Leia held onto Anakin's hand as they moved the hover bed towards the Rogue. So far Piett and no one else had acted against them. They were allowing them to leave. Half an hour ago, Palpaitne had ordered Anakin's instant execution. This worried her, what would happen to the crew of the Executor for disobeying his order?
"Leia," Anakin spoke causing Leia to turn her attention to him as they came to a stop in front of the Rogue. "You're no longer afraid of me anymore, why?"
"I saw the man behind the mask," Leia answered honestly as she squeezed his hand for reassurance. "You don't frighten me anymore. We should get going before Piett changes his mind."
Fress lowered the ramp as they pushed the hover bed up the ramp as Leia let go of Anakin's hand. Fress pushed a hover cart up the ramp with the rest of Anakin's armor and mask as the medic and nurse followed closely behind her. Luke and Ahsoka stepped in beside Leia as she watched Piett approach her with a serious expression. "Admiral, thank you for allowing us to leave."
"With three Jedi and a sith lord together, they would be difficult to stop," Piett explained with a half smile. "Princess, can I have a way to contact you?"
Leia hesitated as Fress walked down the ramp with a frown. "I'm curious as to why?"
"The crew wants to hold a meeting in two hours from now," Piett explained with a neutral expression. "We realize we're allowing you and the others to leave with Vader willingly. Especially after we've been commanded to execute Anakin. We're going to discuss as to whether or not to return to Coruscant. I know I will be executed for high treason if we do."
"You want a way out, don't you?" Leia questioned, as she understood his reasoning as Piett nodded. "And do you have a family we should be concerned about?"
"Yes, a wife and a daughter," Piett answered honestly.
Leia glanced at Fress and Ahsoka as they both nodded in agreement. "They'll be in danger as soon as Palpatine finds out," she chewed on her lower lip as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her calling card. "Your reasoning is sound, here is my contact information if you decide to jump ship."
Piett accepted the card with a smile. "Thank you Princess. You and the others should go before word reaches back to Palpatine."
"Good luck," Leia turned towards the Rogue as the others followed her as they walked up the ramp. "Is Anakin settled?"
"He is and he is not looking forward to heading planet side feeling the way he does," Fress answered honestly.
"He's not well," Leia agreed. "Did the medic give him anything that should help ease with what he's feeling for the flight down?"
"He did," Fress answered as she glanced at Luke. "Luke, would you mind helping me co-pilot?"
"Sure," Luke agreed as Fress headed towards the cockpit and he followed her.
Leia walked to the hover bed as she noticed Anakin was asleep. She placed her hand onto Anakin's forehead noting it felt cooler then it did earlier. She glanced at the nurse and medic who were strapping in. "Thank you for helping."
"You're welcome, Princess," the medic answered with a slight smile. "I care for everyone, it doesn't matter what they have done or what their background is. I don't like seeing anyone suffer."
"Leia, time to strap in," Ahsoka reminded Leia as she strapped herself in. "We're ready to go."
Leia walked to a seat and sat down pulling the straps over her shoulders. She glanced at the hover bed again wondering if she was making the correct decision or not. What would the others think if they knew that she and Luke were twins and their father was Vader? Would they force them to leave the alliance or would they allow them to stay? Hopefully she could find the right words to say to get Anakin into the Alliance without them arresting him. Two years ago if anyone told her she would be fighting for Vader's rights, she would tell them they were crazy but now it doesn't seem so crazy anymore.
Anakin opened his eyes and glanced to the side as Jess and Rex watched him with curious expressions. He laid his head back down as a small sigh escaped him. He wondered where the rest were or did they request to speak with him alone?
"Been along time, General," Rex commented causing Anakin to look up again. "Either you aged terribly or the dark side had some negative affects."
Anakin smiled slightly. "You should see how Palpatine looks now. Where are the others?"
"Resting," Jess answered honestly. "We offered to help look after you until they wake up."
"How are you feeling?" Rex questioned with a frown. "Do you need anything?"
"A chance to make things right," Anakin answered honestly as he glanced at Rex. "Leia asked me to help get Han back. Maybe I can make a deal with Jabba, one he can't afford to refuse."
"So we don't have to do this the hard way?" Rex questioned with a frown. "Who are you and what did you do with Anakin Skywalker? The one who goes charging in?"
"Padme's influence I suspect," Anakin answered feeling a pain of regret in his heart. She died because of him. The least he could do is try it the diplomatic way first. "If the diplomatic way doesn't work, we'll do it my way."
"If we let you have it your way, you'll blow up Jabba's palace on your way out," Fress commented causing Anakin to smirk. "The hard way is beginning to sound like old times."
"One way or another, we'll get Han back," Ahsoka commented as she walked in. "Even if that means we storm the palace and take him by force."
"You've been hanging around Anakin for too long," Rex pointed out with a small smile. "It does sound like fun."
"You should speak for yourself, Rex," Ahsoka pointed out with a toothy grin.
"What sounds like fun," Leia questioned as she walked into the room as everyone turned in her direction.
"Who wants to explain to Leia Yoda's definition of reckless behavior where Anakin is concerned?" Ahsoka questioned causing Leia to frown.
"The one who speaks up first," Anakin answered causing Ahsoka to glower at him.
"We were discussing the best way to get Han back, even if that means we storm the palace and take him by force. We'll be lucky if Anakin doesn't blow up the palace on the way out," Ahsoka explained as Leia turned her attention to Anakin.
"Obi-Wan did the negotiating and if that failed, I blew things up as a distraction for us to get away," Anakin explained causing Leia to release a frustrated sigh.
"You don't like Hutts do you?" Leia questioned as she stepped towards the hover bed. "Is there a personal reason?"
"I was a slave to Gardulla the Hutt when I was young. My mother and I were sold in a slave market," Anakin explained causing a shocked expression to cross her features. "We were lost on a bet to Watto when I was three. A Toydarian who lost me in a bet to a Jedi Master named Qui Gon-Jinn. When I won the Boonta Eve race, I won my freedom. It's a part of my past I've struggled to put behind me."
"I would've never guessed," Leia commented after a minute of silence. "We'll wait until the end of the week, hopefully you'll feel well enough to go and make the offer by then."
"All right," Anakin agreed. "What if we go about it another way?"
"We all sneak in one at a time and not tell Threepio we're going to give him to Jabba as a gift?" Jess questioned with a frown.
"Well, we could draw him out of the palace," Ahsoka spoke up. "Jabba must have a weakness of some sort."
"He likes to feed his rancor, if we could get in and kill the rancor then he'll want to feed the sarlac pit," Rex pointed out. "Or that's what I've heard rumors of."
"I think a million credits worth of spice will most likely get Han free," Anakin said with a frown. "Last I heard, he's on the verge of being bankrupt. He wouldn't be able to refuse the offer."
"We still need a plan b," Fress pointed out. "If that fails, we may have to break Han out with force."
"With that many pirates, smugglers and bounty hunters around willing to assist Jabba, it won't be easy," Jess pointed out with a frown.
"Since when any mission we've been on ever been easy?" Rex pointed out with a frown. "Especially when you three get together," he pointed to Fress, Ahsoka, and Anakin.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Rex," Ahsoka said with an innocent tone.
Rex shook his head sadly as Anakin closed his eyes. Rex had been on one too many missions with him, Ahsoka, and Fress. He knew what he was getting into and he had a feeling this was going to be anything but easy. Fress was right, they needed a plan b in case the first plan failed. With that many innocents in the palace, blowing it up was not a good idea.