The small Nubian cruiser pulled out of hyperspace and revealed a large, glowing, orange planet. The five-man (and woman) crew could feel the heat radiating off the planet. Along with Padme, Obi-wan, and Ahsoka, two clone troopers, Captain Rex and Commander Cody, had volunteered to tag along, for reinforcements. Padme sat in one of the small rooms on the ship, donning her white leggings, brown tunic and harness, and black boots. There was a sudden knock on the door.
"Come in!" Padme said. The door opened to reveal Ahsoka standing there.
"Oh! Ahsoka! More news?" Padme asked.
"Yeah. We are about to land on the planet's surface. Our scanners show a small settlement, however there are few life forms. It's also very strong with the Force."
"Wonderful." Padme smiled. They were getting close. He would soon be back with them. With her. Ahsoka looked at Padme thoughtfully, almost a bit mischievously.
"Padme," Ahsoka started, "Why have you been putting so much of your effort into finding Master Skywalker?" Padme looked up, surprised at what she had just heard.
"Well- he is a very close friend, and I feel I am responsible for his capture." Padme replied. "I was there when Master Qui-Gon Jinn found him on Tatooine. We've always been close. We look out for eachother." She smiled, but Ahsoka didn't look convinced.
"Oh come on, I know you better than that, Padme." Ahsoka laughed. "Master Skywalker isn't exactly careful when leaving our quarters in the middle of the night. I can only assume he sneaks out to see you?" Padme blushed. She had told Anakin to be careful, obviously her warnings were not heeded.
"A-ha!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "I knew there was something-" She was suddenly hushed as the door opened to reveal Captain Rex.
"Senator, Commander. General Kenobi wishes your presence. We will be landing momentarily."
"We're on our way," Padme said, quickly composing herself. It was now a time to focus on the mission at hand.
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Anakin sat down on the small bed, still staring in shock at the Chancellor of the Republic.
"What happened Chancellor?! I can't believe this!" He exclaimed, running his flesh-and-blood hand through his hair. Palpatine just smiled.
"Well, my boy, I don't exactly have the answer. I was just on my way to Naboo, and my ship was boarded. Now I'm here." He replied. Anakin sighed.
"So should I assume that the capture of General Grievous isn't making much of a difference?" Anakin said, a hint of sadness behind his words.
"I'm afraid it hasn't, my friend." Palpatine turned his back to Anakin, a small smile crept on his face. "I hate to tell you, but manners have almost gotten worse."
Palpatine began to feel through the Force, feeling through Anakin's unguarded mind, his emotions. He was worried for the Republic, but more importantly, his friends. The young Ahsoka Tano and Obi-Wan Kenobi were on his mind, he was hoping to be back with them soon. And then there was… Padme. He could feel Anakin's emotions towards her, how strong they were.
He was so focused on this that he almost didn't realize the small disturbance in the Force. The Jedi were coming for him. He'd have to move this along.
"Anakin, don't you think you could break us out yourself?" Palpatine asked.
"Trust me, Chancellor, I've tried everything. No vents, double-lock blast doors, no windows." Anakin replied, trailing off.
"Yes, but haven't you tried to use the Force?"
"Yes Chancellor," Anakin chuckled. "That was the first thing I tried."
"Hm. But surely you're powerful enough. I know you are, after hearing of the different things you have done." Anakin sighed.
"I don't think you understand, Chancellor." Anakin started, looking at the ground. "Those times I've told you about… those were times where I would get angry. And I shouldn't use my anger to accomplish things." It was Palpatine's turn to sigh. There was a brief silence, then he thought of something.
"I'm afraid crime rates have been on the rise on Coruscant. A small band of criminals have begun a string of robberies and kidnappings." Palpatine started. "I meant to mention it earlier." Anakin turned to him, his attention was caught.
"It was reported the other night that they had broken into 500 Republica, and Senator Amidala was taken."
Anakin's eyes widened. He was, for the second time today, shocked. How could this happen? Where could she be? What if they killed her? Anakin's mind was beginning to race with all of these thoughts. He could feel his jaw beginning to clench, his fists closing. He had to find her. He had to save her. He had to get out of here. At that, he reached his arms out towards the door. He could feel energy gathering in his hands, and with a yell, the energy was released and the door was blown away. Palpatine grinned wickedly at seeing this, and moved in.
"Good Anakin!" He smiled. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Anakin just stood there, his anger still welling up inside him.
"We should get going." He said, his voice barely above a whisper.
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The heat of the planet was almost overwhelming for Obi-Wan. He himself preferred cooler climates to this hot and muggy one. The small crew had begun their journey to the small base after hiding the ship they had come on. As Obi-Wan continued the trek, he began to wonder about Anakin: what condition they would find him in, if he was even there, if he was alive, if Dooku had tortured him so excessively that he would never recover. But suddenly, he was interrupted by a tremor in the Force. The Dark Side. It wasn't Dooku, no. It was someone, or something, much more powerful than Dooku. His senses had been heightened from the small tremor, and he continued to feel his way through the Force to get to the bottom of what was going on in that base. So much anger. So much hatred. Obi-Wan turned to Ahsoka.
"You feel it, too?" Ahsoka asked as Obi-Wan turned around.
"Yes. There is something Dark in there, and I'll bet Anakin is right in the middle of it…" Obi-Wan replied, thoughtfully stroking his beard. "We must press on. We're almost there."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Ahsoka said, a shiver running down her spine.
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