Kobayashi clung to a cranial horn as the nook-nami that had been chasing them rammed into Minh. Kobayashi heard Zhymmia scream behind him and looked in horror to see her falling.
"Zhymmia!"
As she fell, Kobayashi saw all the lights in the city suddenly extinguish. Oh, no…
Obi-Wan groaned as Anakin's foot made contact with his jaw. When his vision cleared of the spots that had appeared he saw that Anakin had paused.
The boy was badly beaten. He had a swollen black eye and his nose was still bleeding profusely. His left leg was trembling from the strain and he was wheezing for air. Obi-Wan saw sweat stains all over his clothes.
Anakin fell to his knees and started coughing unceasingly; whatever illness he had wasn't exactly being helpful to him at the moment. Obi-Wan slowly started to walk towards him when he suddenly heard a woman screaming.
Obi-Wan looked over the side of his dragon mount and saw Zhymmia falling with nothing to stop her.
"Blast," Obi-Wan cursed.
When he looked at Anakin, the boy was still coughing, doubled over in pain. Obi-Wan was worried that Anakin would do something foolish while he rescued Zhymmia… what could he do?
Praying that the boy wouldn't try to fight him again, Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin with one arm and then leapt off the dragon.
Zhymmia was holding on for dear life when that blasted dragon suddenly beat her head into Minh's side. The force of it was too much and Zhymmia flinched, releasing her grip as her hands were cut by the dragon's scales. She then felt herself falling and tried desperately to get a grip on some part of Minh, but it was too late.
She screamed as she fell, feeling the wind toss her around like a rag doll. Her fall and the wind caused by the dragons made her start to spin in a dizzying fashion and she screamed even harder. She couldn't even tell which way was up or down anymore.
"Help!"
As she fell, Zhymmia caught sight of an odd blur coming closer. If she had been thinking logically she would have wondered what it was.
But when one's falling to one's death it is safe to assume that the mind does not function properly.
Zhymmia then suddenly felt an arm wrap around her side and she was pressed against something. When she looked at it, she realized it was Master Kenobi.
"What…?"
Kenobi's eyes were narrowed in concentration. Zhymmia could vaguely make out an unconscious Darth Vader in his other arm.
Master Kenobi suddenly exhaled loudly and flipped so that his feet were facing the ground—which was quickly coming closer and closer. Zhymmia screamed, clinging to the Jedi Master.
Suddenly she heard Kenobi breath in sharply and then she felt air push against her as if she had just bounced on an air cushion. Her descent slowed enough that Kenobi didn't break any bones upon the jolting landing. When they finally landed, Zhymmia's feet were hovering just above the ground due to the Jedi's grip.
Zhymmia panted, extremely shaken from the ordeal.
"Are you alright?" he panted.
Zhymmia blinked. "Am I alright? Am I alright? What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I just fell off a dragon flying in the middle of the sky; do you think I'm alright?!"
Kenobi flinched but offered a sheepish smile. Then Zhymmia got a close look at him and gasped. His neck was bleeding from numerous scratches. It looked like something had raked its claws across his neck. His lip was also bleeding and he had a blood stain on his right thigh. She then examined Vader thoroughly and saw that he was similarly mauled.
Her attention shifted, however, when she heard screaming beneath her. "What… where are we?"
"We're on a roof right now," Kenobi replied. "I believe it would be best to avoid the streets."
Zhymmia saw what he meant. People were running about wildly, screaming and shoving each other out of the way.
"So how are we going to get down?" she yelled over the noise.
"I'm working on a solution,"
"In other words you're clueless,"
"Essentially,"
Zhymmia moaned. "I thought Jedi were smart."
"Might I say that one's intelligence is not measured in situations such as these, but rather one's common sense, quick reactions, and ability to keep a level head in pressured situations," Master Kenobi said, sounding playfully affronted.
"How can you joke at a time like this?" Zhymmia asked, shocked and yet relieved that he was feeling so relaxed.
"My dear, in my years I have found myself in far more dire circumstances," Master Kenobi smiled softly. "Now please hold on tightly,"
Zhymmia gripped the Jedi's tunic before suddenly releasing him. "Wait, I've got something of yours!"
"What would that be?"
Zhymmia grabbed the Jedi's small duffel bag that had been hanging on her right shoulder.
"Ah, I see," Kenobi nodded. "I thank you, Zhymmia. Now please continue to hold that for me. We must be going and I'm afraid I cannot carry two people and supplies."
Padmé watched the dragons in horror before returning inside her room. She knew better than to run out into the streets with that chaos. What was going on, though?
To add to the insanity of the situation, Padmé suddenly heard more roars join the raucous. She saw a large dragon exiting the royal stables and preparing to take flight. Was that the crown prince on the dragon?
Padmé's eyes began to follow another sign of movement. Someone was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, heading towards the palace. She squinted to get a better look but the person suddenly jumped down to the streets and vanished.
Jifo felt his hands bleeding. The scales were starting to cut into his skin as he was constantly thrown back and forth whenever Minh slashed the dragon or vice versa. Minh always made sure that when the blow was made, the Imperials were facing away from the other dragon.
The female dragon then swooped downward towards the city. Kobayashi yelled out and told Minh to follow. Minh did so and bit the dragon on the neck. The other dragon screamed a high-pitch that made Jifo feel like his eardrums were bleeding. The female dragon then swung her tail back and rammed Minh in the stomach.
Jifo screamed out in pain as the scales tore the skin off his palms. He reflexively released his grip and stuffed his hands under his arms, gritting his teeth. Unfortunately, Minh bucked when he was hit once again and Jifo slipped and tumbled right off the dragon's back.
He saw the others calling out to him, but he couldn't hear them over the wind screaming in his ears. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he fell. Suddenly he heard a loud roar just below him. That dragon was going to eat him!
"Hold on!" he heard.
What?
He saw a blue dragon flying alongside him. Wasn't that the one that had been attacking? He then noticed a man in rich Nihoman clothes sitting on the dragon's head. The dragon flew just below Jifo and the man caught him.
"Are you alright?" the man asked.
Jifo nodded, too out of breath and overridden by adrenaline to speak.
"Just hold on tight," the man said. "I'll get you down to the palace."
Palace?
Jifo saw the royal palace looming ever closer until the dragon landed and the man helped him to the ground. That was when he finally realized it was the crown prince.
"Uh…" he stuttered, trying to assemble a coherent sentence.
"Stay here," the crown prince told him. "The servants and guards will attend to you."
The prince then climbed aboard the dragon mount once again and the dragon flew back towards Minh.
A woman with brown hair and brown eyes ran out to meet him. She wore a blue robe over a white nightdress. "Come inside, quickly!"
Jifo simply did as he was told without argument. He followed the woman inside the main area of the palace.
"What's going out there? Do you know?" she asked him.
"I… he… they… he—he went mad!" Jifo stammered.
"Who went mad?"
"V…" Jifo immediately stopped himself. "The dragon,"
"The dragon went crazy while you were on it?"
"No, I mean… a whole bunch of dragons appeared and… flew here and…" Jifo shut his mouth. He could just hear Numel telling him to shut up before he hurt himself.
The thought of his friends prompted him to run to the window and watch. He saw the crown prince's dragon catching up to Minh and the other… wait, wasn't Minh the prince's dragon?
"Whose dragon is that?" he asked the woman.
"I can't say," the woman shook her head. "I'm just a guest here,"
"Who are you?"
"Cordé Tarix," the woman named Cordé said. "And you?"
"Jifo Hu," Jifo responded, purposely excluding his rank.
The two nodded in acknowledgment and then returned to watching the chaotic scene outside.
Ton panted as he and the clone trooper desperately avoided being trampled by the panicked crowds. The two finally managed to reach the edge of the city and ran off towards the direction of the spaceport.
"Sir, where are we going?" RE-793 asked.
"Anywhere from Noriyuki," Ton replied and the two managed to get far enough to where the deafening screams were mere haunting echoes.
Ton then activated his comlink. "Cdr. Katsure, do you copy? Cdr. Katsure, this is Capt. Mentzer, are you there?"
There was no response.
"Interference, sir?" RE-793 suggested.
"I can't see how," Ton muttered before noticing that there was a message on his comlink. He activated it and a hologram of Capt. Piett appeared.
"Acting Admiral, I'm afraid you won't be returning from shore leave anytime soon." The captain looked grim. "I understand that under the strictest confidence you told me that we had to avoid the emperor at all costs, but I'm afraid we cannot avoid him any longer. Long range scanners picked up an incoming fleet of Star Destroyers recognizable as the emperor's personal fleet. All the captains have decided to remain and Commander Katsure has taken your place as Captain of the Executor. I would have preferred to tell you personally rather than leave a transmission, sir, but it is for your safety and for the safety of Lt. Lo that this be done. I must urge you to evacuate Nihoma in any way possible. The emperor's fleet will be here in hours. It was an honor to serve under you, Ton Mentzer."
The hologram faded, leaving Ton and RE-793 in stunned silence. No… no! Emperor Palpatine… how did he find them so quickly? Ton knew what would happen next. If the emperor somehow knew Vader was still alive but his fleet did not disclose his location… the commanding officers would be executed.
Damn it!
"Let's go," Ton said in a rough voice.
"Go where, sir?"
"Back to Noriyuki; we have to find Lord Vader."
Exhausted and overwhelmed, Obi-Wan finally collapsed in the royal palace's gardens. Zhymmia let go of him and took Anakin out of his grasp.
Obi-Wan sensed people running towards him and looked to see… no… that—that couldn't be possible!
He stared in absolute shock. Was that Padmé running over with Jifo?
Padmé froze upon seeing Obi-Wan and then her eyes landed on Anakin.
"Good Force you two clawed each other!" Jifo said as he kneeled beside Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan acknowledged the ensign with a smile but his eyes remained on Padmé. She was staring at Anakin and then looked back at him. Upon realizing that he had been gazing at her intently, she walked towards him slowly.
"Obi-Wan…?" she whispered so Jifo and Zhymmia would not hear.
"When did you get here?" Obi-Wan nearly hissed.
"I've been here," Padmé replied. "When did you get here?"
"I've been here," Obi-Wan used her vague answer.
Their attention immediately shifted as Anakin gasped and his eyes opened. The boy paused for a moment, staring at nothing in particular but apparently focusing on something internally before he leapt to his feet and ran away as if someone's life depended upon it.
Everyone on Minh was screaming as the dragon fell. The female dragon attacking them had bludgeoned Minh on the head with her tail, knocking him unconscious. Kobayashi and the others had been bellowing and praying for some sort of rescue since then.
The ground was growing larger and larger. Minh's left arm hit a skyscraper as he fell, causing the building to topple and throwing half of his riders off, including Kobayashi.
He saw Carh'la, Kerrick, Numel, and Marrax alongside him as he fell. Considering how quickly they were descending he didn't have much time to give thought to his predicament, but he at least had time to wish it didn't end that way.
Suddenly, Kobayashi felt someone wrap an arm around his back and another arm underneath the back of his knees. He was carried to a roof that wasn't collapsing and then hastily dropped.
"What the…?"
Kobayashi looked around wildly to see what had just happened. He found himself gaping when he saw a person jumping against the opposite skyscraper and catch Carh'la and Kerrick in a heartbeat. The person returned and dropped them, turning on his heel and leaping off once again to retrieve Numel and Marrax.
Kobayashi continually tried to get a good look at the man but he moved too quickly to follow. Before Kobayashi could blink an eye, he was back and placing a panicked Numel and Marrax on the roof beside Kerrick and Carh'la.
This was when Kobayashi finally saw who it was.
It was Vader.
"L… Little One?" Kobayashi asked very quietly.
Vader was panting for air and bleeding heavily. He collapsed on the roof after dropping the last two. He then opened his eyes (at least his left eye—his right eye was too swollen to open) and looked to his left. Kobayashi did as well.
Master Kenobi was coming.
The instant the Jedi landed, Vader tensed but did nothing. His body language denoted that he was disoriented and slightly panicked, but his glare said he was wary.
"Anakin," Kenobi said softly. "Please, stay calm. I'm not here to hurt you."
Vader continued to breathe heavily and glare, but he remained still.
Kobayashi interrupted everyone's musings when he pointed to Minh, who was still falling. "You have to help the others!"
Vader and Kenobi whipped around to see Minh land on the ground with a tremendous crash. Kobayashi shook his head in horror along with the other Imperials.
"No!" Carh'la yelled.
Kobayashi fell to his knees but then his shock was stopped when he saw Rin, his mother's nook-nami, appear by the roof. On her were Moeema, Shiine, Rowan, Ooke, and Sano.
"Sano!" Kobayashi called.
His older brother smiled reassuringly and helped the Imperials onto the roof. "I'll get rid of that nook, Koby. Take care of them until I come back!"
Sano and Rin flew towards the nook-nami and began to fight ferociously. Since Rin was a female she was far more aggressive than Minh had been. Rin quickly tore enough scales and skin that the wild nook-nami fled. The nook Vader and Kenobi had been fighting on had long since gone.
Rin returned and everyone clambered aboard. Sano flew them back to the palace and they landed safely, quickly sliding to the ground and thanking their lucky stars they were all still in one piece. They were happily reunited with Zhymmia and Jifo.
Kobayashi's attention turned to Vader when he heard him land closely followed by Kenobi. Everyone grew silent.
Vader kept his eyes low, but from what Kobayashi could see they didn't look red.
"They're coming," he muttered, his fists clenching.
The group exchanged confused glances.
"Who's coming?" Moeema asked softly.
Vader tensed horribly, looking away from Moeema.
Moeema put a hand on his shoulder. "Who's coming, young one?"
Vader slowly looked at her with his open eye. It was blue just as it had been before this whole incident started. There were so many raging emotions. Kobayashi could see anger and confusion swirling with fear and horror. He also saw a tentative desire to let Moeema comfort him, but an irrational hatred against it.
"Who's coming?" Moeema asked again, even more softly.
Vader gulped and shook his head, backing away from her. He flinched when Obi-Wan gently took him by the arm and sat him down on the ground.
"Tell us, Anakin," he said.
"Commander!"
Everyone looked around wildly until Zhymmia exclaimed, "Captain?"
Kobayashi's eyes widened as he saw Capt. Mentzer and the clone trooper named Ress approach them. Both looked disheveled to say the least; the captain had numerous tears on his clothing and his face was dirty from the rubble. Ress' armor had dents and chips. The two looked like they had emerged from a battlefield.
What unsettled Kobayashi, though, was the somewhat panicked look in the captain's eyes. He normally kept his mood well concealed. The only way someone knew he was unnerved or frustrated was if he was irritable, but it rarely was ingrained in his features as it was now. The man looked like a nervous wreck.
"We have to leave. Now." Capt. Mentzer said. "Is everyone here?"
"Yes, sir…" Rowan responded in an uncertain tone.
The captain nodded and was about to say something more when he noticed Vader and Kenobi. The recognition gleaming in the captain's eyes was unmistakable. He knew who the Jedi Master was.
"How…?" he muttered, grabbing for a blast pistol that would normally be on his belt but thankfully wasn't in this case.
"Captain, please listen," Rowan quickly explained. "He has been helping us handle Lo…"
Rowan tossed an awkward glance towards Vader, seeing how he reacted to the name. He didn't. His eyes were elsewhere. His mouth was slightly open and his expression was showing blank shock.
Kobayashi followed his gaze and saw a woman staring at him with the same expression on her own face. She then closed her eyes and shuddered before opening them with a stony expression.
"Hello, Lt. Lo," she said in a neutral tone. "You look pretty bad. What happened?"
Vader continued to stare at her wordlessly. Kobayashi finally recognized the woman, realizing that she was the one who had danced with him at the ball. That seemed to be so long ago…
"Padmé…" he whispered.
Padmé? Why was he calling her by her first name?
The woman's eyes widened and then, in the blink of an eye, she was by his side. "Anakin…?"
The two gazed at each other in shock and wonder before they were interrupted by the captain.
"Lo, who is this?" he asked.
"Who's Lo…?" Vader began to ask before his face hardened. Then he blushed furiously and looked away.
"Captain, what's the matter?" Rowan decided it was time to intervene. "Why do you look so panicked?"
"We've got a few issues with which we must contend," Capt. Mentzer said. "The first problem is that we have the emperor's personal fleet heading in our direction with intent upon finding out what has been happening. The second problem is they will be here in a few hours. The third problem is that the fleet has steeled itself for their arrival and will not let us aboard. Is my mood fully explained, now?"
"I believe it explains itself, yes," Kerrick admitted breathlessly.
"Force…" Shiine muttered. "What Vader said in the hot spring… they're nearby… that wasn't about the dragons at all…"
"Let's just concern ourselves with the three issues the captain so lovingly relayed to us, shall we?" Master Kenobi interrupted.
"You won't be going anywhere, Jedi," Capt. Mentzer hissed. "RE-793, shoot him."
Ress fingered his blaster automatically, but he did not raise it.
"What do you think you're doing, trooper? That was an order!"
"Sorry, sir, but shouldn't we be more preoccupied with evacuating?" Ress asked.
"Shoot him!"
"I'm afraid I can't, sir," Ress shook his head.
"What? This is insubordination! If you do not shoot him I will!"
A harsh voice interjected, saying, "Shut up, Mentzer."
The captain immediately flinched and looked over at Vader, who was standing once again. He was giving the man a red-eyed glare. "Ress is right. We need to concern ourselves with getting out of here."
"But—but…" the captain's eyes widened as realization struck him. "Lord Vader!"
Ress' attention intensified and he looked over the young man thoroughly. The defining factor was in the eyes. He saw the fierce determination, more present than ever before. The man's right eye was too swollen to open but Ress could see enough in his left eye. It was red when he first looked at it but in the blink of an eye it was blue. However, it was bloodshot as well.
Even the way he held himself was far different from Little One. It was more reminiscent of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. He held a commanding presence even though he was slouching from exhaustion. Ress immediately saluted him.
"Good to have you back, sir," he said.
Skywalker nodded slowly, though he didn't seem to comprehend Ress' words.
"I believe leaving would be an agreeable thing to do in this situation," Kenobi suggested.
Capt. Mentzer shot the Jedi a wary look before turning to Skywalker for instructions.
"Is your loyalty to the Empire, Mentzer?" Skywalker asked.
"Yes, sir, of course," the captain replied immediately.
"Is your loyalty to me?"
"Yes, sir,"
"If the two loyalties were to conflict, which duty would you follow?"
"S-sir?"
"Which duty would you follow, Mentzer?"
"Sir, m-my duty is to the Imperial Navy, but… but you're my superior."
"And if I were to be relieved of that duty because the emperor believes I am unfit to lead…?"
"Then my duty would be to whomever replaces you, sir," the captain answered logically.
Skywalker nodded slowly. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mentzer."
Capt. Mentzer gasped and clawed at his throat as Skywalker raised his right hand, his index finger and thumb slowly coming together. "L-Lord Vader…"
"If your first loyalty is to the Empire then I have no choice,"
"S-sir… please…"
"Little One, stop it!" Lt. Cdr. Norhek yelled. "If it weren't for him we would have been found at Dantooine!"
"If I were to order you to follow me and leave the Empire behind you, would you follow?" Skywalker demanded. "Answer me!"
"Y-yes…"
"Let him go!" the strange brunette woman shouted.
Skywalker immediately released the captain. He shook his head but said nothing.
"We have to get out of here," Kenobi interjected.
"We can take the Executor back," Lt. Sanus offered, looking a little shaken.
"Take it back?" Lt. Cdr. Tade frowned. "You make it sound like we'll have to attack our own ship."
"What is your point?"
"You can't steal the Executor if you can't reach it," the woman christened Padmé shook her head. "But I do have a large transport you can use to get there."
Padmé led the group as they rushed outside of the city. Obi-Wan was running beside Anakin.
"How can we trust this woman? We just met her!" Kobayashi asked the others.
"Oh, believe me, she's trustworthy," Obi-Wan responded. "And she's quite resourceful,"
"We don't even know who she is!" Kerrick protested.
"We can concern ourselves with introductions after we get to the Executor," Obi-Wan instructed. "Let's just go."
Padmé pointed to the Noriyuki Spaceport off in the distance. "We'll be there shortly. When is the emperor's fleet supposed to arrive?"
"I don't have an exact time," the captain replied. "I just know it will be in a few hours,"
When they finally arrived at the spaceport, it was partly deserted. A few people were wandering to and fro. They looked dirty and disheveled, telling Obi-Wan that they were citizens or tourists from Noriyuki who had fled during the chaos.
Padmé took them to an adjacent domed area that held a Naboo transport.
"Quickly!" Padmé motioned for them to follow. They all boarded and Padmé immediately went to the cockpit.
Anakin stopped moving halfway to the cockpit and leaned against the wall, panting.
"You need to lie down," Obi-Wan said seriously.
"No, I don't, Kichi—"
Anakin shut his mouth and said no more, his face as red as a Sith Lord's lightsaber.
"Sir, what does Kichita mean?" Kerrick asked.
Anakin didn't say a word. Obi-Wan chuckled. "We'll explain later,"
"Wait, you know what it means?" Numel said. "You said you didn't!"
"That was also before I revealed my identity to you," Obi-Wan pointed out.
"Yes, well…"
Anakin looked at Numel and the latter quickly grew silent. An awkward pause followed before Anakin began to run towards the cockpit once more. He then asked, "How do you propose we return to the Executor if they won't let us board?"
Ooke smiled. "I didn't ask for permission. I can hack the access codes into the docking doors underneath her."
"So we're breaking in to our own ship?" Carh'la sighed. "This should be enjoyable,"
"Not everyone's going to want to leave," Anakin said. "I'm surprised the officers in charge even agreed to this."
"The officers are loyal and dedicated men, sir," Capt. Mentzer replied.
"Then I'm sure that they haven't told their crews what's going to happen in a few hours." Anakin cringed and coughed harshly, causing everyone to gently push him into a more reclined position on one of the chairs.
"What makes you think they won't allow us to board?" Obi-Wan asked the captain.
"They believe that if we board, we'll only be putting Lord Vader in danger."
"They're quite right," Obi-Wan nodded. "We also have to take into account that not everyone places their loyalty to Anakin alone."
Anakin flinched at the use of his name but he remained silent.
Through the cockpit view port they could see the Executor looming ever closer. Ooke entered some access codes and the doors underneath the ship that led to one of the hangars immediately began to open.
"You do realize that they're going to notice the doors opening?" Marrax pointed out.
"Leave that to me," Anakin responded, narrowing his eyes at the hangar doors. "I'll keep them open."
Padmé quickly piloted the ship into the hangar and landed. Anakin let out a deep breath and the hangar bay doors closed.
"Now what?" Jifo asked. "How are we going to determine who is loyal to you only?"
Anakin laughed harshly. "Believe me, that's at most two percent of the crew."
Seconds later, a door to the hangar opened and stormtroopers began to file in, blasters at the ready.
"What exactly do you propose we do, sir?" Shiine looked to Anakin.
"Follow me."
Anakin ran out of the cockpit, forcing everyone to nearly trip over each other in order to keep up. They rushed down the landing ramp and saw that Anakin was already running towards the stormtroopers, who had frozen in disbelief and confusion.
Obi-Wan saw a lieutenant commander staring at Anakin. It was a female, a rarity in the Imperial Navy.
"Lt. Cdr. Sypikne, order your men to stand down!" Anakin said in a commanding tone.
"Lord Vader…?" she gaped.
"Now, Sypikne,"
As she gave the order, Anakin wasted no time in exiting the hangar and heading towards the bridge. Everyone followed.
When they arrived, the bridge crew leapt to its feet. A commander approached them.
"I thought Capt. Piett made his message quite clear," the commander said in a harsh tone.
"I don't take orders from a lower-ranking officer, Cdr. Katsure," Anakin said. "I'm in charge of this fleet."
Cdr. Katsure stared in horror upon seeing Anakin. "What happened to you?"
Anakin's eye darted over to Obi-Wan for a fleeting moment before he brushed the matter aside. "It doesn't matter. I believe your post is in the engineering bay."
"But—"
"Are you questioning me, commander?"
Katsure actually looked relieved that Anakin was acting himself again. "No, sir,"
"Ooke, go with him," Anakin ordered.
"Yes, sir," Ooke nodded, determination gleaming in his eyes.
The two exited the bridge and then Anakin looked at the rest of the Imperials. "I believe you all have your duties to attend to,"
"Sir…?"
"You heard me."
Most of them left the bridge while the others went to their assigned posts. Obi-Wan and Padmé exchanged glances.
"What about us?" Obi-Wan queried.
Anakin said nothing for a moment, glancing at Obi-Wan before looking away. He was obviously debating something in his mind before he sighed heavily in resignation and annoyance. "Your… your assistance would be helpful in this mess."
Obi-Wan hid his smile. "Very well,"
The three walked across the catwalk and went to the front of the bridge, looking through the view port.
"When does the emperor's fleet arrive?" Obi-Wan asked a lieutenant.
The lieutenant paused and looked at Anakin, who nodded. He then answered. "The fleet should be here in four standard hours."
"Then we have our work cut out for us," Obi-Wan looked to Anakin, who nodded again.
Anakin then faced Mentzer. "Get me all of the captains in the briefing room."
Mentzer immediately nodded and saluted before leaving. Anakin paused again and then turned to Obi-Wan. He looked at him intensely and then looked at Padmé. "You two can stay on the bridge."
He then followed the captain, leaving Obi-Wan and Padmé.
Please review!