Chapter One—Rescue

Anakin and Obi-Wan finally reached the spaceport. They had received a few strange looks on their way but only two people had stopped to ask. It was about to become three as the guard huffed and made his way over to the two Jedi.

"Purpose?" he growled at them, taking a deep breath of his smoking-stick.

"Our ship is docked at Bay Seventeen," Anakin answered. The guard looked over the priceless package that currently laid all-too still in his arms.

"Doesn't seem like a Jedi to be haulin' dead bodies off-planet," he replied, looking to lift the cloak. Obi-Wan felt the Force on their side and Anakin gently pushed the guard away.

"Spice addict," Anakin said, waving his hand in the guard's direction. "We're doing you a favour."

"Spice addict. You're doing us a favour. Right, sooner you Jedi scum are gone, the better."

The guard moved out of the way. It took only minutes for the Jedi to reach the ship. "Easier than I thought," Anakin mused as Threepio greeted them at the door.

"Master Obi-Wan! Thank the Maker!" he screeched. "The Council has been rather insistent that you contact them immediately. What is it that you are carrying?"

Obi-Wan didn't answer and made his way to his cabin, Anakin close behind. Anakin motioned for Artoo to follow them. "Get us out of here, Threepio."

Obi-Wan tenderly moved the cloak away from the woman as he made her comfortable on his bed. She was still unconscious but Obi-Wan could feel her hanging on through the Force. He studied her arms closely as the ship began its take-off procedure.

"Will she be alright, Master?" Anakin asked, unable to tear his eyes away from her pregnant stomach. "Her baby?"

From the look of her, she had her last hit of spice that very same day and it was unlikely to have left her system. Obi-Wan concentrated on the baby, finding it still very bright within the Force.

"The child is fine," Obi-Wan answered, his voice full of relief. "She is perhaps seven standard months old. It seems she is rather keen to get out and meet the world."

"It's a girl, Master?"

There was a flash of red hair and a beautiful smile. Obi-Wan saw the smallest nudge from the woman's stomach.

A soft whimpering cut through the silence and Obi-Wan knelt down and grasped the woman's hand.

"Can you hear me?" he asked. Anakin stood back and indicated for Artoo to begin recording.

"Need..." the woman began. "Need sp..."

"You are safe onboard a vessel headed towards the capital. Do you know where that is?"

The woman turned to look at Obi-Wan. "Coruscant? You got me..."

Obi-Wan nodded in response. "Yes, we have taken you off-world. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is Anakin Skywalker."

The woman's eyes blazed with recognition. "Jedi?"

She tried to move but her body was weak so she slumped back down into the bed. She cradled her stomach.

"What is your name?" Obi-Wan asked quietly. The woman shook her head.

"Dangerous," she said and immediately began to cough.

"Maybe it's time to put her in a healing trance, Master," Anakin advised as the woman's body began to shiver. "She is likely to start experiencing symptoms of withdrawal very soon. We need to get her to Master Offee as soon as possible."

"Help her," the woman interrupted. "Please."

Obi-Wan turned to face her as Anakin prepared to assist. "We shall do everything in our power to help you and your child."

The woman smiled, clearly fighting off the pain and longing in her veins. "Marali-Ketana Jade," she introduced herself and finally succumbed to a restful sleep.

o0o

"Is the woman going to be alright?" Padmè asked through the holo. Anakin smiled as Luke waved to him.

"I'm not sure Padmè. Barriss is a very skilled Healer, we can only hope and let her fate rest with the Force."

"Daddy?" Leia demanded off-holo and Padmè sighed and adjusted Luke so she could pick Leia up too. Leia poked her brother and finally smiled at Anakin.

"Hello Princess," Anakin cooed and felt his heart soar as his family got excited to see him. Suddenly, Luke's head shot up.

"Baby," he said clearly.

Leia nodded and pointed to Anakin. "Baby," she agreed.

Anakin nearly forgot all his Jedi training and panicked. "Padmè, are you..."

Padmè shook her head. "No, Anakin," she reassured him. "They've been restless all morning." Padmè frowned. "Is this something Force-related?"

The twins kept pointing and saying 'baby'.

"I'm not sure, Padmè."

Suddenly, a shift presented itself in the Force and overcame the Jedi Master.

"Baby!" Luke screamed and he and Leia began to cry.

"Go, Anakin," Padmè urged as she cut the connection.

There was only one source of the Force disruption—their passenger.

o0o

By the time Anakin arrived in the cabin, Obi-Wan had already made it there. Marali-Ketana lay deathly still on the cabin bed. Anakin could feel her body start to fail, even in the depths of the healing trance.

"We're losing her," Obi-Wan stated sadly. "She doesn't have much time left."

"Artoo, how close are we to Coruscant?" Anakin asked the droid that had been standing watch over their guest.

Artoo answered in a series of beeps and whistles.

"About an hour until we dock," Anakin confirmed. "Will she make it in time?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and searched the Force. The woman's Force signature was beginning to fade. However, the baby's Force-signature called to him. It suddenly became very clear to Obi-Wan. It was not the woman that he had followed into the depths at Serenno. The child had been a footnote then, a surprise. The woman was strong with the Force but the child was stronger. It seemed that where the mother was giving up, resigning herself to a life without pain and suffering, the child, the girl, was fighting; calling for him.

The baby wanted to live, mother or not.

And the Force clearly agreed.

"She has maybe an hour or two left," Obi-Wan finally answered. "Threepio, contact Master Offee and have her meet us immediately at the Halls of Healing. Inform her that she will need to be prepared for a birth, with access to the bacta cribs for a premature baby."

"Right away, Master Kenobi."

Suddenly, Marali-Ketana's eyes shot open. She gasped for air. "Mara!" she shouted, grabbing Obi-Wan's outstretched hand. "Save her, please," she begged.

And as her eyes closed for what Obi-Wan knew was the last time, he silently prayed to the Force that he would honour her last wishes.

o0o

"Zonder, activate the bacta crib," Barriss Offee commanded as she organised the other two padawans on duty in the Halls. Zonder rushed forward and disappeared into the main operating theatre, closely followed by the hover-stretcher containing Marali-Ketana.

As Anakin and Obi-Wan went to follow them, Barriss held her hands up.

"I'm afraid we will have to take it from here, Masters," she said apologetically. "There is much to be done if we are to save the child."

"So there is no hope for the mother?" Obi-Wan asked anxiously. Neither Anakin nor Obi-Wan missed the sadness that passed over Barriss's face.

"Her prolonged use of spice has done irreversible damage to her. I would not be surprised if she has joined the Force by this evening. We must work quickly. Excuse me, I am needed."

Barely an hour passed before Zonder appeared at the door.

"It's a girl," he announced gruffly and motioned for both Obi-Wan and Anakin to follow him into the room. Several 2-1B droids cluttered the outside area. Barriss stood over the mother as she motioned for the two Jedi Masters to join her.

"She is about to join the Force," Barriss whispered. "She will not regain consciousness."

Anakin and Obi-Wan bowed their heads in respect. "And the child?" Obi-Wan asked. Zonder gruffly pointed to the far corner of the theatre, where a small bacta crib sat against the wall.

"And so she passes," said Anakin as the datapad attached to her readout-station whistled and then became silent.

"May the Force be with you, Marali-Ketana Jade."