DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.

Padme was alone in her cell. She refused to think of it as her room. She had not come here willingly and so it was a cell.

The room itself was plain but still nicely furnished. There was no window and only one exit which had no way of being opened from within the room. A huge bed was against the furthest wall, its dark maroon and gold covers giving the allusion of riches and wealth. Beside it to the left was a dark wooden dresser, packed with enough clothes to last her a month without washing. Set into the adjacent wall was another door which opened into a large washroom. It too was ready for her use with shampoos and hair products all stacked neatly in their appropriate places.

Directly opposite the bathroom was a small bookcase filled with all kinds of old novels. They were of pre-holo design, all of them with a hard cover and paper pages. Padme hadn't seen these kinds of books since before her grandma had died. A comfy sofa sat beside it, underneath a towering lamp.

The readiness of the room unnerved Padme. Whoever had designed it had thought of everything.

Moments after she'd been released from the cuffs and thrown into the room, Padme had performed a thorough search of the room. She had found no other exit other than the door and the one ventilation shaft she had found was barely large enough for her arm to fit in. Not ready to give in yet, she began searching for something that could be used as a weapon. Her search only resulted in a wood and lead pencil from decades ago and the tall lamp behind the sofa. There was no technology older than her grandma in the room, which meant no means of communication.

Frustrated now, and more than a little scared for her family, Padme finally sat down on the sofa in defeat. She dropped her head into her hands and sent a silent prayer to the Force to keep her loved ones safe. She didn't know this, but it was her prayer that prompted the Force to alert Ferus Olin and Obi Wan Kenobi of the Skywalker's troubles.

While Padme waited for something to happen, her thoughts began to get the better of her. She feared for the safety of the twins. How were they to protect themselves from the Empire when they were only three years old and with no knowledge of the Force? When Anakin had cut himself off from the Force he had also shielded the twins' incredible Force signatures too. The pair had grown up with no idea that they were Force sensitive or that their father was the Chosen One from the stories their parents had told them. Padme had no doubts that when the Emperor found out about the children's ignorance, he would use that to his advantage. That scared her more than anything.

And what was happening to Anakin? She hadn't seen him since they were separated in the hanger. He had looked fearful when she was being dragged away by Aayla but for who had he been more afraid for – himself or Padme? And if it had been for her, then his fears were useless as she had yet to be injured or even threatened in any way.

She sighed aloud and stood up. She needed a distraction from her dark thoughts. After scanning the titles in the bookcase, Padme picked one at random and started reading.

She had barely reached halfway through the first chapter when a tingling started around her neck. Not having forgotten the annoyingly loose steel collar around her neck Padme reached up to touch it in confusion.

Then the pain started. It flared up her arm and travelled quickly throughout her torso, into her legs and back up into her other arm. She dropped the book as a spasm shook her fingers. The collar suddenly started to shrink too. That was when her panic spiked. The pain was bad but not unendurable but the collar was another matter.

Her delicate fingers slipped between the steel and skin of her neck and she frantically tried to pull it away. Within seconds, despite her best efforts, the collar was snug against her neck and still tightening. Her fingers were trapped now and they were pressing uncomfortably into her throat.

Padme's panic deepened as she realised the collar was going to choke her. Her breathing became fast until she was hyperventilating as she struggled to draw in breath. Still the collar tightened. Padme struggled to pull her fingers out from under the choking steel but they were too squished for them to move more than a slight wiggle. Spots started appearing before her eyes and she could barely breathe at all.

Just as she started to pass out, she heard the door open and footsteps enter. Before she could see who it was, she was unconscious.

Obi Wan was meditating while he waited for Ferus to arrive at the Terminal. The place was filled with shabbily dressed refugees, waiting for the next transport off Bespin. He sat near the ticket office, searching the Force for answers. Nothing stood out – no sudden influx on the dark side and Anakin's signature was absent again. It kept coming and going, never staying long enough for Obi Wan to reach out to his old padawan.

Taking a different tact, Obi Wan turned his attentions to the Terminal. Ferus had told him Anakin had been here and if that were true then surely he would have left them some kind of hidden clue. He searched the area patiently, methodically.

He still hadn't sensed anything by the time Ferus arrived. The younger Jedi looked flustered and angry.

"Have you found anything Ben?"

Obi Wan stood slowly and placed a hand on Olin's shoulder. "Calm your emotions Ferus. You are no help to the Skywalkers while you are so upset."

Ferus dug in his pocket, ignoring Obi Wan's advice. He showed Obi Wan the disk.

"Aayla Secura was the one who kidnapped Padme. She has turned Master," Ferus announced. His voice was barely above a whisper but Obi Wan motioned for him to stay silent.

"I am not surprised by her betrayal but I do wish it hadn't happened. She was a good friend to me and to the Skywalkers."

Obi Wan sighed and together the last two Jedi made their way through the Terminal, talking softly.

"We cannot focus on Aayla's betrayal. Our priority is to locate Anakin and his family before something terrible happens. I need you completely focused for this. Can you do that?"

Ferus nodded and Obi Wan felt him drain all of his negative thoughts into the Force.

"Good. Now, obviously, Aayla has used Padme as leverage over Anakin, forcing him to comply or Padme would suffer. The actual capture is plainly obvious in its genius and the Transport Terminal was obviously where there escape ship was waiting. All we need to do is figure out where they were headed and where their final destination is," Obi Wan reasoned aloud.

Ferus nodded silently, his mind working overtime. Suddenly Obi Wan stopped. He looked lost in thought.

Confused, Ferus waited for the old Jedi to explain. Slowly a smile spread across Obi Wan's handsome features, making him appear ten years younger.

"Of course! It is all connected."

Ferus's eyes narrowed in confusion.

Obi Wan crossed his arms over his chest as he started explaining.

"The Emperor had obviously figured out where the Skywalkers were a while ago. He simply needed some way to split them up, to leave Padme and the twins unprotected. How better than to appeal to Anakin's heroic nature? The Emperor used the Senators as a decoy to lure him away from his family. When Anakin was away he took the twins and used Padme as bait to capture Anakin."

Ferus nodded slowly. "Alright but that doesn't tell us where they've gone."

"No you're right. I don't know where there are, but it's obvious where they're going. The Emperor, having caught Anakin would want to show him off to the public. He wants to dishearten those who dare defy him and how better than to take away the people's greatest idol – the one destined to save the galaxy – the Chosen One?" Obi Wan said.

Ferus shivered at the thought. And then realisation dawn on him.

"Are you saying that Palpatine wants to kill Anakin?"

Obi Wan frowned. "To be honest I don't know. Palpatine wants to rule the entire galaxy unchallenged and while the Resistance continues to fight against his rule, he is not getting what he wants. It wouldn't be hard for Palpatine to figure out that Anakin had a hand in the Resistance, not when he knows Anakin so well."

Ferus glanced around the Transport Terminal, at all the poor people who had lost everything when the Separatists had taken over. They had been offered a small measure of comfort when the Resistance started taking pot-shots at the Empire. They were given the hope that there was still someone out there willing to fight against the tyranny and oppression. But soon that hope would be crushed if they didn't get to Anakin.

"Looks like we're going behind enemy lines," Ferus sighed. "To Coruscant we go."

Obi Wan nodded solemnly. "But we aren't going to do this alone."