole in the roof…
~*~
Padme struggled, as Bane grabbed her wrists and dragged her to the comm panel.
"Let her go! You got your money and I'm not letting the Sith get their hands on my daughter!" Riley growled, as he was restrained by Bane's men.
"Mom!" Leia cried, as more of his men raised their blasters to them. Zia held her daughter back, while Ryoo held Leia back.
"I have her, as promised. I expect compensation for her capture," Bane said to the blank screen. Padme saw no one, but then heard a female voice.
"Yes, these images captures of her will please the Master immensely. However, I believe you are about to have company. We shall seek another opportunity to capture his Queen," the female voice rasped, as they suddenly heard a clanging on the floor. A metal circle, cut from the roof, fell to the ground. Seven light sabers blazed to life, as Anakin and the others descended from the roof and into Bane's hideout. Blaster fire erupted between Bane's lackeys and the Jedi. Bane growled, as he shoved Padme to the ground and made a run for it. Anakin reached her and helped her up.
"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded.
"Bane is getting away," she told him.
"Jayden, stay with your Mother. Luke, let's go. Bane's not getting away this time," Anakin called, as he and Luke ran for the back entrance where Bane had slipped out with the money.
Zia glared at Chase, who had his blaster leveled at them.
"Kidnapping your own daughter for ransom. I thought not even you were that low," Zia spat.
"Then you gave me more credit than you should have. You know that money was the only thing that ever mattered to me. And thanks to the brat, I'll be a very rich man once I get my cut," Chase replied.
"You're a fool Bane is gone with the money. He never intended to give you a cut of the money. This whole thing was a much bigger plan of his own," Zia told him. Chase glared at her, getting a murderous look in his eyes. The money was gone. Bane had double crossed him and he had nothing to show for his hard work. And to make things worse, he was about to be arrested by the Jedi.
"Well, if I'm going away, then I might as well make it count. If I'm not getting my happy ending, then neither are you," Chase growled, as he pointed his blaster at Mara. Zia gasped and shielded her daughter with her body, waiting for the blaster bolt to come that would kill her. But it never came. Zia and Mara looked up, only to find a violet blade protruding from Chase's chest.
"The moment you set foot on Coruscant and decided to hurt my family, your fate was sealed," Mace said, as he extracted his blade and let Chase's body fall dead to the dirty floor. Zia and Mara leapt up and threw their arms around him. He hugged them both tightly, relieved that they were both safe. The rest of Bane's goons were now in stun cuffs and the building was secure.
"Kit and Aayla are on their way with a prison transport," Qui-Gon said.
"Where's Bane?" Mace asked.
"He escaped out the back. Anakin and Luke went after him," Yan said.
"I'll take Jayden and we'll follow them for back up," Obi-Wan said, as his nephew followed him eagerly.
"Jayden, be careful!" Padme called.
"Don't worry Mom," he called back. Riley put his arm around her.
"You okay, sweetness?" he asked. She nodded.
"I'm fine," she replied, as she remembered the peculiar person that Bane had been speaking to over the comm. The unknown woman had referred to her as a Queen…his Queen. It had been what Sifo-Dyas had called her. And she didn't want to think about what that might mean. For now, she would focus on her daughter and deal with the staggering implications of the conversation she overheard. She only hoped her husband could keep Bane from escaping, for she knew the bounty hunter wasn't going to go down easily, even against an opponent like her husband…