"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond.
AN: Thank you princesselsaamidala22 for your review of the last chapter and Jessy Castillo for following as well as favouriting my profile as well as the first story in my AU Star Wars series!
In the final part of the Holocron Arc, the Jedi are forced to split up as they go after the holocron and their missing force-sensitive children...
Chapter 13: Rescuing Two Future Jedi
While Anakin and Rosella were speaking with one of the troopers who had stayed aboard the Resolute, Rex and his remaining vod who made it off Bane's frigate were standing in the rear of the shuttle.
"How many of us made it off this time?" One of the troopers asked.
Another trooper took his helmet off and tucked it underneath his right arm as he responded, "Just our group. It's better than what we normally come back with. If you think about the mission that we just went on, I'm sure you'll be glad that at least some of us are still alive." He watched as his brother began to remove his helmet and then looked at his wounded vod who was still standing beside him. "Hey Denal," he said as he placed his right hand on the trooper's left shoulder. "Great job out there. I wish I could have been the one to kill that bounty hunter." Then he left the ship.
"Yeah. You did a good thing by killing him," the first trooper replied. "I'm going to go get something to eat." Then he turned to look at another clone who had removed his helmet and was carrying it underneath his left arm. "Are you hungry? You can tag along if you want."
The trooper waved his hand, indicating for the others to go ahead as he looked at something on the floor. "I'll catch up with you in a few minutes," he said.
Rex, who had just turned away from the door that led to the cockpit and was about to make his way off of the ship with Denal and the other trooper, stopped in his tracks and turned around as he heard his vod's response. Directing his gaze to the floor, he saw that the clone was looking at something.
From where he was standing, he could see that it was some sort of green, thick and sticky-looking type of liquid. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to have him look at the trooper as he straightened up and then turn in the direction of the ramp.
This was not good.
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"So, what are we going to do now?" Rosella asked as she glanced between her father and the trooper that they were currently speaking with. She felt a little sad that the holocron, along with the memory crystal, was now gone and with it, some of the Order's knowledge. She was pretty sure that when they got back to the Temple, a new crystal with the list of the children was going to be created and someone else was going to be chosen to keep it safe.
Master Ropal, who had been the keeper of the green crystal, was now dead. He was but another Jedi whose name was to be added to the never-ending list of Jedi who had died because of the war. While it was comforting to hear that Bane was now dead, she could sense that her father had been hoping that the bounty hunter could have been captured and brought back with them to be interrogated.
"Well, the first thing we have to do is get the injured to the medical bay so Corric can check them over," Anakin responded. 'That includes you as well sweetie.' He softly chuckled as he heard Rosella's grumbled muttering about getting checked over. Sometime after her stay in the med-bay while she was recovering from the Blue Shadow Virus and her small visit to the healer's ward at the Temple, the teenager had begun to detest her visits to either place. Especially if there was a chance that she was going to be taken out of the fight for a while. 'Don't bother trying to get out of it, young lady. I know what electrocution, even if it's just a stun charge, can do to you.'
Then Rex interrupted their conversation just as Rosella was about to say something. "General," he said from the doorway of the shuttle. "One of my men has found something that I think you should take a look at."
Both Jedi turned when they heard Rex's voice.
Rosella watched as her father headed for the shuttle. She was about to follow him when movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her. Glancing to her right, the teenage padawan spotted Denal, who had just gotten off the shuttle. As she reached out with the Force to check on him, she got the sense that he was in a small amount of pain. Noticing that he was holding his left arm close to him, she decided to check and see if he was alright.
Going after the trooper, she called out, asking, "Excuse me trooper, are you alright?" When the trooper didn't answer her and just kept walking, Rosella frowned and quietly mumbled, "I wonder if he also has a minor concussion from being hit in the head."
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When Anakin walked onto the shuttle and saw what was on the floor, he immediately knelt to get a closer look, with Rex and the other trooper moving out of the way. As he reached out to touch the liquid, Rex, who was behind him, bent down and said, "It's blood, sir. But it's not from any of our men."
Anakin took that bit of information into consideration as he swept a pair of fingers through the blood, smearing it across the floor. Lifting his hand away, he looked at the drops and then rubbed his gloved fingers together, thinking about everything that had happened to them. Then he remembered that he had felt Bane through the force and that he wasn't dead. His eyes narrowed even further upon realizing that he had seen Denal walking away from the shuttle. The trooper had been injured during his tussle with Bane and was heading in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to go. Then his head jerked up as he realized that Denal was Bane in disguise.
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Rosella darted up to Denal and managed to get in front of him, bringing him to a halt as she said, "Wait! I can see that you're injured. You should let me check to see how serious of an injury it might be and then get to the med bay to have our medic fix you up."
Bane, who was in the armor, quickly glanced around and realizing that he had no other option available at the moment, offered his injured arm to the concerned padawan.
While the teenager reached out and took the injured limb in her hands, Anakin ran off the shuttle, skidded to a stop and looked for his daughter.
Rosella looked over the injured arm. As she held it in her hands and called on the Force, using it to lightly probe the area and see how bad the injury was, her body instantly went tense as she realized that it wasn't a clone who was wearing the armor. "You're not a clone," she said, her eyes widening in a mix of fear and confusion as she looked up into the helmeted visor.
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Anakin heard his padawan speaking and turned around. His blue eyes widened as he spotted her standing with Bane, who was wearing Denal's armor. "Rosella!" He shouted, racing towards her.
The disguised bounty hunter reached forward, grabbed Rosella by her shoulders and yanked her down as he lifted his left knee right into her chest. Then he ran off as she stumbled back, placed one hand on her side, closed her eyes and dropped to the floor.
After using the Force to dull the pain, Rosella opened her eyes and used her other hand to brace as well as push herself up off the floor. As she did, the teenager felt a fast breeze run by her. Getting to her knees, she looked up to see her father running after Bane.
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As the disguised bounty hunter drew near a pair of fighters, he took the pack that he was wearing off of his back and used it to knock out one crew member before punching the other one in his face. Then he vaulted into the fighter on his right and powered up the engines.
Anakin leapt to the top of the craft that he had stolen. As the fighter took off, he had no choice but to hang on to the right side of the open canopy. Leaping forward, he punched Bane in the face, knocking off the helmet that he had been wearing.
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Rosella, Rex and four other clones started running after Anakin and the stolen fighter.
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Bane sped up and craftily nudged the fighter to the left, causing Anakin to fall over to the other side as the canopy closed around him. The Jedi Knight was soon forced to jump off as Bane made for the center aisle and the still open hangar doors. Anakin raced alongside the shields that kept the hangar safe. His sky-blue eyes stayed locked onto the stolen fighter until he came up short.
Skidding to a stop, he raised his wrist comlink up to his face as Rosella came running up behind him and said, "Admiral, you need to lock down all the hyperspace rings! Hurry!"
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"What could possibly have happened since I last spoke with you?" Admiral Yularen asked.
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Bane pressed some buttons inside his stolen fighter and one of the hyperspace rings that were kept near the front of the dorsal doors was ejected from its berth. It floated up into open space.
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"It's Bane," Anakin replied. "He's still alive and somehow made it onto the Resolute with us. He's currently trying to escape in one of our fighters so I need you to lock the rings now before he can use one to get away!"
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Bane managed to attach his craft to the ring.
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Yularen, who had ended the communication with Anakin, didn't care that two troopers had run by him on their way to wherever they needed to get to. Right now, he needed to lock down those rings. Turning around, he looked into the pit on his left at one of the officers. "Quickly! Lockdown all the rings!" He commanded.
The officer nodded and turned in his chair to face his console. "Deactivating hyperspace rings," he said as he quickly pressed a series of buttons.
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It was too late. Bane managed to escape into hyperspace and on top of that, he still had the stolen holocron with him.
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Rex was busy in the background, commanding orders to his men.
Rosella had a worried look on her face as she saw her father's shoulders slump. She didn't need to be standing in front of him to know that his eyes would be narrowed, almost glaring at the spot where Bane had been just a few moments ago.
"We'll have to return to Coruscant and inform the Council about what happened," Anakin said.
The padawan could only watch as he turned around, clasped his hands angrily behind his back and walked away. She didn't say anything as she knew that he was upset. All she did was glance behind her and then follow Anakin as he made his way out of the hangar bay.
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Once the Resolute arrived on Coruscant, and Master Ropal's body was delivered to the healers at the Temple, Anakin and Rosella made their way up to the Council Chamber. After entering the room, they bowed to the Council and immediately reported the unfortunate turn of events.
Rosella stood next to her father in the middle of the room. Noting that no one was paying attention to her, she quickly glanced around, noticing that most of the members were calling in via holograms that flickered now and again since they had been deployed on missions around the galaxy. The only Masters who were physically present were Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Yoda and Mace Windu. Quickly bringing herself back to the present, she focused on Obi-Wan who was speaking.
"It is most unfortunate that Bane managed to outsmart as well as escape from us again," Obi-Wan told the Council.
"Skywalker, those of us on the Council want you to know that we do not blame you, your padawan or your men. In fact, we have to commend your initiative in trying to apprehend him," Mace told Anakin, who inclined his head at the words. "But now Bane has access to both the names and locations of the most Force-Sensitive children in the Republic."
"Inflict devastating damage on the Jedi Order, he could," Master Yoda responded.
"At least we do have a small bit of good news," Anakin said. "Rosella and I managed to find out that Bane is working with the Separatists."
"Master Yoda, we know that there are thousands of children on that list," Obi-Wan said. "How are we going to figure out which of the children he is most likely to go after?"
"Small chance there is, through the force, the Council may detect them," Master Yoda responded.
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Bane, who had taken his stolen fighter to his secret base that was hidden somewhere in the galaxy, was in a dark room. The only light that was pouring in was from what looked like a grate somewhere in the ceiling. To the right of the bounty hunter's table that he was sitting at was a rack that contained five standard GAR helmets that he had taken from a few clones who had died in the field of battle.
He was currently speaking to a hologram of Darth Sidious. "I have delivered the items that you wanted," he told the Sith Lord. "The Jedi were not much of a problem for me. Is there anything else that you need?"
Sidious's hologram greedily rubbed his fingers together as he responded, "For my plan to work, I am in need of some test subjects. You may choose four children from the list. After you have done so, go kidnap them and bring them to the planet Mustafar." His sneer quickly turned into a sick and twisted smile beneath his hood. "I will make sure that they are taken care of once they arrive."
"You want me to kidnap small innocent children?" Bane asked half-heartedly, wondering just how much of his ethical code he had to sacrifice in order to do what his employer was asking him to do. Even he knew that this was wrong to some degree. "Seems like a small-time crime for the likes of you."
"Among the children of the Jedi, there are no innocents," Darth Sidious said, nearly snapping at the bounty hunter who dared question why he wanted the children.
"Fine, I'll do it," Bane replied as he picked up his hat, flicked a piece of lint off it and placed it on his head. "I want my money when I'm done."
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Mace, Yoda, Anakin and Obi-Wan were in Master Yoda's meditation quarters. Qui-Gon had been invited to join them, but had declined in order to keep Rosella company since Ahsoka was busy with her classes and couldn't spend time with her friend. All four of them sat in a circle, perched upon large cushions. They all sat the same way with their legs crossed, hands resting on their knees and their eyes were closed.
They all breathed the same way as they were deep in meditation, trying to see if they could detect any of the children that were on the list that was now in the hands of Bane and the Separatists.
"A jungle world. Domed cities, I see," Yoda said. "Rodia it is."
Obi-Wan sensed the same thing that Master Yoda did. "A house in Kay-Tap square," he said. "I see it as well."
"I see an ocean planet. It's home to the Nautolan people," Mace said. "Glee Anselm?"
"Glee Anselm, I see not," Master Yoda said with a shake of his head.
Anakin tilted his head a little as this was the first time that he had done this. The images were coming fast, blurring together, making it nearly impossible for the Knight to interpret them as the others did. A waterfall came to him and he latched onto it. Going a little deeper into the Force, the name of the world came to him. "I sense a place I've been to before," he said. "Waterfalls. Naboo."
"Jan-gwa," Yoda responded, confirming what Anakin was seeing in his vision. "A village, southern sector. Sense it strongly, I do."
Suddenly Anakin heard a cry that turned into a scream. It was coming from a very young child. "The Gungan child was screaming," he said as he was thrown out of his meditation.
"The future you see, young Skywalker," Master Yoda said as he came out of his own meditation. "To Naboo, you must go. Cad Bane, you will find. With you take your Padawan."
"Are you certain that there is no child on Glee Anselm?" Mace asked as he shifted from side to side as he uncrossed his legs.
"Into the shadow of the dark side, taken the child was. Shrouded is his fate from us. Great the loss is, but more children in danger there are," Master Yoda told them.
"I shall leave for Rodia immediately," Obi-Wan said.
"Find more younglings we will," Master Yoda said.
Mace, Obi-Wan and Anakin nodded. Then they got up and left the room.
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On the swampy, jungle, humid planet of Rodia, in one of the many domed cities, a ball floated across the room. Bane watched from beneath the hood of the robe that he had kept and was now wearing since breaking into the Temple. The round toy bobbed and weaved through the air towards the waiting hands of the little Rodian boy who was controlling it. His control was lacking as the ball suddenly dropped before rising back into the air as it floated towards the young child.
"Your son is strong with the Force," Bane said, watching as the boy kept the ball floating above his head. The kid was one of the thousands of potential Jedi younglings that the bounty hunter had picked from the list. "He will make a fine Jedi."
The boy's mother reached down from her seat and stroked her son's head as she said, "Master Ropal did tell me that the day would come when he was supposed to leave and head to the Jedi Temple." She looked up at the disguised bounty hunter as the boy dropped both his hands and watched as his toy ball fell, smacking him in his face. Then the toy bounced away. She glanced down at her son as the boy closed his eyes, held his hand on top of his nose and shook his head. The child opened his eyes again and began to levitate the ball towards him. "But as far as I'm aware, that day is not today." She looked down towards her lap, a sad expression on her face.
Bane placed a hand on his chin as he spoke. "But Master Ropal was unaware of the danger that your son is currently in," he said. "Even now, Jedi impostors are roaming around the galaxy, hoping to find and steal away those who are strong in the Force with some sinister goal in mind." He dropped his hand from his chin and reached out into the open air, watching as the boy's mother reached down and picked him up once he had caught his ball. Then she placed the boy in her lap. "If you want your son to be safe and well protected, I'm afraid that he'll have to come with me so I can safely deliver him to the Temple." The bounty hunter stood up from where he had been sitting and reached for the boy.
The child's mother protectively curled her right arm around her son, forcing Bane to hold up his arms and back away as she turned her back on the Duros. "He is my only child," she said. "I'm not ready to let him go, especially since I know that I'll never see him again until he is older."
The bounty hunter smirked to himself as he pulled out a small device. Switching it on, he was careful to keep the spinning lights away from his face. "Just look at this," he said as he pointed the device at the female Rodian. "I promise that you will feel nice and relaxed."
As she looked at the spinning lights, the child's mother could feel her mind going blank as her eyes widened. Once her grip on the boy was loose enough, Bane snatched the child and made his way out of the house.
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Obi-Wan emerged from hyperspace, having used the fastest route that he could find in order to reach Rodia. R4, who was slightly concerned about their mission, beeped and whistled, asking the question that was running through the circuits that were inside his domed head.
"Let's hope we have arrived in time," Obi-Wan responded as he flicked two switches inside his starfighter. The hyperspace ring that he had used dropped his fighter and shut down as the Jedi Master gunned his engines and flew towards the planet that was dotted in various shades of green.
Flying through the air, he made his way towards one of the domes, which opened upon his arrival. Upon landing on a pad that had been cleared for his arrival, shutting down his engines and raising his canopy, Obi-Wan hopped out, ran through the city, dodged a droid and made his way down a side street to the small house that he had seen in his vision. When he reached the front door, he pressed the buzzer and then knocked on the metal surface.
Then he placed both of his hands on the door and was just about to lean towards it when it slid open just enough for the Jedi Master to get a glimpse of the female Rodian standing on the other side.
When the female saw the Jedi standing on her doorstep, she narrowed her eyes a little. "If you're here to collect my son Master Jedi, please leave for he is not here," she said in a hostile tone.
Obi-Wan leaned forward and tried to peer inside the house as he asked, "Where is he?"
The only response that the Jedi got was a door closing in his face as the woman turned around and walked away.
Then a faint cry was heard. Obi-Wan's eyes widened when he realized that it was coming from the young child. "Open this door," he ordered. When the woman didn't comply, he held up his left hand and waved it to the side, using the Force to bypass the lock and open the door. Then he ran inside, only to come face to face with the woman who was holding a blaster that was aimed at his chest.
"You will never get your hands on my son," the female Rodian told him.
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes and waved his right hand in the air, calling on the Force to influence her mind, hoping that she would break out of the trance that she was in and tell him what he wanted to know. He only used mind tricks as a last resort when his usual art of diplomacy wouldn't work. "Where did the bounty hunter go?" He asked.
The woman lowered the blaster as she asked, "Bounty hunter?" Then she placed her other hand against her head as her mind began to clear as though she had just woken up from a heavy nap. "He told me that he was a Jedi." Then she slightly gasped as the blaster flew out of her hands and into the Jedi's.
Obi-Wan grasped the blaster in his hand as he walked forward. "Jedi do not use blasters nor do they carry them around," he said. Then he tossed the weapon on the ground.
The woman closed her eyes and sadly placed her face into her hand as she looked away, feeling ashamed that she had let herself be tricked. "What have I done?" She asked.
Then a small cry was heard. Both the Rodian woman and Obi-Wan turned towards the door to see Bane, who was still wearing the Jedi robe, standing in the doorway. As the bounty hunter shot the Jedi a smirk, he shifted the boy to his other arm, reached over and pressed a button on his gauntlet. Bending down, he blasted off into the sky with the aid of his rocket boots. The child let out a cry as he reached out towards his mother.
Taking a cable out of his belt, Obi-Wan twirled it around a few times before launching it into the air. As soon as it embedded itself into the side of a wall, the Jedi Master yanked on the launcher and was soon flying through the air. Once his feet hit the side of the building, he climbed up partway before using the Force to jump up the rest of the way. By the time he made it to the top, he was too late. The only thing he could do was watch as Bane's cockpit sealed around both him and the child. Then the ship lifted off, managing to escape.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, clenched his fist, took a deep breath and released it, letting go of his frustration. Then he opened his eyes and glanced back into the sky.
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It's like coming home. Rosella thought to herself as the gunship they had taken from the Resolute, where Master Windu was waiting for their return, flew through the evening sunset as it headed towards the hanger that belonged to the Theed Royal Palace. Even though they were on a mission, her heart and spirit felt light and warm. In a way, Naboo was her second home away from Coruscant. This planet was where her adopted parents had gotten married. They also had a home outside the Temple as Padmè's parents had given her family the lake house as a wedding present.
The teen focused on the reason why they were here as the gunship landed in the hangar. This time, it wasn't to stop a mad doctor, but to prevent a kidnapping. The door to the gunship was open before the craft had even landed on the ground. As soon as it did, Anakin as well as Rosella got off and were greeted by Captain Typho who had a Gungan and a Palace guard on either side of him.
"General Skywalker, they told us you were coming," Captain Typho said.
"Has the Gungan family been notified?" Anakin asked.
"Yes," Captain Typho responded. Then he gestured to the Gungan standing next to him. "This is Captain Lunker. He has been placed in charge of this operation and will take you to Jan-gwa City."
Rosella glanced up at her father, narrowing her eyes a little. "Let me take the lead on this assignment Master," she said. "I have a score to settle with that bounty hunter. I also happen to have a plan that just might work." She wasn't all that pleased with herself after what had happened aboard Bane's frigate.
"All right, go with the Gungan. I'll be there shortly," Anakin told her.
Rosella nodded and headed off with the Gungan.
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Bane came out of hyperspace over the blue and green planet of Naboo. Glancing at his navi-computer, Bane located a small clearing near the city where his target was located. The city of Jan-gwa wasn't like the vast majority of Gungan cities that were built underwater in order to stay hidden from the prying eyes of the Naboo. It was the only one to have been built partially underwater, near a waterfall that crashed onto rocks, while the cliff behind it had several faces carved into its walls.
He landed his ship on the ground and disembarked from the craft, placing his hat on his head. Closing up the ship, the Duros snuck away and made his way inside the city. He silently crept through the quiet city streets until he found the child's home. He scaled the wall and peered through one of the large open windows.
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The Gungan mother stood in the middle of the room, getting her daughter ready for bed. After she had finished rocking her child to sleep in her arms, she placed her daughter down in the crib, covered her with the blanket and with one last glance, the woman silently hurried out of the room.
Bane watched her leave and once he was sure that the coast was clear, the bounty hunter leapt down from his hiding spot and crept over to the crib. He pulled back the blanket to reveal the toy that squeaked as his hand hit it.
Rosella could sense his simmering rage and knew that her plan had worked. Shoving the doors of her hiding place open as wide as they would go, she leapt out and ignited her lightsaber. "Don't move you di'kutla sleemo!" She said.
Bane didn't even bother to turn around as he placed both of his hands on the edge of the crib. "You weren't the child I was expecting to find," he said.
The teenager narrowed her eyes. "Obviously," she said.
"You're quite clever little lady," Bane told her as he slowly raised his hands in the air, "but you still have so much to learn!" He sharply turned around, thrust out his right hand and fired his wrist cable which wrapped itself around the hilt of Rosella's lightsaber that she held in both of her hands.
The bounty hunter yanked the cable up in the air, pulling the saber out of her grip as he aimed the blaster that he had pulled out of his holster at the young padawan and began firing in her direction, forcing the teenager to throw herself into a tuck and roll. As she popped up, she immediately sensed that Bane had ditched the wrist cable he had fired earlier, and grabbed his other pistol. Quickly maneuvering into another tuck and roll, she managed to dive for cover behind the rocking chair.
Bane glared in her direction as he stopped firing, reached over and activated his rocket boots, attempting to escape out of the same window that he had entered through. Rosella narrowed her eyes as she watched him make his escape. Quickly summoning her lightsaber back to her, she ran after him.
Out on the roof, Anakin was waiting. Once Bane appeared, he ran and jumped in the air, launching himself at the bounty hunter. Grabbing onto one of his rocket boots, the Knight dragged him down, landing with a heavy thump on the roof. Bane's hat flew off his head as they began to fight each other before tumbling off of the domed structure.
As they fell to the ground, Anakin shoved Bane away from him, causing the bounty hunter to roll over and get back up, only for him to trip over his feet and fall to the ground again. He rolled over twice and came to a stop in front of Rosella, who had reignited her lightsaber. He lifted his head, only to find the tip of her blade pointed at his face.
"It looks like I win," she said, watching as Bane narrowed his eyes and lowered his head back down to the ground.
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The teenager had a smirk on her face and felt a certain amount of satisfaction run through her body as she placed Bane in binders and heard them lock into place. Then she watched as her father led him away before turning to look at the young Gungan child who had been safely reunited with her mother. She made a funny face at the little girl.
The toddler copied the move, then squealed in happiness and clapped her hands as Rosella walked over and softly ticked the child under her chin.
Rosella sensed that the woman was still a little nervous and looked up as she said, "Don't worry, your daughter is safe now."
"Do you really believe that?" Bane asked as he stopped moving and looked over his shoulder at the trio.
Rosella removed her hand from the child's head as the Gungan woman cradled her child close to her. The young padawan turned around and glared at the bounty hunter as she placed both of her hands on her hips while Anakin narrowed his eyes and shoved Bane onto a gunship that was waiting to transport them back to the Resolute.
Rosella turned around, gave the little girl one last friendly rub on the head and then ran over to where her father was waiting.
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Up above the planet of Naboo, three Venator-class cruisers were sitting in space. Anakin's cruiser, the Resolute had its dorsal doors open as three V-19 Torrent starfighters flew into the hanger bay. Over on the detention level, Obi-Wan, who had travelled to Naboo after retrieving the hyperspace ring that he had left orbiting the planet of Rodia, and Mace were interrogating Bane as he sat behind a desk in one of the cells, the binders still on his wrists.
"We know you've taken at least two children," Obi-Wan said. "Where are they?"
"Far beyond your reach Jedi," the Duros replied coldly.
"If you won't tell us where the children are located, then tell us, who you are working for?" Mace Windu asked as he walked out from the shadows behind the bounty hunter.
"Sorry to disappoint you Jedi, but I am not working for anyone," Bane responded.
"Keep telling yourself that Bane," Obi-Wan told him as he heard Mace walk behind him as he headed towards the ray shield that guarded the entrance to the cell. "Sooner or later, you will tell us what we want to know. We will discover where the holocron is located."
"What are you going to do Jedi?" Bane asked. "Torture me?"
"No," Mace replied, glancing back towards the bounty hunter. "I think that the fear of whoever you work for will be enough to get you to speak. Your fear of what your employer will do to you far outweighs your fear of us."
"This conversation is over," Bane responded as he melted back into the shadows.
Obi-Wan pushed himself off the table and glanced at Bane as he turned around. Mace, who had headed up the stairs, only had to wait for a second for the shield to turn off. He exited the cell, followed by Obi-Wan.
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Anakin and Rosella walked up the stairs into the detention block, meeting up with Mace and Obi-Wan, who had just exited the bounty hunter's cell.
"Rosella and I tore Bane's ship apart," Anakin said. "We didn't find any sign of the holocron or the children. He must have brought them somewhere else before heading to Naboo."
"What about the ship's navigation records?" Mace asked. "Did you look through them?"
"That was the first place we checked, Master," Rosella told him. "They were wiped clean. Bane must have done it before he landed on Naboo."
"Why don't we just use the Force to make him talk?" Anakin asked.
"That is a good idea Anakin, but I do not think Bane is that weak-minded," Obi-Wan mused, a hand on his chin as he stroked his beard.
"What if you all do it together?" Rosella asked, watching as everyone turned to look at her. "Apart from Master Yoda, the three of you are all strong with the Force. If you focus on his mind at the same time, maybe the pressure would be able to get past his shields and give us the answers that we want." Since the teenager had yet to learn how to successfully perform a mind trick, she opted not to participate as she didn't want to get hurt.
"Hmm," Obi-Wan said thinking about what his niece had told them. "Using the Force to compel a mind to cooperate, even a strong one, is risky."
"Yes," Mace replied, agreeing with Obi-Wan. "There is a danger that his mind could be destroyed in the process."
"Does anyone have a better idea?" Anakin asked as he looked at his brother and the man that he sometimes thought of as an Uncle. "Remember, we need to find those children and the holocron."
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Bane looked down at the table as he tapped his fingers together. There wasn't much of anything to do while he was stuck in Republic custody. He looked up when he heard the shield that led outside his cell shut off and watched as Obi-Wan and Mace entered his cell for the second time, followed by Anakin and Rosella.
The teenage padawan made sure to stay behind her father and close to the door.
Anakin and Obi-Wan took their places on either side of Mace, who stood in the center on the other side of the table.
Rosella watched as her father closed his eyes, called on the force and lifted his mech hand so it faced the Duros. "You will take us to the holocron," he said.
The air in the room grew a little heavy.
"Don't you Jedi know that your mind tricks don't work on me?" Bane asked.
"You will take us to the holocron," Obi-Wan said as he copied what Anakin had done and spoke at the same time.
"Forget it," the bounty hunter snapped, trying to resist the mind trick as he began to shake his head.
Then Mace joined in, doing the same thing that both Obi-Wan and Anakin had done as he said, "You will take us to the holocron."
"I," the Duros panted as he continued to shake his head from side to side, "I won't."
Mace then continued, "And you will take us…"
"…NOW!" All three Jedi said as they thrust out their hands in one last attempt to get Bane to cooperate with them.
"I…I will take you…" Bane started to say, but then he jerked his head back into the shadows. "No! Get out of my head!"
Rosella's eyes grew wide as she watched in near horror, having realized what was going on. Glancing over at her father, uncle and honorary uncle, she felt the air in the room get even heavier as they increased the pressure that was already surrounding the Duros' mind. Bane began to rock back and forth as his head was starting to shake from the mind trick.
Then all three Jedi eased off and lowered their arms as Bane slumped forward onto the table, gasping for breath.
"Perhaps we should try again," Anakin said in a threatening tone.
"I've had enough of that," Bane said. "I'll take you to the holocron, and you'll get your children back."
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Five troopers, as well as Commander Cody, guided a handcuffed Bane towards a still rising platform that contained a T-6 shuttle as Obi-Wan, Mace and Anakin walked behind them. Rosella and R2 trailed behind them at the very back.
As they passed through the deactivated shield, Mace turned towards his fellow Jedi. "The Chancellor contacted me. He wants a report on our progress," he said.
Obi-Wan turned towards Mace as he shook his head. "No," he said. "Tell him this is not Republic business. It's an internal Jedi affair."
"I hate to be the one who says otherwise, but as long as the Jedi are acting as the military for the Republic, we should report to the Chancellor, even on internal matters such as this," Anakin said, crossing his arms as Rosella and R2 came to a stop next to him.
"Well, then, I guess you just volunteered to go," Obi-Wan told his brother, slinging one of his arms around Anakin's shoulders as he tried not to laugh at the expression that Anakin was giving him. Then he patted him on the back. "Do tell the Chancellor that I said hello."
"Hey!" Anakin said in protest. "Why am I the one going back to Coruscant?"
"Anakin, you were the one who suggested that we submit a report to the Chancellor," Mace told him. "I also agree with Obi-Wan. I know that you don't like visiting him, but I have a feeling that Palpatine will be pleased to see you as opposed to one of us. Report back here when you're finished." Then he turned around and followed Obi-Wan towards the shuttle.
"Are you both sure that you don't need us to accompany you, Masters?" Anakin asked. Rosella, who was standing beside him, looked in his direction and then glanced away as she crossed her arms below her chest. "You could be walking right into a trap."
Mace turned around as he was walking towards the ramp. "Of course, this is a trap, Skywalker," he responded, a slight hint of amusement in his voice.
Obi-Wan stopped walking and turned around. "I'll contact you when Mace and I have recovered both the holocron and the children," he said.
"What will happen to those kids if they aren't able to locate them?" Rosella asked her father.
"I'm sure they'll find them, Rosella," Anakin responded. "Now come on. We can't be standing here when the ship leaves the cruiser."
Both Jedi turned around and headed back into the hanger bay, accompanied by R2.
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As soon as there was no one in the center aisle, the bottom hatch opened and the T-6 descended out into space. Obi-Wan and Mace were sitting in the pilot and co-pilot's seats, while Cody sat across from Bane to make sure he didn't do anything that could put them all in danger.
Mace turned around. "What are those coordinates, Bane?" He asked.
"The coordinates are 673117 cross 7RB71," Bane told him.
Obi-Wan frowned as he finished inputting the coordinates. "That will take us far into the Outer Rim," he said as he shared a glance with Mace. "Neutral space."
"Do you want your holocron and your kids or not?" Bane asked.
Obi-Wan and Mace looked at each other. Then Mace reached over and pulled down on a lever. The T-16 vanished from view as they headed into hyperspace.
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When Anakin and Rosella arrived at the Senate building, they took the turbolift up to the correct floor and got off. The Knight kept the young girl close to him as they rounded the corner and crossed the darkened foyer to the Chancellor's office. That same uneasy feeling that he had gotten when he had last come to visit Palpatine had returned, forcing him to keep his mental shields up as he didn't want his daughter to sense his emotions.
The Chancellor was already standing in the middle of the doorway that led to his office, dressed in a red robe with a pink collared overcoat. His hands were clasped behind his back and he was wearing what Anakin could only hope was a smiling grin on his face.
Besides, Anakin didn't trust the man and never had since his first encounter when he had been a boy. The only reason that he was here now was because he had inadvertently volunteered to come and speak with him. In the back of his mind, he could still sense that something was off when it came to the Chancellor.
"Ah, Anakin, it is so good to see you again," Palpatine said as he nodded his head.
"Your Excellency," Anakin said as he inclined his head in return.
The Chancellor glanced down at Rosella who suddenly felt as though the entire room had gone cold. The only thing she could do was muster up a small smile as she nodded her head towards him. She didn't say anything as Palpatine had not spoken to her.
"Please excuse us, child," Palpatine said with a small bow. "I'm afraid that I must speak to Anakin alone."
Anakin bristled a little at the words that he heard as Palpatine walked forward, placed his hand around the Knight's shoulders and guided him into his office. He only had enough time to look over his shoulder at Rosella and give her a single nod, telling her to stay where she was. Then he kept his gaze ahead of him as he walked inside.
Rosella watched as the doors slid shut in front of her. The teenager sadly smiled and then glanced at the door with a wary look on her face as she knew that this wasn't right. She was supposed to be in that office, as her place was beside her father, listening to the report that he had been tasked with delivering. It seemed like the Chancellor was treating her as if she was just an insignificant little kid. But she also sensed something else. Something dark and sinister. She only hoped that her father was strong enough to resist its corrupting influence.
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"I understand that you have made a very important arrest today in the plot against the Jedi," Palpatine said, removing his hand from where he had placed it on Anakin's back. He was being very careful not to reveal too much of his power as he probed Anakin's mental shields, trying to find some crack or weak spot that would allow just a tiny bit of his power to slip through and begin its corruption. "I still find it hard to believe that a simple bounty hunter could create such a plan."
"But he is only one man, your Excellency," Anakin responded as they halted in front of the window that sat behind Palpatine's desk. Even as the sun set on yet another day, Coruscant did not slow down. "I have reason to believe that he was not doing this for himself. Someone else, someone much more powerful, is behind all this. And I don't think it was Dooku."
"Oh?" Palpatine asked. "Do you have any clues as to who it may be?"
"Not yet, Chancellor," Anakin told him. Then he let out a small breath as his shoulders slumped a little.
"Have patience, my boy," Palpatine said as he reached over and patted Anakin on the shoulder, not noticing as the young man flinched at the touch.
Then both Anakin and the Chancellor turned to face the window, with the older man clasping his hands behind his back.
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The Rodian child was unhappy about his current situation and he started to cry. The only time he stopped was when his large eyes saw the holographic form of a hooded man who was standing over the crib that he had been placed in.
"There, there, child," Sidious said as he bent down to soothe the boy who reached towards him with his tiny little hands. Then the child drew back his hands, turned away and began to cry again. "Soon you will cry no more."
"Master," a nanny droid said as she rolled over to him. "I must remind you that subjects of this age rarely survive the slave conditioning process."
"I'm afraid the risk is necessary. These children possess a natural talent that is too powerful to be wasted by the Jedi. I cannot let them fall into their hands," Sidious told the droid as he passed through the crib and made his way over to the one that held the sleeping Nautolan. The boy reached up and rubbed his right eye, so lost in his dreams that he didn't sense the evil man who was standing above him. "If this works, I foresee an army of force-talented spies in my service, who will be trained toobey my every command. They will learn the ways of the dark side of the Force and become my eyes and ears, peering into every corner of the galaxy from afar and my enemies would be helpless against such vision. If the surgery fails, and they die, well, I will have lost nothing but time."
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Obi-Wan, Mace and Bane, who was still cuffed, stood on the other side of the open airlock that connected the T-16 to the station where the coordinates had led them. Both Jedi were hoping that the children and the holocron were here. Cody stood to the side and watched as Obi-Wan looked inside and then turned to face him.
"We'll be fine, Cody," Obi-Wan assured him as Mace shoved the bounty hunter through the door into the station. "I want you to stay here and keep an eye on the ship for us."
"Yes, sir," Commander Cody replied. "I'll keep the ship running." Then he reached over and pressed a button, letting the door close behind them.
Both Jedi followed Bane as he led them through a series of corridors and through two sets of doors into a lift. As the lift whisked them up through the shaft towards the top, Obi-Wan frowned as he reached out through the Force. Except for them, he couldn't detect any other life forms aboard the station.
Narrowing his eyes as the lift continued to climb upwards, he turned to look at Mace. "I do not sense any children nearby," he said.
Mace agreed with him after conducting his own search with aid of the Force. "Neither do I," he responded.
As the lift came to a stop after reaching the bridge, Obi-Wan turned to Bane and asked, "Where are you keeping the children?"
"Don't worry, the children are safe," the bounty hunter responded as he turned around. "But first, there is the item that you are looking for."
Both Jedi Masters turned around and saw the holocron glowing blue in the dark. It was sitting on a small pedestal on his desk, not far from where they were standing.
"Let me get it for you," Bane said. He walked forwards, only to be stopped as Mace placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No Bane," Mace said as he narrowed his eyes and seemed to glare at the bounty hunter. "We are not going to fall for any more of your tricks." Shoving Bane out of the way, he walked past him and stepped off the platform. As soon as his feet touched the ground, red lights began to flash as an alarm started to sound throughout the place. "Blast!"
"You've certainly stepped in it this time," Obi-Wan said sarcastically.
Two turrets came out of nowhere and started firing at Master Windu. He quickly took his lightsaber off his belt, backflipped onto a pair of crates, ignited his purple blade and began to block the laser bolts that were headed his way. Obi-Wan took his lightsaber off his belt, ignited the blade and raised it up just in time to block a pair of laser beams that were headed in his direction. He managed to direct one of the lasers back at one of the machines, destroying it.
While the Jedi were busy deflecting both laser beams and blaster bolts, Bane managed to walk over to the edge of the platform. Falling off of it, he landed on his knees, as well as his still cuffed hands. After he got up, the bounty hunter walked through a pair of lasers that were separated from each other as he made his way to a rotating door that was built into one section of the wall. He smirked as Obi-Wan ran over to the edge of the platform. "So long, Jedi," he said as the wall rotated and he made his getaway.
Obi-Wan was about to go after him, but then another turret popped up and fired at him. He deflected the bolts and backflipped out of the laser field, landing next to Mace.
"Now what do we do?" Mace Windu asked.
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Once Bane found himself in the hallway leading to the escape pods, he quickly made his way over to one. Freeing himself from his binders as he entered, the bounty hunter tossed them to the side and made his way to the controls, inputting some commands. He turned and watched as the door closed, then sat in his seat as the escape pod launched from the facility.
It was time to cut his losses and run. The Sith could go hang himself for all he cared.
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Anakin and Rosella had returned to the Resolute after the Knight finished his meeting with Palpatine. While they were waiting for Obi-Wan to contact them with news that he and Mace had recovered both the holocron and the children, they decided to take another look at Bane's fighter to see if there were any clues that he had missed.
Anakin, who was sitting in the cockpit, wanted to pound his fist against the control console, but instead settled for a long-drawn-out sigh. "Well, the piloting systems are clean," he said. "Have you checked out the landing gear?"
"Just finished going over it, Master," Rosella said as she rolled out from underneath the craft. "I'm pretty sure that Master Windu and Obi-Wan could have used our help on their mission."
"Listen, I don't like being left out of the action either, but there are always going to be jobs like this and someone has to do them," Anakin told his daughter.
"I get that, but for some odd reason, these jobs always end up being ours," Rosella said with a small sigh as she placed her hands back on the hull, preparing to go back underneath and check the landing gear for a third time. That was when she noticed something. Her right hand had slid a little, leaving her prints on the hull. Lifting her fingers off of the ship, she inspected them and saw that her fingertips had grey ash on them. Thinking back to one of her more recent classes at the Temple, she instantly recognized the substance. "Hmm. I wonder why Bane has a lot of volcanic ash on the bottom of his ship." Then she rubbed her fingers together.
R2, who had plugged himself into the ship's computers, was busy looking through the data onboard the fighter for anything that might be of use to his friends.
"What have you got, R2?" Rosella asked as she slid out from underneath the landing gear.
R2 beeped excitedly.
"Looks like Bane was smart enough to erase his navigation records, but not his fuel computer," Anakin said, pressing a button that brought up the holo as Rosella hopped up on the wing to see what he was doing.
"How is that going to help us?" Rosella asked.
Anakin, who had begun to type on the keyboard in front of him as he brought up the information that he needed, answered her and said, "Well, all we need to do is cross-reference the list of planets with the distance he travelled…"
"We may be able to calculate where else he went!" Rosella said. "How come I've never heard about this?"
"It's an old Jedi trick that we use to track down smugglers," Anakin told her.
Rosella leaned on the edge of the cockpit to see could see what her father was doing.
"Okay, let's see, Glee Anselm, Rodia, Mustafar, Naboo…" Anakin said as he was going through the planets.
"Wait," Rosella said, causing her father to halt in the middle of his sentence. "Mustafar? There aren't any children on Mustafar."
"It's a mining world. Very remote. Maybe Bane stopped there to refuel for his trip to Naboo," Anakin said.
"That answers my earlier question about the ash that I found on my fingers," Rosella surmised. "But why go there? It was six systems out of his way." Then she narrowed her eyes before opening them and snapping her fingers. "Maybe he went there to meet up with whoever hired him. Don't you think we should go take a look?"
Anakin hopped out of the fighter. "If it will help us get out of this hanger, then let's go."
Rosella hopped off the wing of the fighter and followed him, while R2 switched off the list with the fuel, unplugged himself and followed his friends. After boarding the Twilight, they descended out into space. After making sure that they were far enough from the cruiser, they took off for the Mustafar system.
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Obi-Wan managed to make his way over to where the holocron was and grabbed it. "Mace!" He called. "I've got the Holocron!" As he glanced over at the door, his eyes widened as he saw that it was beginning to close. Leaping into a forward somersault, he raised his lightsaber, which was in his right hand, using it to block a few more lasers as he raced for the closing door, throwing himself into a tuck and roll just to fit through it.
Mace, who had blocked a few more laser bolts while Obi-Wan had made his escape, was running towards the door. Upon reaching it, he dropped to the ground and rolled beneath the rapidly closing gap. Rolling over, he saw his lightsaber hilt on the floor on the other side of the door. He quickly stretched out his hand, using the force to grab his hilt. Once he had it in his grasp, he pulled back just seconds before the door shut.
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Explosions began to break out all over the station as both Jedi ran through the corridors, making their way back to the T-16. Cody, who had just finished prepping the ship for their getaway, looked behind him as Obi-Wan ran through the door, followed by Mace.
"We can leave whenever you're ready Cody!" Obi-Wan told him.
The Clone Commander turned around and quickly flicked a switch above his head, detaching their ship from the station. They managed to fly away just as the building exploded in a massive fireball.
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"We're coming up on Mustafar," Rosella told her father as he came in from the back of the ship.
"Artoo, begin the landing cycle," Anakin said as he sat down in the pilot's seat.
The Twilight made its way towards the lava planet.
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Inside the facility, Sidious was watching as one of the nanny droids took some sort of device from a claw and was about to place it over the Rodian child's head when the other droid came up and interrupted them.
"Master, I'm sorry to interrupt but there is a ship approaching," the droid reported. "It is not the bounty hunter."
"This was unexpected," Sidious said as he turned around. He waved one of his hands, causing the droid who was holding the device to stop and place it back onto the claw, which then lifted up and moved out of the way. "Evacuate the children immediately and take them to my secondary facility. I'm afraid that this one is of no more use to us. Make sure you destroy all the evidence. I do not want whoever is on that ship to find out what we were doing here. Turn off the gravity supports and let the building sink into the lava."
"I beg your pardon, sir?" The droid asked.
"Just do as I say," Sidious said.
Then his hologram disappeared.
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As soon as the freighter had entered the planet's atmosphere, R2 beeped and whistled, letting Anakin know that he had found a small platform that they could land on. As they flew towards it, Rosella looked out the viewport, wondering why there was a facility here. It had been built over a flow of lava and it certainly wasn't a mining station.
The Knight landed the Twilight on the platform. The ramp wasn't even on the ground yet, but the Knight, Padawan and droid were already making their way down it.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Rosella asked as they reached the top of the ramp. She felt hot, but cold at the same time. There was something about the place that had her making the same face that she had done outside of Palpatine's office. It was like she could sense the evil and sinister presence that she had sensed in the Senate building. Even though it had been her idea to check out the planet, she was uncertain why anyone would want to be on Mustafar since the entire planet was made up of fire and lava with volcanoes popping up everywhere.
"We're about to find out," Anakin told her.
They ran down the ramp and caught up with R2 as they made their way over to the door. R2 retracted his third strut, shuffled forward and plugged in as they stood in front of it.
As the door opened, they were greeted by a long, dark hallway that seemed to go on for forever. The cold feeling seemed to be getting stronger and Rosella nearly stepped back as she leaned away and narrowed her eyes. "I sense something, Master," she said as she glanced up at him with a worried expression on her face. "I don't like it."
"That's what the Dark Side of the Force feels like Rosella," Anakin told her as he narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he got the strong urge to send her back to the Twilight while he took R2 and went to rescue the children. But he shook it off as she knew that he was going to need her help. "This is definitely the right place. Come on."
Both Jedi took off down the hallway, the light fading behind them as the door closed behind them. They suddenly came to a stop as they reached an intersection and took their lightsabers off their belts.
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Inside the room where the children were being kept, one of the nanny droids reached for the Rodian child. He began to cry.
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Anakin and Rosella, along with R2, came to a halt at a crossroads. One that split in five different directions. Within each of those directions would be so many different hallways, that it would take hours to search the entire place. Time that they didn't have. Suddenly a cry filled the silence. It sounded like a child who was scared of their surroundings.
"Did you hear that?" Rosella asked.
"Yeah, I heard it," Anakin replied. "Question is, where are they?"
Rosella closed her eyes and reached out with the force, hoping to get a lock on the child and his location. Then she opened her eyes and pointed down one of the corridors. "This way!" She said.
Both Jedi took off with R2 behind them.
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"All gravity supports off," the first nanny droid said as it pressed a button on a console in front of it.
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Anakin and Rosella ran down the hallway and reached what looked like a dead-end, with one hallway behind them and another one straight ahead.
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One of the droids, who was holding both babies, handed the Rodian to her while she held onto the Nautolan. "Quickly! We have to hide! The Jedi are on their way!" She said.
Both droids quickly wheeled away to hide.
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Anakin and Rosella continued around a corner. They came to a sealed room and ignited their lightsabers, beginning to cut through the door.
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The nanny droid who was holding the Nautolan noticed two blue blades that were slowly cutting through the door. "Turn off the lights," she suggested as she moved to hide by one of the wall supports. "Hurry, hurry!"
The other droid rolled towards the console and did just that. The lights in the room went out just as the door fell inwards and both Jedi entered the room. It was dark, with bars of orange light falling on the floor. There was a small bit of light coming from two glowing octagon-like shapes on either side of the door. There were two rows of cribs lined up, going down the center of the room. Each of them were lit up with eerie red lights.
As Anakin and Rosella made their way over to them, the teenager ran up to one of the cribs and peered inside, only to discover that it was empty. It hurt to think about just how many children the Sith wanted to steal. She lowered her head and sadly shook it as she said, "We're too late."
"I can sense they're still here," Anakin told her.
They both activated their sabers just as one of the nanny droids' eyes lit up and it came rolling forwards, holding out the Nautolan in front of it. Anakin narrowed his eyes and then turned around as the other droid came rolling in from the other side with a surgical tool in one hand and the crying Rodian child in the other one. Anakin was forced to swing around as he dodged a wild swing from the droid who had one arm wrapped around the Rodian child.
Both Jedi were forced to dance around as they wanted to avoid hurting the children.
"Be careful of the younglings!" Anakin called to his daughter.
"I know! I know!" The teenager cried as she dodged a wild swing from one of the droids.
The gravity supports turned off and the building began to break apart and sink into the lava below.
Rosella, who sensed that the floor was beginning to split apart beneath her feet, leapt to one side, managing to dodge a while swing from the empty droid's arm. She nearly slid as the floor began to tilt, but recovered her balance and darted around one of the cribs.
Anakin was doing a little better, as he was able to keep his balance and not notice the cracks in the floor or the alarms that blared louder and louder.
Rosella kept moving backwards, keeping her focus on the droid in front of her as the floor kept breaking apart.
Suddenly a beeping warning came from the console in the room.
Suddenly a chunk of the ceiling fell, smashing into one of the cribs. As the padawan kept moving backwards, the floor that she was standing on broke. Rosella nearly lost her balance and fell into the hot, burning lava below her, but used the Force to help keep her steady, even as cribs and other equipment went sliding into it. The nanny droid, who had somehow been able to grab a syringe-looking type of device in its other claw, was slipping towards the river but was determined to make it back up the slanted slope as it reached out towards the young girl.
Sensing that the child was in danger, Rosella ignited her lightsaber and leapt forward, taking off the droid's arms. Snatching the baby and holding him close to her, she backed away to the door where the ground was level and watched as the droid rolled back into the fiery ocean. The teenager deactivated her lightsaber and hung it back on her belt.
Across the room, Anakin was doing his best to fight the remaining droid and get Wee to safety.
Suddenly the floor beneath them gave way and Anakin was forced to grab onto the leg of a crib that was stuck fast to the floor. Rosella grew worried and Anakin's eyes grew big as they both felt the Rodian child's fear.
A busted crib came sliding down and slammed into the droid, nearly sending it flying. The nanny droid was now using her arms to cling desperately to the edge where the floor had once met the wall. The Rodian child was screaming in fear, its little arms wrapped tight around the droid.
Rosella gasped, but Anakin wasn't nervous at all. He only glared at the droid before holding out a hand and gently pulling the child to him. He cradled the little Rodian against his chest. The boy stopped crying for the moment as Anakin wrapped the force around them and let go of the leg.
He slid down the floor and pushed himself up off the nanny droid, sending it into the lava. Anakin ran along the wall to the door where his daughter had pressed herself into a corner. With her father and the Rodian safe, she had been trying to get the door panel working again. "The panel's fried!" She told him.
"Where's R2?" Anakin asked, sounding a little irritated.
Suddenly the door slid upwards to reveal R2 on the other side.
Anakin, Rosella, R2 and the two children made it back to the Twilight. Once they were in the cockpit, Anakin quickly handed the Rodian to Rosella before sliding into the pilot's chair and starting up the ship.
Rosella began to bounce both of the babies in her arms, hoping to soothe their cries. Once they had settled down, she sat down in the co-pilot's chair.
Anakin lifted off just as a collapsing part of the building took out the landing platform. As they flew away, explosions rocked the structure and caused it to collapse into the lava.
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When they returned to Coruscant, it was nighttime. After arriving at the Temple, both Anakin and Rosella reported their discovery and rescue of the children to the Council. As the teenager glanced around, she noticed that unlike earlier, the only holograms that were present were Master Fisto and Master Plo.
"The entire base was destroyed, Master. And so was any clue who's behind this," Anakin said.
"Hmm. Most unfortunate this is," Master Yoda responded as he lightly shook his head.
"At least we still have Bane," Anakin said.
Mace, Obi-Wan and Yoda all looked at each other.
Rosella felt her father's frustration through their bond and sighed as she asked, "He escaped, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did," Obi-Wan replied. "But that isn't important. What is important is that we managed to recover the holocron and that the children have been found and returned to their families."
"The list is intact, and there is no evidence it was copied," Mace told them.
"Still, the future of all Jedi uncertain is. Move forward cautiously we must," Master Yoda said, signalling the end of the meeting.
Both Anakin and Rosella bowed and left the council chamber.
Translations
di'kutla - foolish, idiotic
vod - brother
sleemo - slime-ball