Chapter 3: What Can Go Wrong?
The old, rusty door creaked loudly, as Micah Elisar pulled it open and stepped inside the small, cramped room. He made his way toward the small communication console near the center of his makeshift office, glancing around disgustedly as he reached it. "The sooner I'm finished here, the better," he grunted, his chiseled nose wrinkling in disgust as he looked at the dingy, yellow-brown walls; they'd been hewn from the rust colored sandstone hundreds of years before, long before Gardola the Hutt called this place home as he now did.
The tall, silver haired bounty hunter flung the cloak from his shoulders, tossing it over the edge of the dusty old desk as he pulled the old, worn chair out from beneath it. He took a seat, and then leaned back as far as it would allow him as he propped his dark leather boots up on the edge of the desk.
The Hutts did have one redeeming quality, and that was that they tended to enjoy the company of bounty hunters like Elisar, and it was little wonder that Micah had chosen this place when he'd begun his search for Kenobi. As always, the information he'd purchased from the slug-like smuggling lord had been extremely expensive… yet it had proven to be just as accurate. That, combined with the information he'd received from those who'd hired him, had proven well worth the expense; he'd easily make back several times what it'd cost him when he turned Kenobi over to them.
He reached down, producing the small translucent data disc he'd retrieved moments before from the badly beaten Jedi's belt. He looked at it, a grim smile spreading across his face as he turned it, watching as it glistened in the pale light. He glanced over at the timepiece on the desk, then back at the comm station as he heard the two tell-tale tones that indicated the transmitter was online, and then he quickly slipped the small disc into the transmitter's encryption slot. He narrowed his eyes, watching as the small, aged holoprojector flashed and sparkled a few times, and then hummed to life, a familiar image appearing directly above it.
"I take it from the fact that you're able to contact me that you were successful. Do you have him?"
"Yes," Elisar said, with a firm nod of his head. "Your information proved to be exceptionally accurate. We found him right where you said he'd be."
"Good. Any complications?"
"Nothing significant," Elisar replied with a deep sigh. "We had a little trouble with the pilot they were supposed to rendezvous with, but my men took care of him quickly enough."
The mysterious figure paused for a moment, and Elisar's narrowed eyes watched as the image flickered above the holopad, then stabilized. "No messes, I hope?"
"Don't patronize me," Elisar growled in reply. "You know full well who you're dealing with."
The response was quick, and firm. "Indeed I do. The fact that you managed to capture him shows your reputation is well deserved. But, I advise caution. Kenobi is very dangerous. Don't underestimate him."
"Don't worry," Elisar replied. "I can handle him. By the way," he said, the corner of his mouth turning up into the hint of a grin, "You do realize, Kenobi knows I have this. If he's as smart as you say he is, it won't take him long to figure out what's going on. Have you considered that little problem?"
"What he knows will make no difference, just so long as you keep up your end of the bargain," the mysterious figure replied. "When the Imperial flagship arrives at the rendezvous point near Tatooine, I'll advise you as to when you're to deliver him to Lord Vader. Understood?"
"Clearly," Elisar said, short and tersely. "Just make sure you have my money."
"Don't worry, you'll be well compensated. But no slip ups, Elisar. You're being very well paid for this. I expect you to live up to your reputation. It would be unfortunate if Lord Vader were… disappointed."
The smile returned once more to Elisar's thin lips. "Unfortunate for who? Me, or you?"
"Don't make yourself a sarcastic fool, Elisar. Just keep to the plan. I'll advise you further as needed. And there's one more thing."
"Yes?"
"If Skywalker takes the bait, Lord Vader has advised that the Emperor's forces intend to capture him before he reaches the surface," the mysterious figure said. "If that fails, and he makes it to the planet's surface, we may need you to find him."
Elisar sat quietly for a moment. "I don't imagine that will be a problem," he sighed, pursing his lips as he looked at the holographic image thoughtfully for a moment. "I'm sure the Emperor's crack Imperial troops can handle one Jedi."
"As I said, don't underestimate these two, Elisar. Doing so could prove to be the last stupid thing you'll ever do in this lifetime."
Elisar rolled his eyes, then sighed deeply. "Very well, I'll be ready," he said, and then he leaned forward and glared at the holopad, his eyes narrowing to slits in the dim light. "But you be ready as well. For double the work, I expect double the pay."
"Understood. Just do your job, and you'll be compensated accordingly. I'll contact you as soon as I receive word that they're ready for the delivery. Until then, I suggest you stay on your toes. Don't give Kenobi any opportunities to cause trouble."
The transmitter's image projector flashed brightly, and then the image faded quickly as the signal dropped and the transmitter fell silent.
Flight deck officer La'haag watched the small cluster of ships on the tactical display in front of him as they approached the massive star destroyer quickly from her starboard side.
"Commander Ozzel," La'haag said, turning his slim, gaunt face from the display just as the ship's indicators flashed green as their identification transponders identified them, "The first patrols are returning and are requesting permission to dock for refueling."
"Permission granted," Commander Ozzel said, clasping his hands tightly behind his back as he approached the tactical station where La'haag sat. "Do they have anything to report?"
Commander Kendal Ozzel's steel-gray eyes looked out from beneath the brim of his cap, watching the group of small experimental fighters as they approached the Sepulcher; he had to admit, they looked impressive, as the golden light from the system's larger sun glinted brightly off of their swiftly moving hulls.
He had been skeptical, quite so indeed, when he had first seen the new fighters in the hanger of his ship when he had first arrived at his new command. Their odd, one-man configuration seemed unwieldy at best, with its oversized, angular wings on either side of its spherical cockpit, and he and several of his command crew had expressed skepticism about the craft's performance and capabilities.
They weren't the only ones; the pilots themselves had expressed their own misgivings about the new design. They had been designed for droid pilots, and little had been done to adapt them for humanoid use. Its lack of shields, they had been told, allowed the ship's energy systems to be directed completely toward the engine and weapon systems, a fact that not only increased its speed and lethality, but the willingness of the pilot to devote himself to his own piloting skills; failure, they had been told by Lord Vader himself, would simply result in one less incapable pilot in the Emperor's new Imperial Navy.
Commander Ozzel turned his attention from the Sepulcher's command deck window back to his deck officer again, watching him as he pressed the transmit switch on his console. "You are clear to approach, Captain Daynar," La'haag said, looking up and watching as the small group of ships turned quickly and approached the massive star destroyer. "Docking bay seven. Do you have anything to report?"
"Negative," they heard the group's captain reply, his voice hollow and tinny as it came back to them through the console's com station. "Limited activity in this sector, only two large transports carrying a load of refugees. Both were cleared by the command shuttles after visual inspection."
"Very good," Ozzel replied, nodding his head firmly as he looked back out and watched the ships swing around their starboard side, past the huge array of laser cannons that hung just outside the command deck's observation windows. "Have them refuel, and I want them back out on patrol as soon as possible," he said. "Have them rendezvous with Alpha wing as soon as they're ready to depart."
"Yes, sir," Corporal La'haag replied, turning his attention back to the station in front of him. "At once."
Ozzel turned, looking behind him as he suddenly heard his first officer call his name. "Commander Ozzel," the thin, dark-haired young officer called, snapping quickly to attention as he approached. "I have an urgent message for you, from Lord Vader himself," he replied, as he extended his hand, and the thin, square data pad in it, to his commanding officer.
Commander Ozzel looked at the data pad intently, as he entered his command key on the device's touchpad; his brow furrowed deeply, as he quickly scanned the message that appeared on its small display as both his first officer, and Corporal La'haag, looked on.
"When did these order arrive, Lieutenant?" Ozzel asked, turning his eyes toward his first officer again.
"Just a moment ago, sir," he replied, nodding toward the data pad in Ozzel's hands. "The orders came straight from the Interceptor, via relay from Governor Tarken's first officer."
"Did they give any reason for these orders, Needa?" Ozzel asked, making no strong effort to conceal his bewilderment and frustration as he cocked his head curiously. "I don't have the resources, or the ships, for this," he said. "Do they realize how many ships enter and leave this system routinely, especially with the slave trade in this quadrant?"
"No, sir," Lieutenant Needa replied, shaking his head slowly. "No explanations at all. They simply said we're to follow Lord Vader's instructions to the letter," he said, watching his commanding officer as he sighed, obviously frustrated, and looked back at the display in his hands. "Every ship entering or leaving this system is to be checked. No exceptions."
"Very well," Ozzel sighed, shaking his head he handed the data pad back to his first officer again. "Order up the reserve pilots, as many as we have. I want them at their ships and ready to depart in twenty minutes."
"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Needa replied, and Ozzel watched him for a long moment as he turned on his heels and made his way quickly out of the command deck.
"Divide the patrols into groups of three," Commander Ozzel said, turning round and looking at his flight deck officer again. "Assign one patrol group per sector, and have the inspection shuttles standing by. No ship is to leave or enter this system without our knowledge, no matter how small. Is that understood?"
"Understood clearly, sir," La'haag replied, nodding his own head firmly as he turned his attention back to the console in front of him.
Commander Ozzel walked up close to the huge observation window in front of him; he clasped his hands tightly behind his back again, as he stood up straight and took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly, as he watched the cluster of TIE fighters that had just arrived disappear into the hangar bay below him.
He didn't know what, or who, they were looking for; but he was determined that, if it was on this planet or trying to get to it, he would be the one to find it.
Tatooine's luminous, golden surface glowed brightly against the blackness of space, as the larger of its two suns bathed it surface in a never-ending blanket of light and heat. It turned slowly, as it had for eons, just as the fabric of space time suddenly flashed brightly near the edge of its magnetosphere; the light of its yellow-giant sun glinted brightly off the surface of the sleek, silver vessel that suddenly appeared, as if from nowhere, as it turned hard and hurtled toward the planet's surface.
"Are you picking up anything on the proximity scanners?" Padmé asked, glancing over at Anakin and watching him as his sharp eyes scanned the display on the ship's main console beside him.
"No," Anakin replied, shaking his head as he studied the display carefully in the soft, blue-white glow of the cockpit lights. "Nothing local, anyway," he said, looking back at her with a sly grin. "Looks like nobody knows we're here," he said, leaning back in his chair and sighing deeply. "Just like we like it."
"Good," Padmé sighed, a look of relief spreading quickly across her face. "I wasn't too thrilled about us running into any kind of welcoming party," she said; she felt her muscles relax, finally, as she leaned back in her seat and turned the control yoke gently in her hands.
Anakin reached over to the console between them, as he felt the ship begin to shudder gently as Padmé brought them in parallel and started their descent toward Tatooine's upper atmosphere.
Padmé frowned as she felt the smooth, contoured control yoke begin to shudder in her hands. "There it is again," she said, glancing over and watching as Anakin tapped the control pad's input sensors with his nimble fingers. "What's causing that?"
She watched quietly as he studied the data that scrolled across the smoothly polished display for a moment. "I think the intermix actuator is acting up again," he replied, watching the two green and yellow bar graphs for the Destiny's starboard engine fluctuate wildly. "Looks like we're having some kind of power fall off, too," he said, as he looked back up at Padmé. "You might want to back down on the throttle a bit, and bring us back up to a stationary orbit," he said, watching as she nodded her head and pulled back slowly on the two large, curved throttle levers on the console beside her. "At least until Artoo can get the mixture straightened out."
"Artoo," Anakin called, glancing over his shoulder to the access console in the rear of the cockpit where the little droid sat, "See if you can figure out what's wrong with that plasma intermix actuator, okay?"
"And hurry up," Padmé said, glancing back at Anakin as she heard Artoo whistle his obedient reply, "before all this shaking wakes up Luke and Leia again."
"Oh, they're fine, don't worry," Anakin grinned back at her, shaking his head slowly. "They're out for the duration now, I think," he said, looking back over his shoulder at his two children as they lay, sleeping peacefully, on their bench behind them. "At least until we get to the homestead."
"Don't count on it, sweetheart," Padmé said, shaking her head. "Leia's a light sleeper, you know that. And if she wakes up, then Luke's not going to be far behind her."
The smile quickly faded from Padmé's face, and she frowned again as she suddenly felt the ship shudder once more, a good deal harder than it had a moment before. "Feels like that intermix problem's getting worse," she said, watching Anakin as he stood up and walked across the cockpit to where Artoo worked; she listened, glancing over her own shoulder toward them as she heard their little astrodroid let fly with a long, excited string of clicks and whistles.
"What's he so upset about?" she asked, watching as Anakin knelt quickly beside their little droid.
"He says we're losing coolant in the starboard engine's plasma chamber," Anakin replied, turning his eyes toward hers again. "He says we're going to need to shut down the engines so he can fix it."
"How long's it going to take?" Padmé asked, her nervous frown deepening as she reached over and pulled back on the engine throttle controls firmly; she looked up toward the cockpit's ceiling, a concerned, worried expression on her face as she listened to the ship's engines whine slowly down.
"I don't particularly like us hanging out here in space like this, with nothing but a pair of maneuvering thrusters to work with," she said, glancing back over her shoulder at Anakin again. "I feel like a sitting duck."
"Threepio," Anakin called, turning his head and watching as the tall, silver droid perked up attentively as he heard his voice.
"Yes, Master Ani?" Threepio said, watching Anakin as he stood up slowly beside Artoo's station.
"Keep an eye on the sensor array, and monitor the com channels for any unusual activity," he said, as he glanced over at Padmé's worried face again. "Let us know if you see anything suspicious, alright?"
"Of course, Master Ani," Threepio replied obediently, and Padmé watched him as he turned his full attention to the com station where he sat, tapping the controls with his metal fingers as he widened the forward sensor array's sweep.
"Don't worry," Anakin said, taking a step back and pressing himself against the bulkhead wall as Artoo turned, swiveling quickly on his wheels, and headed past him across the cockpit toward the door that led to the back of the ship. "He's going to have to go outside to fix it, but it shouldn't take him long," Anakin said, coming to stand behind the pilot's chair; he placed his hand reassuringly on Padmé's shoulder, as they both turned and watched their faithful little companion wheel quickly through the doorway and head toward the back of the ship to the maintenance access hatch and lift.
Padmé reached up with her right hand and took Anakin's in hers, as she tapped the controls with her left and brought the ship into a smooth, stable orbit. "Okay, the autopilot's on," she sighed, leaning back in her chair and squeezing Anakin's hand tightly as she turned her troubled face toward the cockpit window. "Is he finished yet?" she sighed, as she gently rubbed Anakin's fingers with her thumb.
"Patience, my young Jedi," Anakin laughed quietly, as he placed his other hand on her shoulder and grinned down at her.
"I miss our old ship," she said, finally, after a long, quiet pause, turning a troubled smile to her husband as she looked up over her shoulder at him. "It never had engine problems," she said, shaking her head slowly as she watched him smile down at her. "Why'd you and Artoo have to go and blow it up, anyway?"
"Come on, now, relax," Anakin grinned, laughing quietly to himself as he massaged her tense shoulders gently. "You're focusing on the negative, which, I have to say, is pretty unusual for you," he said, watching her as she closed her eyes and smiled, nodding her head slowly as she listened to him. "Be mindful of your thoughts, remember?"
"Artoo'll have it fixed in no time," Anakin sighed, still holding her hand tightly in his as he walked over beside her and sat down in the copilot's chair again. "Just relax," he said, as he leaned back in the chair and smiled back at her. "Use the Force."
"Yes, Master," Padmé grinned, nodding her head obediently as she squeezed his hand tightly in hers. Her smile widened, and she glanced over her shoulder and followed his gaze, as he turned his attention to Luke and Leia again.
Anakin sighed contentedly, as he swiveled his chair a bit so that he could see them better. "You know, it doesn't seem like that long ago that I remember seeing someone else sleeping on a bench like that," he said, squeezing Padmé's hand tightly as he looked at the worn, multi-colored blanket that she had covered their two sleeping children with earlier.
She smiled, as she glanced down and looked at his hand in hers for a moment. "It sure doesn't," she sighed, looking back at him fondly as she laced her fingers tightly in his. "And it doesn't seem like it was six years ago, either."
"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" she said, shaking her head as she squeezed his hand tightly, turning her own chair toward him. "So much time has passed, and things have changed so much since then, haven't they?"
"Yeah, they really have," Anakin sighed, as he leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. "But I think they've all been good changes, don't you?" he said, nodding his head as his eyes searched hers for a long moment.
Padmé sighed along with him, deeply and contentedly, as she felt his strong, soothing tremor as he stretched out to her with his feelings. "Yes, they have, indeed," she said, gazing into his deep blue eyes as she felt the strong wave of love and devotion that swept over her as his heart touched hers. "And I wouldn't change a single thing," she said, squeezing Anakin's hand tightly as she looked back fondly at her two sleeping children; they both sat there, watching them quietly, for a long moment, until Anakin heard her sigh again.
"I just wish everything else could have turned out as well as things have for us," Padmé said, turning her troubled face back to Anakin's again. She watched him for a long moment, as he sat quietly, gazing thoughtfully out of the cockpit window in front of them.
"I know," Anakin sighed, nodding his head slowly as he watched Padmé turn her troubled, worried face back to the window again. He felt his own heart ache as he sensed the deep anguish that flared, for just a moment, inside his wife's heart as the image of the lovely, dark haired young woman, the image he had seen so many times over the past few days, simultaneously appeared in his mind.
"You're thinking about Dormé again," Anakin said quietly, watching as she turned her deeply troubled eyes toward him again. "Aren't you?"
He squeezed her hand tightly, watching her quietly as her sorrowful eyes glistened brightly in the soft cabin light. "I know I shouldn't, especially right now," Padmé said softly, drawing her legs up underneath her as she leaned back and laid her head on the thickly padded pilot's chair and gazed out of the window in front of her. "But I can't help it."
"It's okay," Anakin said, nodding his head slowly as he swiveled the copilot's seat a bit to face her better. "Grieving is a natural part of the process, you taught me that," he said quietly, watching her as she turned her head and smiled weakly at him. "You want to talk about it?"
He'd tried, several times, since they'd received the terrible news last week, to get her to talk to him about what she was feeling; yet he knew, deep down, that the pain she was dealing with was as hard as that he'd faced the night he'd lost his mother, and he'd been careful not to push her. Some pain went too deep, left too deep a scar on a heart to be bridged too quickly, and, just like any other wound, it required time to start the healing process. He knew in his heart, though, that she would talk when she was ready – and he couldn't help but sense that, for some reason, she was ready to now.
"I know hate's wrong, Anakin," Padmé said softly, shifting in her chair toward him as she spoke; she pulled her legs under her again and, holding tightly to his hand, she laid her head gently on the thick, soft cushion of the pilot's chair as she gazed at him.
"I know it's wrong," she said, glancing down at their clasped hands as she spoke. "And I'm trying so hard not to give in," she said, turning her troubled eyes back to his again.
"But I want to hate him," she whispered, shaking her head slowly as she grit her teeth hard. "I want to hate him so badly."
"He murdered twelve senators, and everyone close to them," Padmé said, her voice soft and sullen as she shook her head slowly, a look of deep pain on her usually bright, cheerful face. "People that I served with, for years, and he served with them, too."
Anakin could sense the anger that burned deep within her, even as she tried so hard to hide it, to keep it under control. "They were my friends, and Dormé was so much more," she said, the anguish she was feeling readily apparent in her trembling voice as she spoke. "He labeled them conspirators, and he had them executed, and they didn't even get a trial," she said, her voice trembling as her beautiful brown eyes glistened brightly from the tears that stood in them.
"I remember seeing him in the Senate with them, so many times," Padmé said, shaking her head in disbelief as she gazed deeply into Anakin's comforting, compassionate eyes. "He used to laugh with them, eat with them, he called them his friends," she said, the frustration in her voice growing more with each word. "What kind of heartless bastard can do something like that and still live with himself?"
Anakin didn't really know what to say. His heart reached out to hers, comforting her, without words, as it always did, just as she so often did for him; he stood up slowly from his chair, and he knelt down beside her as she reached up and wiped her eyes with her free hand. She leaned back in the pilot's seat again, as Anakin reached up and placed his hand gently on her cheek, watching her silently as she sat, very quietly, for a long moment, looking out of the window in front of her at the brightly shining stars that moved silently past them, as they drifted in a smooth orbit above Tatooine's golden surface.
"Dormé wasn't even aware of the Alliance," she whispered quietly, as she squeezed Anakin's hand tightly in her own. "She died for something she wasn't even involved in, just for being a senator's aid," she said, turning her pain-filled eyes back to Anakin's again. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I know," Anakin said softly, nodding his head slowly as he gently wiped away the tear that stood on her cheek with his thumb. "Just like Mom was."
Anakin recognized the irony, the strange similarity of what Padmé was going through right now to what he had been through in his own life. Dormé had been far more than his wife's handmaiden; she had been a sister, a companion to her, since they had both served together in the Service Academy so many years ago. She had been with her, from her first moments as queen of Naboo, through her distinguished service as senator. She had been there at their wedding, and she had been the first, outside of their family, to hold Luke and Leia upon their return home two years ago.
He knew many things about the Force; indeed, his own knowledge and wisdom had grown over the past two years at a rate that surprised even Master Yoda. Yet now, as he watched his beloved wife wrestle with the same pain and anguish that he himself had faced long ago, he found himself struggling to understand this strange, haunting parallel in their lives.
"I know what you're going through right now, I really do," Anakin said, his brilliant blue eyes searching hers for a long moment as he reached out to her with his heart and feelings. "I remember it all too well, and I'm here for you, to help you," he said, nodding his head slowly as he gently caressed her cheek. "Just like you were there for me that night in that tent."
Padmé felt the dark tremor of hate and anger inside her begin to subside, just a bit, as she heard the silent words that Anakin's heart spoke to hers. "I know you are," she said with a nod, returning his worried smile as she reached up and slowly wiped her eyes once again. "It just hurts so much," she sighed, as she glanced down at their tightly clasped hands again. "I want so badly for him to pay for all the evil things he's done."
She looked at him and smiled, very weakly, as she heard his calm, soothing voice again. "I came to the Senate, with Obi-Wan, a long, long time ago," Anakin said, glancing over at her as he turned and sat down on the ship's deck beside her. "I can still remember it, just like it was yesterday," he said, looking up at her with a grin as she snuggled down in her chair and gazed quietly at him, listening intently.
"It was an amazing place," he sighed, shaking his head slowly as he recalled that distant memory. "I remember how incredible it was, to see all of those Senators gathered in that one place," he said, a look of boyish wonder on his face as he grinned up at her.
Padmé laughed quietly as she heard him continue. "I never understood how they figured out who was supposed to speak and when," he said, looking up at her with a wry grin as he squeezed her hand tightly. "And it seemed like, most of the time, they all talked and shouted over each other anyway," he said with a shrug of his shoulders, "so that you couldn't really hear who was supposed to be talking."
"That's because that's how it usually was," Padmé said, laughing softly as she grinned back at him. "Over time, you learned how to tune some of them out. It's called selective hearing."
"Well, I never was really good at that," Anakin chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "It all just sounded like a big argument to me, most of the time."
"But there was one Senator I remember," he said, gazing deeply into her beautiful brown eyes as she listened intently to him, "who got up to speak, and you could've heard a pin drop in that chamber the moment she opened her mouth."
"What did she say?" Padmé asked softly, looking back at him with a smile as she laced her fingers tighter in his.
"Well, I don't remember it all," Anakin said, leaning back on his free hand as he gazed up at the cockpit's ceiling thoughtfully as he spoke. "But I remember one thing she said, as clearly as if it were yesterday."
Padmé smiled again, as she watched him close one eye and begin to speak, slowly and thoughtfully. "Only on the shoulders of compassion, with justice to support and sustain us, can we overcome the tyranny of hatred and oppression in this Republic," he said, glancing back over at her smiling face as he spoke. "For hatred is a dark and dangerous road, fraught with pitfalls that lead only to misery and destruction, and at its end, a deep and empty cavern that swallows everything good and wholesome that it encounters."
Anakin smiled, as he heard her soft voice mingle with his; he stopped, listening almost as intently as he had that day, so many years ago, as her familiar, resolute voice began to fill the cockpit around him.
"For only the light of compassion can illuminate the path that we must follow," Padmé said, "and only from its strong shoulders can we see the way that leads through hatred's evil shadow to the road to justice, and to peace and prosperity for all the people that this Republic claims to serve."
"Wow," Anakin said, shaking his head slowly as he grinned back at her. "I've got chills again," he said, as he watched her laugh softly at him. "Just like I did when I first heard you make that speech."
"I didn't know you were there that day," Padmé said, shaking her head in amazement as she gazed back at him fondly. "And I can't believe you remembered all of that."
"Some things are worth remembering," Anakin grinned, nodding his head slowly as he gazed into her deep brown eyes. "And of all the things I ever heard anyone say in that Senate Chamber that day," he said, nodding his head slowly, "those were the only words I remember."
"They're just words," Padmé sighed, gazing down at their clasped hands again; she looked back up into Anakin's eyes again, as he leaned closed to her and placed his hand gently below her chin.
"But good words, as pure and meaningful as any I ever heard," he said, nodding his head as he lifted her face up to his. "Maybe you should listen to them."
Padmé felt the pain, the hurt, and the anger begin to ebb away, and she closed her eyes as Anakin leaned forward and kissed her tenderly for a long moment.
"You always know how to make me feel better," she whispered, gazing deeply into his deep blue eyes as their lips finally parted.
"Well, that's one of the things I'm here for," Anakin replied with a grin, as he leaned forward and rested his forehead gently on hers. "And I always will be."
Anakin and Padmé both looked up, somewhat startled, as they suddenly heard Threepio's alarmed voice ring through the cockpit around them. "Oh my," he cried, waving his arms frantically as he turned quickly toward them from his place at the com station. "Master Ani! I think you should…"
"Threepio!" Padmé called, frowning unhappily as she lifted her finger to her lips and glanced over quickly to the bench where Luke and Leia slept, as she watched Anakin stand up quickly beside her. "Could you keep it down a bit, please?"
"I'm dreadfully sorry, Mistress Padmé," Threepio said apologetically, following her piercing glance to the bench where the children slept. "But I'm afraid that you and Master Ani need to take a look at this," he said, lowering his voice as he glanced back at the flashing indicator on his com station. "And rather quickly."
"What is it, Threepio?" Anakin said, leaning over the droid's shoulder and looking at the console in front of him as his metal companion turned back toward the com station again.
"I'm afraid we're being hailed, Master Ani," Threepio replied, turning his electronic eyes toward Anakin as he watched his master study the display with a rapidly growing frown.
"Hailed?" Padmé asked, as she bolted up from the pilot's seat and walked over quickly to join the two of them. "By who?"
"I'm not quite sure, Mistress Padmé," Threepio said, swiveling in his chair to face her as Anakin reached over his shoulder and tapped the controls on the com station's sensor display with his fingers. "But they're requesting that we identify ourselves immediately."
Padmé felt her heart stop in her chest, as she heard Anakin speak. "Imperial scouts," he said, turning a grim expression back to Padmé as she looked up at him. "Three fighters, and one ship I'm not familiar with," he said; Padmé watched as, with a quick fluid motion, he reached into the Force and, with a quick Force push, shoved Threepio's chair, with him in it, quickly out of his way.
"Are you sure?" Padmé asked, turning her attention quickly from her started droid and leaning close beside Anakin as they both looked at the tactical display in front of them.
"I'd bet my life on it," Anakin said, nodding firmly as he tapped the controls, locking and enlarging the tactical display on one of the small fighters. "I've seen these before," he said, looking back at Padmé and watching her as she studied the ship on the display in front of him.
"When?" Padmé asked, watching as Anakin reached over and engaged the comlink.
"When Obi-Wan and I fought our way onto the Imperial Hand," he said, turning his grim face back to hers again.
Padmé's maternal instincts switched on instantly, as she felt the rush of adrenaline that surged through her body as she glanced over at Luke and Leia as Anakin pressed the comlink's transmitter on the com station.
"Artoo," Anakin said, watching the fighters that moved on his tactical display as he spoke. "We need you to fix that intermix unit, and we need it now," he said, gritting his teeth hard as he pressed the switch on the com station and transferred the strange vessel's incoming signal to the cockpit speakers; he, Padmé, and Threepio all listened intently, as the hollow, tinny voice filled the cockpit around them.
"Repeat… unknown vessel, identify yourself immediately," the voice said, crackling from the electromagnetic interference from Tatooine's troposphere. "You are ordered to secure your ship in a stationary orbit and prepare to be boarded. Acknowledge."
"Anakin," Padmé said, her voice trembling as she held tightly to his arm and turned a deeply worried face up to him. "What are we going to do?"
Padmé let go of his arm, and she watched him as he walked quickly across the cabin to the storage bin where they'd stowed their travel cases. "We're going to do just what they've told us to do," Anakin said, glancing back over his shoulder at her as he dropped to one knee and flung the bin's door open quickly. "And looks like we're going to need to put that backup plan to use, after all."
"Here," he said, tossing the large duffel he'd packed onto the decking near her feet. "It's time for you and the kids to change, and fast," he said, standing up and taking his light sabers quickly from his weapon belt as he walked over to join her.
"Did you put those transfers on your arm, and the kids, like I asked you to?" Anakin asked, as he knelt quickly and unzipped the large bulky bag.
"Yes," Padmé said, nodding her head as she reached down and pulled up her sleeve; Anakin took her wrist in his hand, turning it gently, so that he could see the faint, gray pattern of lines and symbols that adorned the inside of her forearm. "But I still don't understand how this is going to work," she said, shaking her head slowly as she heard the terse, angry voice address them over the ship's speakers again. "Are you sure they're going to fall for this?"
"They should," Anakin sighed, taking the worn, sand-colored bundle of clothes from the duffle and handing them to her. "As long as the Hutts haven't changed anything about how they trade slaves in the last few years."
"Let's get changed," Anakin said, tossing his weapons into the large duffel that rested in front of them. "Stow your weapon and clothes in this bag, quick, before they scan us. The power cells in our sabers will stand out like a sore thumb."
"Okay," Padmé nodded, her voice still trembling nervously as she quickly retrieved her weapon from her belt and placed it in the bag beside Anakin's. "Are you sure that shielding's thick enough?" she asked, as she looked at the silver-gray material that lined the inside of the oversized duffel bag.
"But Master Ani," Threepio said, looking up at Anakin as he started to quickly unfasten his weapon vest. "They're expecting an answer. What should I do about this…"
Padmé could feel her heart racing, as she reached down and quickly unfastened her own weapon belt. She watched Anakin intently, as he walked quickly to the pilot's station and powered down the maneuvering thrusters.
"So answer them," he said, looking back at Threepio and motioning toward the com station as he pulled his vest off and tossed it on the floor beside the large duffel bag on the floor in front of them. "And I'll tell you exactly what to tell them."
"I repeat," Captain Deynar said, turning his helmeted face down to his display as he locked his fighter's weapons on the sleek silver vessel and swung toward it again, his two wingmen flanking his port and starboard sides as he arced back toward the mysterious ship. "Identify yourself immediately."
He released the com switch on his control yoke, listening intently through the haze of static as he suddenly heard the com channel crackle to life. "Uhm, yes, hello," he heard a strangely hollow, electronic voice reply. "Hailing vessel, please come in. This is the Alexandretta."
"Alexandretta, you are to bring yourself into a stationary orbit and power down your engines," Captain Deynar replied, as he engaged the comlink switch on his control yoke again. "What is your cargo and destination?"
"My master asks me to inform you that we are enroute to Tatooine, on a purely commercial venture, and we're currently experiencing engine trouble," the hollow electronic voice replied. "As for our cargo, besides our captain, only passengers and two droids."
"Shuttle Azzmar, can you confirm?" Captain Deynar called, watching his tactical display intently as he awaited the escort shuttle's scan results as he banked his fighter and circled the small silver cruiser slowly, watching as the sun's rays glinted brightly off its hull.
"Affirmative, Captain," the shuttle's commander replied. "Our scans confirm the engine imbalance, and we're detected four humanoid forms and two droids onboard," he said. "One is currently outside, apparently affecting repairs."
"Very well," Daynar replied. "Board them and do a visual inspection anyway," he said. "Report back to me if you find anything out of the ordinary."
"Alexandretta," Daynar heard the shuttle call, as he watched the large winged Imperial shuttle bank hard toward the small silver ship. "Prepare your docking ring and disengage your shields and weapons systems. Prepare to be boarded."
"Understood," he heard the hollow, electronic voice reply obediently. "Our systems are offline and you are free to board at your convenience."
"Good job, Threepio," Anakin said, patting his tall companion soundly on the shoulder as he watched the com channel fall silent.
"Are you absolutely certain that this is going to work, Master Ani?" Threepio asked, shuffling around and watching his master as he glanced over to the bench where Padmé sat, pulling the small, tan tunic over Leia's head.
Threepio followed his master's troubled gaze to Padmé, and the both of them watched silently for a moment as she whispered quietly to her sleepy, whining daughter as she dressed her as quickly as she could.
"I hope so, Threepio," Anakin said, turning his worried face back to his droid again. "Go back to the cargo hold and wait for them to signal, and then open the docking hatch and let them board," he said. "Don't give them any trouble, and bring them up here as soon as they've boarded, okay?"
"As soon as they're here, I want you to go back to the cargo hold and stand by the main control panel in the back," Anakin said, gesturing toward the back of the ship as Threepio listened with rapt attention. "Keep your ears open and stand by to signal Artoo to cut the ship's power, including the emergency lights, if I signal you. But only on my signal. Understand?"
"Yes, Master Ani," Threepio replied, turning on his heels and shuffling as quickly as he could down the narrow corridor that led to the cargo hold. "Oh, my," he said, his electronic voice laced with trepidation as he disappeared down the long corridor. "I do hope it doesn't come to that."
Anakin turned his attention to Padmé again; he could sense her nervousness, and her growing frustration, as she struggled to pull Leia's small, wiggling arms through the sleeves of the small tunic. He shook his head slowly, as her aggravated, anxious cries echoed through the small cockpit as he walked over and knelt down by Padmé's side.
"Hey, hey," Anakin said, looking at his daughter fondly as she turned her tear-stained, crying face toward him; he took her small hands in his and held them tightly, as her mother finally managed to pull her wiggling arms through the sleeves.
"Whatsa matter, sweetheart?" he asked, reaching up and brushing his hand through her fine, dark hair as her mother tugged the small tunic down over her stomach.
"She can sense something's wrong," Padmé said, her troubled eyes gazing deeply into Anakin's as he looked up at her and nodded his head in agreement. "They can both tell," she said, looking back at Luke as he slept beside her. "I can feel it."
"I know," Anakin whispered softly, as he looked at Leia's troubled, unhappy face. "I can too."
"She's scared," Padmé said, her own voice trembling as she watched Anakin scoop Leia up into his arms. "Just like her mother."
She had imagined how she would react at this moment many times over the past two years; yet the fear that permeated her soul now was something she hadn't expected. She knew, in her heart, that it wasn't a fear for her own safety, but rather one for her children that very nearly overwhelmed her now. She looked over at Luke for a moment, as he lay, still sleeping, on the bench beside her, and she reached over and took his small hand in hers. She felt cornered, trapped, and like any mother, she wanted to lash out, in any way that she could, to protect her two precious children.
Padmé looked back at Anakin, as she heard him speak, very softly; she felt her own fear and trepidation subside a bit, as she watched him close his eyes and hug his daughter tightly.
"Shhhhh," he shushed, very softly, as he rubbed her small back and bounced her gently in his arms. "Everything's going to be just fine, sweetheart," he said softly, opening his eyes and looking back at Padmé with a reassuring smile. "You'll see."
Padmé smiled again, as she realized that he was talking to her, just as much as he was to Leia; she reached up and took his hand tightly in hers, as Leia's anxious, sleepy sobs began to subside as she laid her small head on her father's shoulder, clinging to him tightly.
"Do you think they'll fall for it?" Padmé sighed, quickly surveying the thick, well-worn sand colored dress she was wearing.
"We'll find out in a few minutes," Anakin sighed, smiling at her reassuringly as he glanced over at Leia again. "Just remember, stay calm," he said, watching her as she took a deep breath and nodded her head, very slowly. "Remember your training. Use the Force."
"If everything goes well," he said, leaning down and slipping Leia gently into her mother's arms again, "This will all be over in a few minutes, and we can get out of here."
"And if it doesn't go well?" Padmé asked, her eyes searching his as she squeezed his hand and hugged her daughter tightly against her chest.
"Then, when Threepio cuts the power," he sighed, glancing down at the bin where he had concealed the duffel, with their weapons in it, a moment before, "they're going to have one hell of a fight on their hands."
"Oh, my," Threepio cried, as the docking hatch suddenly swung open, quite swiftly, and he found himself staring at the barrel of a large blaster rifle as the white-clad trooper leveled it at him. "Don't shoot," he said, raising his metal arms and taking a step back as the trooper, and two more, filed quickly into the small cargo hold of their ship. "I surrender."
"At ease," the gray-clad Imperial officer said, stepping through the docking hatch as he eyed Threepio carefully. "It's only a protocol droid," he said, glancing quickly around the neat, sparse cargo hold.
"Welcome aboard," Threepio said, bowing politely as the officer turned his narrow eyes back to him again. "I am See-Threepio, human cyborg relations," he said, turning and gesturing toward the cockpit. "If you and your companions will follow me," he said politely, as he gestured toward the cockpit, "I'll be happy to show you to my master. He's currently waiting in the forward part of the ship."
Lieutenant Krantz watched the tall, silver droid as he shuffled quickly down the narrow corridor that led to the ship's forward section. "Search the cargo hold," he said, matter-of-factly, to the trooper nearest him. "You two, with me," he said, nodding toward the cockpit. "Let's see what we have here."
"Welcome aboard," Anakin said, swiveling in the pilot's chair toward the cockpit door as he propped his boots up on the console in front of him as Lieutenant Krantz entered, his two troopers following closely behind him. "Can I offer you gents a drink?" he said, raising the small metal flask in his hand as he smiled, quite widely, at them.
"I think not," Krantz replied, eyeing the shaggy-haired young man warily as he stood up slowly from the pilot's chair.
"Oh well, your loss," Anakin shrugged, as he paused and took a long, thirsty swig from the flask in his hand. "Damn good stuff, this Ordejan brandy," he said, licking his lips as he swallowed and placed the cap back on the flask, tightening it securely as he grinned back at them.
"And you are?" Krantz said, looking at Anakin curiously as he tucked the flask back into the back pocket of his pants.
"Captain Elan Hunter," Anakin replied, extending his hand as he smiled pleasantly at the Imperial officer in front of him. "At your service, sir."
"So, Captain Hunter," Lieutenant Krantz said, ignoring Anakin's outstretched hand and turning his attention to the young woman who sat quietly on the long bench beside him, "What business brings you to Tatooine?" he said, eyeing the lovely young woman intently as she gazed up at him in wary silence as she gently rocked the small, whimpering girl in her arms.
"Same as usual," Anakin replied, struggling to keep himself calm as he watched the young Imperial officer eye Padmé, and his children, suspiciously. "I picked up the little mother on one of the outlying systems near Bogdon," he said, watching as Krantz lifted Padmé's arm, somewhat roughly, and examined the brand on her forearm.
"So you're a slave trader, then," Lieutenant Krantz replied, somewhat coldly, as he watched Padmé snatch her arm away from him.
"More of a transporter, than a trader," Anakin said, eyeing the two troopers warily as they walked slowly around the cockpit. "I'm delivering her to Gardola the Hutt," he said, extending his hand and watching as the tall, gaunt Imperial officer took the small data pad from him.
"She and the little ones are a gift, for one of Gardola's business associates," he said, watching Padmé as she glared up at him, quite convincingly, as the lieutenant looked on.
"She's bought and paid for, all legal," Anakin said, watching as Krantz examined the transfer documents he'd loaded in the data pad earlier very closely. "All the necessary documents are there."
"I see that," Krantz said, nodding his head slowly. "Interesting," he said, lifting his eyebrow and turning a wary expression to Anakin as he handed the data pad back to him. "Very interesting, indeed."
Anakin felt a twinge in the pit of his stomach, as he watched the tall, thin Imperial officer turn to face him straight on. "I see quite a few smugglers and slave traders pass through this system on a daily basis, captain," he said, glancing over at Padmé and the children again. "You're the first one I've seen with all of the proper documentation," he said, looking back at Anakin thoughtfully, as he clasped his hands tightly behind his back. "Or who even cared to admit that he had it."
Anakin swallowed hard, as he suddenly realized that he might have planned things a little too perfectly; his attention to detail was usually a good thing, but he had forgotten, as the years had passed, that slave traders and smugglers usually didn't keep good records; after all, they didn't want to be found, or for anyone to be able to track their shipments – especially slaves.
Anakin and Padmé both exchanged a nervous glance, as they heard Krantz address the trooper next to him. "Search this vessel, from bow to stern," the lieutenant said, glancing back at Anakin warily again. "I want a full system scan. Notify me of anything you find that appears out of the ordinary," he said, watching as the trooper lowered his weapon and dropped the pack he was carrying onto the bench beside Padmé.
"And keep the good captain and his 'cargo' here in the cockpit until our scan is complete," he said, looking back at Anakin warily, watching the young Jedi as he tucked his hands deep into his pockets. "I want him and the young lady handy we have more questions for them."
Padmé watched, her heart pounding in her chest as she clutched Leia's sleeping body to her own, as the trooper quickly unzipped the large, black bag and pulled out a large, multi-phase scanning device; she glanced back up at Anakin, her eyes searching his, as she reached out to him through their dyadic link.
That's a multi-phase scanner. Oh, God, Anakin, they'll find our sabers.
Anakin knew she was right; he felt his own blood run cold, as his and Padmé's eyes locked again, as they heard Krantz' next command echo through the cabin around them. "I want genetic samples from the young woman, and her children," he said, watching Padmé as she snapped her head around and looked at him in stunned disbelief.
"And run a scan of the ship's memory systems, and on the droids," he said, gesturing toward the Destiny II's cargo hold where Threepio had gone a moment earlier. "I want to know everything that's going on here," Krantz said, shaking his head slowly as he looked over at Padmé and the children again, watching her as she clutched Leia's sleeping body to her chest. "Something here doesn't feel right."
I'm not sure I can do this, Anakin. I've never tried it through this much metal before.
Padmé's heart continued to pound wildly in her chest as she answered him silently through the Force, and glanced over at the single trooper that remained in the cockpit with them; she rocked Leia gently in her arms, as she turned her eyes back to Anakin, watching him as he sat in the copilot's chair, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked back at her.
You can do it, Padmé. I know you can. You're much better at this than I am. Just try, he willed back to her, his heart speaking to hers more clearly than ever before as he leaned back in his chair and watched her as she took a long, deep breath, and then slowly closed her eyes.
How many are there?
Padmé reached down into the Force, as deeply as she could, as she focused all of her energy and abilities on the living Force around them.
Every Jedi inherited a special skill, Anakin had taught her, when she had first begun her training. There was no real rhyme or reason to it, he had told her; it fell to the wisdom of the Force itself to decide what gifts were given, and to whom. Some, like Yoda, had received the gift of foresight, the ability to see events far into the future, events that might, or would, or might never, come to pass. Others found other gifts, such as his skills with technology, or the ability to heal others. There were many gifts, he had told her, and only with time and training could a Jedi come to know what special abilities the Force had chosen to grant them.
Padmé's gift had revealed itself not long after that moment in Dooku's hangar, when the mysterious bond between her and her new husband had first manifested itself. It had frightened her, at first, when she had first sensed the pain that flowed through her nephew's body when he had fallen and broken his arm by the river that afternoon; yet she had come, with time, to become accustomed to the strange sensations that began to reveal themselves to her, whenever she was around others.
The gift of empathy was a powerful gift indeed, and a rare one, Yoda had told her, when it had manifested itself in her life strongly enough that he could sense it. Padmé's was rarer still, in that an empath could usually only sense disturbances in an individual's life force; pain, anguish, and other strong emotions created strong ripples in the Force, allowing a Jedi with the gift to sense their presence far quicker, and much farther away, than one without it. Padmé, however, had discovered that strong emotions weren't required for her to sense an individual's presence; she could feel the tiniest ripples, and it had proven to be a gift that had given her great comfort, one that had allowed her to stay in perfect contact with her two children, and her beloved Anakin.
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as she probed the living Force around her; she immediately sensed Anakin, and her children, as she knew she would. She had become so attuned to their soothing, comforting tremors, that it had presented a challenge to her, as her training had progressed, to suppress their strong presence, so that she could sense others around her. It went against her heart, and her instincts, to try to suppress their tremors, yet, as she did so, she began to sense the others around them, as she immersed herself deeply into the Force that flowed through her.
There are four here, Ani, she willed back to Anakin, as she stretched out with her feelings; she could see them, feel each of them, sense the ripples in the Force around her as the energy she directed out from her reflected off of them. The officer and two troopers are in the cargo hold.
Anakin blinked his own eyes, very slowly, as he tuned his senses tightly to Padmé's life force. The waves of Force energy that issued forth from her were overwhelming, and he closed his own eyes for a moment, taking a slow, deep breath, as he heard her reply travel back to his heart from hers, and then, as clearly as he could, he willed another question back to her.
What about the shuttle?
Padmé squeezed her eye shut tightly again; she held Leia close to her, yet she stopped rocking her for a long moment, and Anakin watched her sit, perfectly still and motionless, on the bench across from him for what seemed like an eternity.
One. There's one left on the shuttle.
Anakin took a deep breath, almost in perfect concert with Padmé, as he watched her slowly open her eyes and look back at him. He looked back toward the cockpit window, his mind racing wildly as he watched Tatooine's dusty orange surface turn, slowly and lethargically, below them.
Padmé looked down at Leia again, as she felt her wiggle, and then cry softly in her arms. "Nepa, haku se dimee', Mase'ta?" she said softly, in fluent Dugg, glancing over at Anakin as he snapped his head around toward her again as she whispered softly in her daughter's ear.
So what's the plan, Master?
Anakin watched her quietly, as she continued to rock Leia gently in her arms. He looked up at the trooper that stood quietly a short distance from them; he smiled back at her, watching her as she kissed Leia gently on the cheek as she glanced back at him, curiously.
Anakin glanced back out of the cockpit window again, watching as the three small TIE fighters cruised lazily past their ship again, silhouetted against the orange-gold planet below. It was only a matter of time, he thought to himself, looking back over at the large storage bin beside Padmé, before the trooper's scanner picked up the massive signature from the powercells in their lightsabers. Whatever they were going to do, there were going to have to do it quickly, and as quietly as possible.
He glanced down again at the ship's console in front of him, and he sat quietly for a long moment, as he looked at the tactical readout that flashed slowly on the larger of the two displays. The shuttle was at least half again as large are their own ship, and heavily armored. They would be no match, indeed, if they tried to break free and run; their shields were far too weak to withstand the punishment of an attack from four ships at once, and their engines would never outrun something the size of the shuttle that now held them captive.
Padmé felt her breath catch in her throat, as she suddenly heard Anakin speak again. "Jee-jee da bollada manda eh shayla," he said, turning his steel-hard, blue eyes toward hers again.
They both looked up, quite suddenly, as they heard the trooper that stood guard near them address them. "Hey," he said, quite firmly, his hollow tinny voice filling the cockpit around them. "No talking, in any language. Keep your mouths shut unless we tell you to do otherwise. Understand?"
Padmé watched Anakin as he smiled at the tall, white-clad trooper and saluted him, quite irreverently. "Yes, sir," he sighed, as he swiveled his chair around slowly to face Padmé again.
Ani, Padmé willed to him, as she closed her eyes and took a long, trembling breath, doing her best to calm her mother's nerves. We have to get the kids out of harm's way. What'll we do?
She opened her eyes, as she heard him answer her. The storage bin, where our sabers are. That should work.
Anakin watched her, in complete silence, as she opened her eyes and looked down at the large storage bin beside her for a long, quiet moment. She looked up, and, as her eyes met his, he watched her nod her head slowly, as she clutched Leia's small body close to hers.
Padmé took another long, trembling breath, doing her best to steel her nerves, as she prepared herself; all of her training, everything that he had taught her, was about to be tested, in a way that she had never anticipated, and far sooner than she had ever dreamed.
Yet, below the fear and trepidation that dogged her, a tiny flame of determination grew; these were her children, she thought to herself, as she turned and watched the trooper walk slowly into the cabin, his commanding officer trailing close behind him, as the scanner in his hands beeped loudly.
Anakin watched her intently, as she sat quietly on the bench, clutching Leia close to her; he could see the look of fear begin to fade from her face, replaced quickly by a look of determination, that same, unyielding conviction that he had come to love, and had grown so accustomed to.
They both exchanged one last, long look, as they suddenly heard the scanner in the trooper's hands begin to whistle, loud and steadily. "I've got something, sir," the trooper said, turning to his commanding officer as he pointed toward the storage bin near him. "Strong power emanations, coming from that bin," he said, as he dialed the scanner in quickly with his gloved hand. "They fall within the range we're looking for."
"Well, Captain Hunter," Lieutenant Krantz said, turning and looking at Anakin with a knowing smirk, watching as his remaining two troopers leveled their weapons at him. "It seems we've found something rather curious on your ship, after all."
"Open that bin," he snapped, gesturing toward the storage compartment next to him as he watched Anakin stand up, quite slowly, and walk over toward the bench where Padmé sat. "And let's see what you're hiding in there."
Anakin looked over at Padmé again, as he stopped and stood quietly for a moment next to her; she watched him, as he knelt slowly beside her, as he slipped his hand down and, quickly and effortlessly, switch on the comlink at his waist.
This is it, she thought to herself, as she watched him open the bin's door wide, very slowly, and then begin to pull the large, dark duffel bag out; she reached over and, very gently, took hold of the back of Luke's tunic, squeezing it tightly in her hand, as she watched Anakin take several steps back, leaving a wide, clear path between her and the oversized bin.
"Open that bag," Lieutenant Krantz snapped, watching Anakin as he paused and glared up at him. "Very slowly," he said, watching Anakin as he glanced at the trooper closest to him. It'd be a shame for this trooper to have to shoot you, right in front of these children."
"No, we can't have that, now can we?" Anakin growled, as he began to unzip the long, heavy duffel slowly. He glanced back up at Padmé, just for an instant, as he pulled the zipper to its end, and then pulled the bag open wide and stood up slowly.
"See?" Anakin said with a grin, shrugging his shoulders innocently as he watched the trooper closest to him kneel quickly and begin to rummage through the pile of clothes inside.
Padmé watched him, as he slipped his hand down and pressed the transmitter switch on the comlink at his waist. "Just clothes," he said, as the bright red indicator began to flash quickly. "Nothing else."
Padmé held her breath, as she watched the trooper suddenly pull her lightsaber from beneath the pile of clothes. "Look sir," he said, holding the weapon up so that his commanding officer could see it clearly. "Lightsaber," he said, glancing back down into the bag, as he caught sight of Anakin's weapons. "Three of them."
"You're under arrest, captain," Lieutenant Krantz snapped, snatching Padmé's saber from the trooper's hand and taking a step back, drawing his own blaster as the three troopers brought their weapons to their shoulders. "I'm sure you know that Jedi contraband is illegal. You and your ship are impounded and…"
Padmé just barely caught a glimpse of Anakin's flashing blue eyes, as he extended his hand toward the bag in front of him as the ship's lights suddenly went out; she closed her own eyes, reaching as deeply into the Force as she could as, with one smooth motion, she yanked Luke's tiny, sleeping body off the bench beside her and into her arms, and then, relying only on the Force to guide her, dropped to her knees and swung both of her children through the pitch black darkness, toward the open storage bin beside her.
Luke's startled cry mingled with his sister's – and the trooper closest to Anakin – as she felt both of her children slide gently but swiftly from her arms and into the large bin. She slammed the large, square door shut and, guided only by what she could sense in the darkness around her, she spun quickly and stretched out her hand toward her weapon.
Krantz was caught completely off guard; he lurched forward, grasping wildly, as he suddenly felt the slender weapon leap from his hand into the pitch-black darkness that enveloped him. "Jedi!" he shouted, groping wildly in the darkness for the comlink at his belt. "Shoot him, quickly!"
Lieutenant Krantz recoiled, instinctively, as the brilliant red flash from the trooper's blaster to his right suddenly illuminated the cockpit; he turned, catching only a glimpse of movement in the sudden flash of light and sparks, as the weapon's blast struck the cockpit's ceiling above him. He felt his own heart begin to race, as he caught only a brief, fleeting glance, and heard the sickening crunch beside him, as the young, blond-haired man drove the hilt of the lightsaber in his hand into the trooper's throat with incredible force, as he snatched the blaster from his hand with lightning speed and flung it across the cockpit.
The cockpit was dark again, as the weapon's blast faded as quickly as it had appeared; Krantz felt his breath begin to come in short, panicked gasps, as he fumbled blindly in the dark for his comlink, the shouts of the remaining two troopers filling the cockpit around him as they heard their companion drop to the decking with a heavy thud. "Where is he!" the lieutenant shouted as he spun wildly, still groping for the comlink at his belt as he swung his blaster in a wide, blind circle.
His fingers found it, only for a brief second, and he dropped to his knees, his panic growing, as he heard the precious comlink drop to the deck as he knocked it from his belt. He groped wildly in the dark for what seemed like an eternity, searching desperately for his comlink; he froze, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as he suddenly heard another sickening crunch, and the terrified, muffled scream that followed it.
He leapt to his feet, instinctively, blinked his eyes and recoiling as he felt panic begin to overtake him as he suddenly heard the chilling sound of the lightsaber that powered up behind him. He spun on his heels, his eyes searching frantically as the weapon's hum filled his ears, as the strange, cobalt-blue light filled the cockpit around them in like fashion; he froze in his tracks, in stunned disbelief, as he finally focused his eyes on the brilliant blue blade, and the Jedi who held it.
It was a strange, peculiar sensation, indeed; Krantz opened his mouth to cry out in terror, yet he failed to utter a sound. He looked down, in shock and terror, his weapon clattering to the deck beside him, as the searing, incredible heat of the dark blue blade in the young Jedi's hands surged through his body, as Padmé spun with lighting speed and drove her blade cleanly through his chest.
The light of her blade bathed the cockpit in a dark blue glow, as she withdrew it from the unfortunate officer's chest, watching him for an instant as he slumped to the deck at her feet. She looked up, her breath coming fast and heavy, just in time to see Anakin's brilliant white blade blaze to life, and she watched as, with a swift, clean motion, he swung it around and through the remaining trooper's body, sending it clattering to the deck at his feet.
"Lieutenant Krantz, please come in," the shuttle's pilot called, as he pressed the com switch at the pilot's station. "I thought I heard something," he said, glancing down at the console in front of him. "Is everything all right down there?"
He watched the com station's display, as the sound of empty static filled the cabin around him for a long moment. "Lieutenant Krantz, this is Janden," he called again, as he pressed the switch and transmitted again. "Please acknowledge."
He sighed, somewhat relieved, as he suddenly saw his commander's comlink flash to life on the station in front of him. "Everything's fine here, Janden," he heard a voice call back to him. "Captain Hunter seemed to have a problem surrendering peacefully, but we've convinced him otherwise."
Corporal Janden smiled, laughing quietly to himself, as he envisioned the merciless beating, or worse, the unfortunate captain would have received at the hands of the lieutenant's seasoned troopers. "He's powered off the engine systems, Janden," he heard his commanding officer continue. "We'll need your help to get them started again. I'm sending one of the troopers up to relieve you."
"Understood, sir," Janden replied, as he stood up quickly from the shuttle's pilot's seat. "I'll be down in just a moment."
Janden drew his blaster from the holster at his hip, and he started quickly to the cargo hold behind him; he'd been looking forward to some action, he thought to himself, as he made his way back to the jeffries tube that lead to the docking ring below. Maybe, he thought to himself as he started down the ladder to the deck below, just maybe, he was about to find some.
"Well, that was quick and easy enough," Padmé said, her breath still coming short and heavy as she switched on the Destiny's power systems again; she looked down, watching as young Janden groaned one last time, and then fell silent on the deck near Anakin's feet.
"It's about time something went right," he said, shaking his long blonde mane as he pulled the stormtrooper's helmet from his head and tossed it onto the deck beside the unfortunate young pilot's unconscious body. "Are you all right?" he asked, walking quickly across the cargo hold to join her.
"I'm fine," she said, nodding her head firmly as she looked up at him, still holding her lightsaber tightly in her hand. "We need to get out of here," she said, glancing over and watching as Artoo and Threepio came to join them. "It's not going to take them long to figure out that something's wrong."
"You two get aboard the shuttle, as fast as you can," Anakin said, turning his attention to their droids again. "Artoo, see if you can figure out how to disengage the docking ring, but don't do it until we're onboard with you, understand?"
"Artoo says he understands perfectly, Master Ani," Threepio called, shuffling along quickly behind his little companion as they made their way to the docking port, with Artoo's whistles echoing loudly around them.
"Let's get the kids," Anakin said, turning his attention back to Padmé as he tossed the blaster rifle in his hand onto the deck beside Janden's unconscious body. "I'll get our stuff. We've got to hurry," he said, as they both turned and started back toward the cockpit. "We don't have a lot of time."
"I know they're scared to death," Padmé said, making no effort to hide the worry in her voice as she bolted toward the cockpit, with Anakin close behind her. She rounded the corner and, taking hold of the bulkhead near the cockpit's access door, she swung herself through the door and into the small, smoke-filled cockpit.
She glanced over toward the duffel bag that rested on the deck as she tossed her weapon into it, and then turned her full attention to the storage bin beside the long, padded bench as she dropped to her knees and slid to a stop in front of it.
Anakin dropped to his knees beside her, his own heart pounding in his chest, as he heard his children's muffled, frightened cries; he watched Padmé, as she grabbed hold of the large, square access door and flung it open as quickly as she could, and then crawled inside as her children's frightened sobs began to fill the cockpit around them.
"It's okay," she said, her own voice cracking as she pulled her two frightened children into her arms, hugging them tightly as they flung their small arms around her neck. "Everything's okay now," she said, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she felt tears begin to sting them. "Mommy's so sorry," she whispered, as she started to pull them out of the dark, empty bin.
Anakin glanced back over his shoulder; he placed his hand on Padmé's back, stopping her as she started to crawl back out of the bin. "Hold on a second," Anakin said, reaching up and grabbing their blanket from the bench as he caught site of the bodies that lay strewn through the cockpit. "I don't think they need to see any of this," he said, holding the blanket up behind her as she looked up at him and nodded her head.
Padmé stood up, turning around quickly as Anakin held the blanket up in front of her, shielding Luke and Leia from the carnage that lay behind him; she tucked it close around her two crying children, as Anakin placed it over their heads and around her shoulders.
Anakin felt his own heart aching, as he watched Padmé kiss them both gently, over and over again. "Come on," he said softly, watching her as she turned her tear-filled eyes up to him again as he nudged her toward the cockpit door. "Get them onboard the shuttle," he said, watching her as she nodded her head and started toward the door. "Tell Artoo to make sure those engines are powered up. I'll get our stuff, and I'll be right behind you."
"Hurry," Padmé said, her voice still trembling as she turned and bolted toward the back of the ship.
As quickly as he could, Anakin snatched the duffle with their weapons and uniforms from the deck and flung it over his shoulder; he opened the remaining storage bin and, retrieving the last of their belongings, he stood up and looked around the cockpit of their ship for a long moment.
"Dammit," he sighed, shaking his head slowly, as he surveyed the smoke-filled cockpit, and the carnage that lay within it. He stood silently for another moment and then, turning quickly, he bolted down the corridor toward the cargo hold, and their one, thin chance that remained beyond it.
"Do you know how to fly this thing?" Padmé asked, watching Anakin from the rear seat of the strange ship, as she rocked Luke and Leia gently in her arms.
"I have no idea yet," Anakin sighed, quickly surveying the strange, expansive cockpit in front of him as he flopped into the pilot's seat. "I've never stolen an Imperial shuttle before," he said, looking over his shoulder at her with a sarcastic smirk as he watched Threepio take a seat beside her.
"Anakin, this is never going to work," Padmé said, shaking her head as she looked out the shuttle's cockpit window, watching as the three fighters continued to circle around them. "We're going to have thirty seconds, at best, before they figure out what's going on and radio for help," she said, looking back at him anxiously.
"Those fighters have no shields," Anakin said, turning and looking over his shoulder at Padmé, watching her as she listened intently to him. "We don't have to outrun them for long," he said. "Just long enough to make it into the planet's atmosphere."
"If we can do that, and with a little more luck," he sighed, grinning weakly at her, "we can ditch this thing someplace before they can call in reinforcements to find us."
"How are the kids?" he asked, turning his attention back to the massive array of controls and displays in front of him, scanning them quickly as he tried to make some sort of sense of them all.
"They're scared to death," Padmé said softly, closing her eyes and kissing them both gently on the cheek; she could sense their fear, more plainly than ever, as they clung to her tightly, still whimpering quietly.
Anakin paused, glancing back over his shoulder at her and watching, for a long moment, as she held them close to her. "Shhhh," she whispered, as she squeezed her eyes shut and rocked them slowly in her arms. "Everything's okay," she said, opening her eyes and smiling weakly back at Anakin as she sensed the wave of concern that flowed from him.
"We'll be fine," she whispered, nodding her head slowly as she saw his worried, concerned face gazing back at her. "Daddy's here with us," she said, turning her attention back to her children again. "Everything's going to be just fine."
"You're damn right it's going to be," Anakin said, his voice laced with grim determination as he turned his eyes back to the controls in front of him again. "Power up the engines, Artoo, and bring the weapons and shields online, full power," he said, looking over at his little droid as he sat at the terminal across from him.
Threepio listened with rapt attention, as he suddenly heard Anakin address him. "Padmé's got her hands full, Threepio," he said. "Help her get strapped in, as fast as you can, and then strap yourself in, too," he said, looking over his shoulder and watching as Threepio reached over and took hold of the straps that dangled near Padmé's seat. "This might be a bumpy ride."
"Detach the docking clamps and fire the Destiny's engines as soon as that group of fighters swings by for another pass," he said, watching Artoo as he spun the control wheels at the station's access port with lightning speed. Padmé glanced back over at her husband, as she helped Threepio fastened the thick, wide strap across her hips; she held her two precious children as tightly as she could, as she watched Anakin reach over and switch off the shuttle's inertial dampers.
"Everybody brace yourselves," he sighed, looking out of the shuttle's forward window as he saw the small, sleek fighters begin to bank toward them, Tatooine's sun glinting brightly off their hulls. "The ship's going to roll pretty hard when the docking ring breaks free and those engines fire."
"Hang on, little ones," Padmé whispered softly, closing her eyes tightly as she reached into the Force and held on to Luke and Leia as tightly as she could. "I've got you."
Anakin placed his hand on the shuttle's throttle controls, squeezing them tightly in his hand, as he watched the last few seconds tick away on the display in front of him.