DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.
The nearest rebel base was on Corellia but they still didn't arrive until late the next afternoon. During the trip Emperor Palpatine surprisingly made no move to escape and Anakin made no move to leave his side. Ahsoka, Ferus and Obi Wan divided their time between watching the Emperor and worrying over the Skywalker family. Padme refused to let Leia out of her sight but also wouldn't allow her daughter to see her father as he was. They spent most of their time in Leia's room, Padme recounting happier times to entertain them both. Pieter barely left the cockpit – not because he had to manually control the ship but because there was no tension in there. The rest of the ship was thick with it.
No one was as happy about their rescue mission as they should be. Of course it hadn't been the raging success they'd hoped for but no mission ever turned out that way. Pieter could sense that the discovery of the slave chip had pretty much dampened everyone's mood. He was none too keen about it either but in light of everything else they'd learnt and discovered it was a relatively small problem.
He had seen Padme only once, when he was getting a bite to eat. She was fussing over her daughter but he could see how distracted she was. Leia had been refusing to drink the blue milk Padme was holding out for her, her little arms crossed over her chest in protest. When the door had opened to allow Pieter entry, Padme's head had snapped up to look at him. She didn't notice as she spilled the milk on the table. The hope in her eyes dimmed as he nodded a greeting before grabbing a plate to fill.
Pieter tried not to listen as Leia continued to steadfastly refuse her breakfast and Padme came closer and closer to tears. Having finished his meal quickly, Pieter rinsed his utensils and refilled his cup with muja juice. Without a word he placed the cup in front of Leia, ruffled her hair and sent a reassuring smile to Padme. As he left, Leia lifted the cup to her lips and Padme whispered a thanks.
He spent the remaining hours in the cockpit, watching the stars and planets – nothing but blurs – disappear as their shot through hyperspace. He kept seeing Padme's exhaustion and silently promised himself he'd do what he could to ease her family's recovery.
As soon as the ramp touched down on the landing pad, a small troupe of Resistance soldiers hurried aboard. They had their weapons held ready, having been notified in advance of the Emperor's imprisonment. Under the guidance of Ahsoka and Ferus, they escorted Palpatine into the hanger bay. They waited in silence as the rest of the transporter's passengers disembarked.
Padme was shaking as she clutched Leia's hand in her own. She didn't want her daughter to see Anakin at his worst. It wasn't that Leia wouldn't be able to handle it – she was proving to have the famous Skywalker resilience – no, this was all for Anakin's benefit. He would hate having his daughter see him so weak, so controlled. She made sure that Leia was on her far side so she didn't have such an open view of her father and waited until everyone else had started down the ramp. Pieter glanced back at her over his shoulder. He walked back up the ramp and placed a gentle hand between her shoulders.
"We have a warm bath waiting for you both," he said.
Leia lit up like a sun. "Are there bubbles?"
He looked down at her and smiled. "Of course! It wouldn't be a proper bath without them."
"Come on Mummy!" Leia tugged at Padme's hand, trying to pull her forward.
A commotion in the hanger caught their attention as another young soldier ran over to the guarded group. Padme noticed he was holding a small device in his hand as he ran. Her eyes moved to Anakin as she realised what the device was.
Pieter lifted her chin, catching her attention.
"I'll take Leia to have a bath, you go to Anakin."
She nodded silently, feeling guilty that she'd ignored her daughter so rudely. Padme dropped down to Leia's level and pushed her tangled hair out of her face.
"Pieter's going to look after you for a while so I can help Dad, okay sweetie?"
Leia nodded, giving her a shrewd smile that didn't belong on the face of a child. It broke Padme's heart to see how grown up her daughter was being. She should still have the absolute innocence of her four years.
Pieter picked Leia up, throwing her playfully over his shoulder and spun around in a circle. Leia was laughing carelessly as she clung to his shirt. Her laughter followed them out of the hanger. Padme sent a silent thank you to the Force for Pieter before joining the small group at the bottom of the ramp.
Although Anakin could feel the humiliation burning his cheeks, he still found himself kneeling beside the still-bound Emperor. He was the only one kneeling in the group and this only reinforced his shame. What made it worse, these people knew him, knew his role as one of the Resistance's leaders. How could he expect their respect when he was nothing more than a slave?
He sensed another man join their small group and instinctively reached out to the Force, trying to determine if this man was a threat to the Emperor. When no warning bells rang he relaxed and waited.
"I have the remote Sir," the newcomer announced.
The Commander of the troupe nodded his thanks as he took the small device. "You're dismissed."
The young man turned and left as quickly as he'd come.
The Commander walked over to Anakin, who tensed. A small hand fell on his shoulder as the man approached. He glanced at it in surprise, careful not to lift his head too high. Padme squeezed his shoulder in a show of strength. She was here for him.
A strange calm washed over him. He hadn't felt this safe in months. A smile touched the corner of his mouth.
As the man held the remote over the back of his neck, Anakin felt the Emperor's anger. The Sith was more livid than Anakin had felt yet. Palpatine knew it wouldn't be long before his pet was taken from him and there was no way he was giving him up without a fight.
Anakin gasped his hand flying to his chest. He could feel the Emperor inside him, using Anakin's access to the Force to power himself. It was like having a hand push down his throat, grab his lungs and squeeze. He couldn't breathe. All of a sudden the fist loosened but it was replaced by something worse. The Force was being pulled out of him, like the backrush of water before a tsunami. He felt like a fish out of water, floundering for breath and dizzyingly weak.
Palpatine grinned to himself as he felt the Force within his pet. It was incredible! It was as though the young man was made of the Force itself, the energy was so pure and unending. If only he'd known he could do this! It had to be a side effect from the Master/Slave bond he instigated when he chipped Anakin.
In seconds the Emperor had broken the stun cuffs from around his wrists and felt the dizzying rush of the Dark Side returning to him. Before the Resistance fighters could realise what had happened, Palpatine had Padme by the arm and was using her as a shield.
The moment Palpatine had released his grip on the Force, Anakin heaved in a massive breath. It felt wonderful to be able to fill his lungs. But with fresh air came the exhaustion. The tsunami had crashed, leaving Anakin's muscles tired and shaking. He released some of his discomfort into the Force and instantly felt a little better.
Until he took in the scene in front of him.
Padme was pressed against the Emperor, her eyes wide with fear. Her hands were clasped protectively over her belly while Palpatine's held her in a fierce grip.
"You will not deactivate that chip and I will not kill the lovely Senator," the Emperor said. It wasn't a request or a demand. It sounded more like a promise.
The Commander still stood directly behind Anakin, although the remote was held loosely in his hand now, like he didn't know what to do. There was no way they could risk Padme's life but they hadn't come this close to saving Anakin only to lose him at the finish line.
All three ex-Jedi had moved instinctively in front of the group of soldiers. They had their lightsabers drawn and ready.
"You aren't going to win Palpatine," Obi Wan said casually, as though this was just another conversation on any other day.
The Sith Lord glared at him. He drew Padme closer and was satisfied when she hissed in pain. Ferus took a threatening step forward but Palpatine tsked in response. The ex-Jedi scowled but didn't move closer.
"So this plan of yours? Once you get Anakin back, how are you going to leave?" Obi Wan asked.
Palpatine smiled, "You wouldn't shoot down any spacecraft that had your Golden Boy on it."
"True, but we would follow you and continue this wherever you land. As you've seen we don't give up that easily."
Seeing Palpatine focused on Obi Wan, Anakin glanced up at the Commander. He grabbed the man's hand, the one that held the remote, to get his attention.
"Do it now," Anakin hissed. "Before he sees."
The Commander nodded hastily and lifted the remote over Anakin's neck again. He activated the remote and waited impatiently for the little device to awaken. He threw a quick glance at the Emperor, who was still engrossed in the conversation with Obi Wan.
The remote glowed a soft blue as a holodisplay appeared. It had five empty boxes and a sixth with decode written in it. The Commander quickly hit decode, holding it steadily above Anakin's neck. Instantly numbers began flickering through the first box. Both men silently willed it to move faster.
"You won't be leaving this base with Anakin," Ferus was saying.
Palpatine laughed. "He won't have a choice."
The last digit was rolling through now. The Commander stared at the screen, his eyes huge and unblinking. Adrenaline rushed through him, making him want to act. It was a real effort to stay still so the remote didn't lose the signal from Anakin's chip.
When the numbers finally stopped, so did the Commander's heart. He didn't know what to expect once the numbers were all there. If he was expecting something extravagant to happen, he was sorely disappointed. Nothing happened.
A little deflated, the Commander tapped Anakin on the shoulder.
"It's done," he muttered.
Anakin hadn't felt anything – quite unlike it going in – so he hoped the Commander was correct.
"Pet, come here."
The command was strong and Anakin felt it deep inside. He stood slowly and stumbled towards his wife and Master. His mind was racing. If the Commander had done his job successfully then this was his chance. He knew he wouldn't come out of this unscathed but he wasn't going to let down Padme again.