Sweat slicked Obi-Wan's palms; droplets ran down his back. Anakin and Windu were similarly red and sweaty.
Palpatine proved to be a greater challenge than Maul and Opress. He moved with savage efficiency and quick, brutal slashes. He hurled furniture - they sent it careening away. He sent lightning crackling - their saber's absorbed it. Whatever he gave, they countered - but neither gained ground.
Then Palpatine hurled taunts and Obi-Wan knew they were gaining the upper hand. "The Jedi will be obliterated," Palpatine snarled. "They are weak and crumbling. Even now their blood soaks the ground." He fixed Anakin with a cruel gleam in his eye.
"Don't listen to him, Anakin," Obi-Wan cautioned. "He's only trying to distract you."
But Anakin zeroed in on Palpatine. He pressed harder and harder, more and more erratic, and sloppy.
"Do you sense it, Skywalker? Your sister's death."
Obi-Wan fought through the wave of fear, refusing to allow Palpatine's barbs to dig into his mind, but Anakin stumbled. Windu's blade intercepted the near killing blow.
Palpatine continued on. "Soon, very soon. The army marches. Your wife will be dead and your children my own. The perfect soldiers, molded to my own designs."
"Liar!" Anakin snarled. His blade clashed high with Palpatine's.
Palpatine cackled.
This is the moment.
Ignoring his fear and focusing on the truth he knew in his core, Obi-Wan struck out under Anakin's arm, only to feint and slash Palpatine's legs. Palpatine's left leg fell with a thud. Windu pushed Palpatine over with the Force, sending him careening over an overturned chair.
Anakin slammed his blade down, severing Palpatine from nose to navel. He stood over Palpatine's corpse, panting and trembling in rage. Later, they could process the profound betrayal, but not now.
Obi-Wan stumbled forward and put his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "She lives," Obi-Wan murmured. "Adrina lives." He was certain of that.
Anakin clenched his jaw, eyes still affixed on Palpatine.
"The Temple is in peril. Of that he spoke truly," Windu said.
Still, Anakin did not move.
"Reach out with the Force," Obi-Wan urged.
Anakin clenched his jaw, but he closed his eyes. Windu stepped to the side and spoke quietly into his comlink. Obi-Wan ignored him and focused on Anakin.
"Padmé is alive. So's Adrina," Anakin said finally, begrudgingly.
Obi-Wan squeezed his shoulder.
"Go back to the Temple," Windu instructed them. "I will see what I can do to get this….Order 66 reversed, if such a thing is possible." He nudged Palpatine's body with his foot. His lip curled disdainfully. "That is our priority before we deal with this fallout. I will join you at the Temple as quickly as possible."
"May the Force be with you," Obi-Wan murmured. He paused to call over his shoulder. "Burn the body. Make sure he stays dead."
0
Adrina focused on the graffiti splattered on the wall, underneath the flickering light in the defunct clinic. She sat slumped, shivering despite the heat, against the grimy wall, desperately clinging to consciousness. Without Padmé to lean on, Adrina wouldn't have made it a single block from where they abandoned Padmé's speeder, much less the four blocks they hobbled. They'd both been out of breath when they finally stumbled into the clinic. Pain nearly immobilized Adrina.
Frankly, Adrina didn't know how she was still alive.
Padmé leaned against the wall, close to the emergency exit that led to the back alley. Adrina hoped they wouldn't need it. "Are you sure about this?" Padmé muttered to Adrina. "Can we trust Lor Dmee?"
In truth, Adrina wasn't certain. But troopers hadn't yet swarmed their location, and Dmee had plenty of time to snitch on them, so Adrina was fairly certain she'd made the correct decision. It wasn't as though they had many options, anyway. If her health was better, ship theft was a possibility - but she could barely move. If people would just answer Padmé's calls…. But they hadn't, and Dmee did. Adrina understood - she really did - that Padmé's friends had their own plethora of duties during a crisis, but it was frustrating nonetheless.
Padmé continued to rub her stomach and Adrina continued to stave away the darkness threatening to sweep her under. She couldn't afford to pass out - not now. Not until she knew Padmé would be safe. Adrina's throat constricted. There was a very real possibility if she passed out that she wouldn't reawaken. Escaping the attack far overtaxed her. But she needed to keep Padme and the unborn children safe - no matter what it took. Even if it cost her life. It was a price she was willing to pay.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Lor Dmee stepped over a fallen pipe and into the back room. Were it not for the flickering light, he would have melded perfectly into the shadows with his entirely black ensemble. Dmee looked Adrina up and down, and raised an eyebrow. He spared Padmé a passing glance before focusing on Adrina.
Dmee crossed his arms and leaned casually against the door frame. "What happened to you?"
"Got blown up a few days ago." Adrina closed her eyes against a wave of nausea. "Then ambushed. Shot. You know how it is." Her voice was weak, even to her own ears.
Padmé crouched down next to Adrina and glanced at Dmee. "We need your help getting off-world."
Dmee pushed off the wall with a disapproving frown. "You need more than that. She looks like death warmed over. And you both need protection, from what I hear."
Padmé's eyes narrowed. "What have you heard?"
Dmee shrugged. "Just an official news release that the Jedi betrayed the Republic. Rumor on the street is that every clone has orders to shoot Jedi on sight."
"Blatant lies!" Padmé hissed, rising angrily to her feet. She slashed the air with her hand. "The Jedi did no such thing!"
Dmee spread his arms wide. "Just telling you what they're saying. But don't worry. I'll take you off-world. I'll provide what protection I can." He eyed Adrina. "Get Healer Skywalker medical attention before she kicks the bucket."
Adrina managed a weak smile. She opened her mouth to thank him, but no words came out. She leaned her head against the wall. Sweat beaded her forehead and dampened the thin dress. Her skin was clammy and breathing shallow. No, she was not doing well at all.
"Take us to the lake country on Naboo," Padmé said, helping Adrina to her feet. Adrina pushed back against the dizziness. The voices grew dim. She blinked, hoping to clear the black edges of her vision.
Dmee snorted. "No."
Padmé whipped her head around. "No?"
"That is the first place they'll search. No."
The Force tugged on Adrina's gut again. Shimmering lake. Bodies scattered at blood-stained feet. The vision the Force gave her before she awoke.
"Not the lake country," Adrina rasped, swaying. Padmé scowled. "Take us…. where.., just… keep her…safe…"
And Adrina at last succumbed to the darkness.
0
The Temple burned.
Determination steeled Obi-Wan's spine, though his fingernails dug into his knees. Anakin careened them through Coruscant, ignoring the trailing sirens and blasting horns. They would not stop until they reached the Temple.
"There has to be at least a legion," Obi-Wan murmured, counting the LAAT's surrounding the Temple.
"A two-pronged assault," Anakin surmised grimly. "There are more around the side. Look." He pressed on the accelerator, even though they already maxed the speeder's limit.
"Master Windu said they evacuated the younglings and wounded," Obi-Wan said as much for his own benefit as Anakin's.
They sensed the chaos and fear as they drew closer. The betrayal. But he sensed little death, surprising considering the sheer volume of assailants. Anakin brought the speeder down at the base of the staircase, as close to the Temple as he could.
"They took out the shields." Anakin pointed to the epicenter of the smoke. What was happening? He'd expected a slaughter, but… Somehow, he sensed that had not occurred. Still, the situation appeared grim. He wouldn't be surprised if less battle-hardened Jedi returning to Coruscant, answering the call to return to the Temple, assumed the worst and turned away.
"There's more going on than we can see."
They leapt from the speeder with blades ignited.
The doors to the Temple stood wide open; they ran straight inside and skidded to a halt. Scorch marks marred the red and gold columns. Troopers littered the floor, alongside a half dozen Jedi. Jedi armed with blasters stood watch at consistent intervals. As far as they could see, the scene was the same. Obi-Wan coughed into his shoulder; an odd aroma - smoke and something else - lingered in the air.
A helmetless trooper pushing a stretcher rounded the corner and Anakin launched himself in the air. The trooper raised his hands in defense. "Wait!" Obi-Wan shouted at Anakin, just as the other Jedi pleaded the same.
Anakin barely restrained his blade, but held it at the trooper's neck. "You better have a good reason, Obi-Wan," Anakin snarled.
Obi-Wan studied the cowering trooper. He looked back over the troopers on the floor. Alive, he sensed, only unconscious, though the fallen Jedi were dead. The trooper sweating under Anakin's ire slowly brought his hand up to point at the bacta patch on the side of his head. "They're removing our inhibitor chips," he stammered. "Knocked us out, hauled us to surgery. I was just coming to get more."
The Jedi closest to Obi-Wan nodded. "It's true," the young woman said. Miras, Obi-Wan remembered. "We're on guard here to make sure they stay unconscious. There's a long line. Well, you would have seen the LAATs."
Anakin retracted his blade and folded his arms. "Casualties?"
"A few dozen of us both here," Miras said. She gestured behind her. "Other front had it worse."
"Too many," Anakin growled. But they all knew it could have been far, far worse.
"Almost a whole company has been processed, at last update," Mira said. She grimaced. "We'll be here a while."
"It was intense at the start," the Bothan Jedi across from Mira said. "I wasn't sure we could do it. The gas spread faster and more potently than expected." The Bothan glanced at Miras. "We were fortunate to have enough masks over here." But her eyes fell to the dead Jedi on the floor. Obi-Wan understood her emotions all too well.
Miras shifted on her feet. "My old Master is serving in the Outer Rim. Do you think…..Do you think he survived?"
Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged a heavy glance. "I'm not sure," he admitted. But they would know soon.
"Well," Obi-Wan clipped his lightsaber to his belt. "You have this well in hand here. We'll see where we can be of more use."
The trooper saluted and Mira bowed.
0
"She's burning up." That was Padmé's voice, distant and worried. A hand brushed her forehead.
Adrina opened her mouth, but no words came out. At least, she thought she opened her mouth. She really couldn't tell.
"It's a fever from a mild infection." Adrina didn't recognize the man's voice. Were they safe? Surely they had to be safe. "Her body is attacking itself."
"Shouldn't she be awake by now?"
"It's a miracle she's even alive. Go send your husband that message and let me work."
Adrina wanted to open her eyes. Wanted to reassure Padmé. But she couldn't. She was tired - so tired. She floated back to the dark river of unconsciousness, wrapped in the warmth of the Force.
0
The Halls of Healing overflowed. A steady stream of troopers exited, bandages wrapped around their heads. All were pale, drawn, and angry. He would speak to them later, too; they were victims as much as the Jedi.
Obi-Wan spotted Master Che amidst the regulated chaos. "Where was Adrina moved to?" He imagined the influx of wounded necessitated rearranging.
Che's brows drew together. "She is no longer here." She murmured something to the healer beside her and turned her attention back to Obi-Wan.
Alarm shot through him. "What do you mean she's not here?" he demanded. "She was unconscious just hours ago."
"She awoke not long after your last visit." Che handed her data pad to the healer beside her. "It seems she discharged herself against medical advice and common sense during the battle above Coruscant; one of the technicians reported witnessing her taking a hoverchair and leaving. She has not been heard from since and we do not know where she has gone."
She's alive. I know she's alive.
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin barked, holding the doors to the Halls open. "We gotta go! Hangar. Now!"
Obi-Wan ran after Anakin without question.
"Padmé left me a message," Anakin growled as they ran. "They're on Alderaan. Padmé and Adrina." Obi-Wan's blood ran cold, more terrified now than before.
"What in the blazes are they doing there?" Adrina was supposed to be bedridden, not traipsing across the galaxy! "What was she thinking?"
"I'll explain on the ship. They're alive and safe, but Adrina's in a bad way. I'm going to kick her butt."
She's alive.
She's alive.
She's alive.
I'm coming.
