DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.
Sorry I keep taking so long. I feel I'm letting you all down. You guys have been great and very patient with me. Thanks. I'll just let you know I do work a lot which sadly has priority over fanfic but I do try my best to get these chapters out to you. So again, thank you and sorry.
When Ferus finally reached the Skywalker residence, he was not at all surprised to find it abandoned. He leapt out of his starship and approached the silent house with his senses alert. The front door was slightly open and he pushed his way in, feeling around with the Force before entering the hallway beyond. Ferus couldn't sense the dark side within so he proceeded to search the house. He quickly moved from room to room but found nothing out of the ordinary until he reached the twins' bedroom. From there it just seemed to get worse.
He found the mess that Padme had made whilst struggling for her children and the small dark stain of her blood. Then he found the holodisk.
Suddenly every part of his being was screaming at him that something terrible was going to happen. The overwhelming sense hadn't stemmed from his discovery though. It was all around him, imbedded in the Force like a blazing sun. Ferus stilled and instantly cast out his senses in an effort to find the cause of the Force's sudden warning.
From his pocket, his comlink beeped. Ferus quickly fished it out and was relieved when Obi Wan's voice came through the receiver.
"Do you feel that?" Obi Wan asked.
"It's hard not to. You don't think this has anything to do with Anakin do you?"
Ferus heard Obi Wan sigh before replying. "I think that it has more to do with my old padawan than we'd like to believe. He's obviously in deep trouble wherever he is. Did you find anything at Anakin's home?"
"I found a holodisk among the mess but I haven't watched it yet."
"Well it's a start I guess. Ferus," Obi Wan paused for a moment. "We need to find Anakin and his family. The Force has never been this unsettled before which definitely isn't a good thing."
Ferus agreed and disconnected after promising to inform Obi Wan if he found anything helpful.
The disk proved to be more helpful than he'd hoped. As he watched, Ferus could feel Anakin's lingering rage surrounding the message. He could just imagine his young friend seething as he watched the love of his life lie unconscious in the hands of the Sith and with no idea of the whereabouts of his two children. Anakin would have blamed himself, which would have only increased his anger, simultaneously weakening and strengthening him at the same time.
When the message ended, Ferus quickly commed Obi Wan and told him to meet him at the Refugee Transport Terminal in half an hour before pocketing the holodisk and running back to his starship. As he fired up the engines and started his ascent, the Force rippled again before falling ominously silent once more.
Fear was beginning to set in. Nothing good could come from such a powerful warning from the Force. Nothing good at all.
Carth Aldan stood alone on the landing platform. His hands were clasped behind him as his dark maroon robe billowed around his legs, his nose-less face turned skyward. His blue green skin, typical of his people the Neimoidian's, was warming up quickly in the midmorning sun but despite this discomfort, Carth waited patiently.
He didn't have long to wait though. Not quite an hour later, a fast moving black and gray blur shot through the atmosphere and began the landing procedures. It was heading straight for the landing platform Carth waited on.
The Neimoidian watched emotionlessly as the Scimitar landed directly parallel to him and powered down. A ramp suddenly lowered itself from the round back and two clone troupers exited. In their arms, they each held a furiously struggling infant. The first clone to reach Carth held a three year old boy, whose hair was the colour of corn silk and his eyes a blazing blue. When the second clone reached him, it didn't take Carth long to spot their resemblance. While the second toddler was a girl, a dark eyed, dark haired angel, both children shared the same fierce determined steely glare and stubborn set of their jaws. Both characteristics inherited from their famous parents.
"My Dad's going to get you for this!" Leia cried as she punched the clone holding her with her tiny fists.
"Yeah he's going to kick your butts!" Luke added.
Carth laughed at the twins' escape attempts.
"The Skywalker children," one of the clones' announced unnecessarily.
He held out Luke and Carth took the wriggling infant. Before he could get a good hold on him, Luke poked the Neimoidian in the eye with his finger before biting down hard on one of Carth's hands. Carth cursed and nearly dropped the boy. Luke instantly wriggled harder when he felt the grip slacken around his waist.
Unable to keep a hold on him, Carth dropped Luke, who landed rather gracefully for a three year old. Luke looked straight at Leia, who was still trying to free herself from the clone holding her. Leia paused for a moment as the twins shared a nod.
"Run Luke!" Leia shouted.
Carth, having recovered from Luke's attack, made a grab for the little boy. He missed him by centimetres as Luke suddenly dashed straight at the clone holding his sister. Carth was amazed at the speed Luke showed but was pulled out of his thoughts as the youngster proceeded to kick the clone in the shin. Hard.
The clone cried out but didn't drop Leia. Luke, undeterred, dashed around behind the tall clone trouper and jumped up onto his back. Again Carth was floored by the young Skywalker's agility and stood still, simply watching in awe.
As Luke wrapped his tiny arms around the clone's neck, his companion who had carried Luke from the spacecraft was sneaking up behind the child. Luke bashed his closed fist down repeatedly on the clone's helmet, his teeth clenched and bared in anger.
"Luke, look out!" Leia cried upon seeing the second clone.
But she was too late. Before her twin could turn, the second clone leapt at his companion and grabbed Luke in his arms, holding on tight. Luke continued to put up a fight but he was tiring.
"Impressive," Carth muttered to himself.
The two clones didn't offer the children to Carth this time. Instead they kept firm holds on the kids and simply followed the Neimoidian Separatist as he led them to their destination.
They didn't have to go far. The landing platform was a private one, owned by the Aldan family for generations. It had been built above their impressive residence, which Carth had also inherited after the suspicious disappearance of his parents. He was proud of his home, which was built into the side of a mountain. It was a magnificent house, with gardens in the eating areas and more sleeping quarters than entirely necessary. It also had an underground vault, a truly vast area with as many rooms as there were empty training areas, all of which was sealed off from the outside world by a giant blast-proof, Force resistant door.
It was to this vault that the young Skywalker children were being taken. They were carried through the beautiful house, down to the next level, bypassing the slaves quarters by use of a secret stairwell, and into the last room of the house. It was small and empty but had a giant chrome coloured round door set into the opposite wall.
Carth walked straight up to the blast door and entered a code into the door itself, which then swung open slowly. The Separatist motioned for the clones to enter before following and closing the door behind them. It shut with a resounding bang, followed by a loud hiss noise – the pressure release from the hydraulic locking mechanism.
Once inside, the clones carried their prisoners along a long corridor lined with doors that led to countless rooms. At the very end of the corridor, a huge space seemed to just open up. But the twins never made it to the end of the corridor.
Just a few doors away from the end, Carth stopped and turned to his left. From there he placed his hand over a square of black slate and the door whooshed open.
"Welcome to your new home," Carth said, smiling at Luke.
Luke glanced into the dark room and shuddered. He didn't like the emptiness the room seemed to emit and turned to face Leia.
"No, sorry young one," Carth continued, noting the twins' exchange. "Your sister will have her own room."
As the twins realised they were to be separated, both stared struggling even harder. The clone holding Luke carried him into the room as the young Skywalker reached his arm out towards his sister.
"Don't leave me Luke," Leia whispered her eyes round and terrified.
Luke couldn't hide his own fear as he replied, "I'm sorry Lee-Lee."
Leia stretched out to him and for a moment, as the two clones passed each other, the twins brushed hands but then Luke was forced into the room and everything turned black around him.
The last sound he heard was the finality of his cell door closing. Then there was only cold, lonely darkness.