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Padme had managed to fall asleep for a little while when suddenly she was woken by the sound of an explosion of some sort and the entire ship shaking as if it had been rammed. "Anakin!"

The former Jedi shot up straight at the sound of his wife's voice and immediately he knew what was happening. They were being raided by space pirates. It wasn't actually that big of a surprise considering they were no longer happened to be in republic territory. "Padme I want you to take Chewbacca and I need you to hide. Do not make a sound do you understand me? We do not have a lot of time before we are boarded. I am going to take them out, but I cannot do that until I know you are safe. Lock yourself somewhere until you hear me calling for you. Only when you hear my voice do you understand?"

She nodded quickly hurrying to where Chewbacca sleep. She woke the young Wookie who followed her without question. She wanted to find the droids to hide them as well, but she was not sure how much time she had. Already she could hear feet as the ruffians came aboard. She would just have to hope that the droids made it out alright. Locking herself and Chewie in what she called the medical bay, Padme did her best to keep him calm in this tense situation. He was frightened and wanted Anakin, but she knew that would not be safe right now.

"Remember the buyer wants the woman alive so that means we can kill anyone else other than the male." A mumbled voice sounded outside the door and the former queen of Naboo placed her hand over Chewbacca's mouth in order to keep him silent. "Keep your eyes open mate you know how quick Jedi can be."

Another voice sounded from outside the door. "I'm not stupid you know. I've been doing this for years, way before you were even conceived. I am the one who taught Fett everything he knew before he went and got himself killed. Stop your yapping and find her. Whoever this broad is, she is bringing us in a lot of money assuming we can get the job done and soon."

Everything went quiet and Padme had no idea what was going on outside the doors. She was tempted to check and yet she remembered what Anakin had told her. She needed to wait until he gave her the all clear, but what if he never came? What if her husband was out there right now hurt and maybe even dying? She couldn't just leave him there. Motioning for Chewbacca to stay where he was and remain quiet, she opened the doors slowly not seeing anyone, but as soon as she let out the breath she had been holding, she felt arms wrap around her body encasing her much like a cage. Her first instinct was to scream and yet the hand that covered her mouth prevented that.

"Well look what the force dragged in." The ragged voice muttered with a laugh. "My you are a pretty one. I think that I may just keep you for myself."

"It will be the last thought you ever have." Anakin appeared out of the shadows. His light saber was still stuck to his belt even though the man had his gun drawn and pressed up against Padme's temple in warning. "You will be dead before you ever have a chance to pull that trigger."

The man laughed as he pressed the gun more firmly against her skull. "Tough words boy, but you forget one thing."

Anakin did not move an inch as he took in his opponent. "What would that be?"

"I'm the one with the gun." The older man laughed deeply as if he knew something the others did not. "Now we are going to take the lady and-"

"What do you mean when you say we?" Anakin questioned as she made a show of looking around the corridor for the man's partner who was nowhere to be seen. A dark smirk came to rest on his lips. "If you mean the scum that is lying in pieces on the holo deck then I am not worried and you shouldn't be either since you're about to join him."

Padme watched as her heartbeat thudded in her ears as her husband raised his gloved hand and squeezed the air lightly. At first she didn't realize what was happening until the man who had been holding her fell to his knees clutching his throat. His face was quickly turning blue and she sprinted to her husband's side wanting to be far away from the other man as she could possibly get.

"Ani?" Her voice quivered when she saw his yellow eyes. He looked so inhuman and not at all like the man she had spent the last few days with. "Ani, you are killing him!"

His reply was instantaneous. "I know that is the point. He deserves worth than death, but I do not have the time to dish out the proper revenge and so he will get a quick death."

She was horrified to hear those words leave his mouth. Sure she wanted the guy to pay for threatening her and her unborn child, but murder? She couldn't and wouldn't condone that. "This is wrong. We should just leave him somewhere. Murder is not the answer Anakin and you know it."

"He will pay for daring lay a hand on you Padme and I do not want to hear another word about it do you under?" He snapped as his eyes seemed to glow yellow before his fingers clenched slightly and a snap could be heard as the man fell to the ground dead with a broken neck. Anakin looked at his wife as his anger left him as quickly as it had taken over. "Please don't look at me like that Padme. Death is a part of life and it was his time."

"It is not up to you to decide who lives and who dies." She argued with a sad expression as she shook her head. "I understand wanting to protect us, but there had to be another way."

Anakin kept his expression blank. She needed to realize that sometimes you had to take drastic measures. "Sometimes you have to do what is necessary instead of what is right."

TBC…

AN: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and I will give you a hint by telling you that it is very important what happened in this chapter. I would love to hear your thoughts about why it is important and what you think is going to happen.

Please R&R like always!