Chapter 15 – Survivors
When Bail Organa had seen the battle begin at the Jedi Temple, his first instinct had been to go see what was going on. He had flown his personal car to the vicinity of the Temple before being intercepted and ordered back by a squad of clones in a LAAT gunship. That he was a Senator had not made any difference, and when he turned around there were several rifles aimed at him. It was an outrage. He decided before even getting back to his apartment that he needed to call the others and let them know what was happening. The Delegation of 2000 needed to get legislation on the floor of the Senate first thing in the morning. But to his surprise, before he ever had a chance to contact any of them, one of the Delegation was already at his apartment. She was, in fact, inside his apartment when he arrived.
A heavily pregnant Padme Amidala calling out to him from the shadows of his sitting room was enough, when combined with the shock of the evening's events, to make Bail Organa jump back. His first question, despite all that was going on was, "How did you get in here?"
"R2 can actually break into most places. A…friend has upgraded him significantly," she said, as an astromech droid rolled out of the shadows behind her.
"I am sorry for this breach of protocol Senator Organa," Amidala's personal droid said while coming around the corner from the balcony. "But please understand that it was quite urgent that we leave Senator Amidala's apartment."
"Why have you come my friend?" Bail said as he turned on the light and gestured for Padme to sit down, which she very happily did.
"I received word, from my friend, of the attack on the Temple just after it began. It was recommended to me that I get off Coruscant," she said. "But when I left my home to go to my ship I found it was being guarded by Clone troopers. They didn't see me, and I don't know what would have happened if they did."
"Why would they want to stop you from leaving the planet?" Bail asked as he sat down across from her.
"For the same reason my friend thought I needed to do so," Padme said.
"Let us be frank with each other Padme," Bail said. "You can stop pretending your friend is not a Jedi and I can stop pretending that I don't know that you have a friend, a very close friend, among the Jedi."
Padme leaned back on the cushions of the sofa and considered Bail for a moment. "And here I thought we were being so very clever."
"Well most people don't spend as much time around you as I do," Bail said. He continued speaking as he rose and went to get some tea a droid had brought in for him. "And even those who do would likely not believe it possible that a Jedi would do such a thing. But I spend a great deal of time around them too. People think they are godlike beings, elevated above the rest of us, but we know better don't we. We know that for all their abilities they have the same weaknesses we do."
Padme looked worried as he gently handed her the cup of steaming tea and he said, "Do you know what has happened to your friend?"
"No," she said.
"Anakin is very resourceful," Bail said. When Padme shot him another surprised look he said, "Well the two you spend the most time with are Obi-Wan and Anakin, and…well, Obi-Wan has a greater respect for the rules."
"Thank you for the tea," Padme said, not wanting to give away any more information that Bail already seemed to have acquired.
"So if I am right you need me to get you off world?" Bail said.
"Yes," Padme said. "I have no destination in mind. Naboo has to be off limits I think."
"Are you sure you are a target?" Bail asked.
"R2, open the security cam link," Padme said. The droid rolled over to the holographic display terminal and inserted its probe arm into the receiver. The terminal came to life and the image it showed was Senator Amidala's apartment, swarming with Clones, who had clearly, from the state of the apartment, been searching it for some time. In the middle of the chaos was an officer Bail Organa had met a few times before, Willhuf Tarkin. Tarkin who was a personal confidant of the Chancellor. For some reason his presence made the involvement of the Chancellor in the night's events more starkly clear to Organa than even the actions of the clones.
"From a device built into the wall itself. Anakin built it. It is constructed so as to avoid detection by most sweepers, but they will find it eventually. When they do they will know that I know they are coming for me, and I think their efforts to capture me will widen, possibly to include you. If we are leaving we must do so now," Padme said. As Bail considered his options they heard a loud noise that took them both to the balcony of Organa's apartment. There was a spectacular bombardment of the Jedi Temple going on that could be seen even from Bail's miles distant apartment. The two of them could just make out the small frigate doing its corkscrew maneuver to build up speed, and the tight precision with which the large ship curled around the Temple left Padme in no doubt as to its pilot.
"Anakin," she said quietly as the shipped jumped into hyperspace.
"We leave now. My ship is prepped. I will let the Chancellor's office know that I am fleeing the violence and returning to Alderaan," Bail said.
"I don't think I can go somewhere so prominent," Padme responded.
"You won't. Neither will I, but any agents the government has on Alderaan will not know that. I have ways of making people think I am places I am not," he said. When Padme raised an eyebrow he smiled and explained, "Alderaanian politics is a very interesting subject my friend. Perhaps in the time you are about to have away from your Senatorial duties you could find some enjoyment in reading of our history."
The two of them and the droids loaded into Organa's car and flew to a landing platform some distance from the Senate building where Organa's ship, the Tantive III, was located. They did not want to risk going all the way too the ship, located as it was in the Senate building's hangar. But the Tantive's crew was on call and were able to get it airborne quickly, so that the two Senators only had to wait about a half hour for it to show up. Once on board Organa suggested they make for a remote mining outpost he knew of, Pollis Massa, that he was confident was safely hidden from Republic officials.
Sometime later Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived on the Tantive III, docked at Polis Massa, after a very confusing day. He had fought and defeated General Grievous, and for a moment he thought he had brought an effective end to the war. Then his clone troopers had attacked him. Then, by the time he got to Grievous' ship and took off, he started getting confused reports on the Jedi's dedicated communication network. There were short, scattered distress calls from Jedi all over the galaxy, and one persistent message from the Temple that went on for hours, warning of an attack by Republic forces. Then that message stopped and was replaced by one calling for all Jedi to return to the Temple. Luckily he was able to get in touch with Master Yoda, who had, it seemed, also been attacked but managed to escape with the help of the Wookies.
Bail Organa had greeted him at the airlock and taken him directly to Yoda, who sat at a conference table near Organa's quarters. The first question Obi-Wan had asked was about word from any other survivors, and the answer was as he had feared.
"No other Jedi have made contact with us," Organa said after Yoda shook his head softly.
"Perhaps they simply cannot get to a communication device," Obi-Wan said, pretending to feel more hope than he really did.
"If longer they took to escape, perhaps the communication from the Temple they heed. Return to Coruscant they do," Yoda said.
"We must find a way to warn them!" Obi-Wan said. "We must go to Coruscant and stop that message!"
"With any luck word of the battle at the Temple will spread," Bail Organa said. "Then perhaps any remaining Jedi will figure out that the message is false."
"How bad was it, at the Temple?" Obi-Wan asked.
"When I tried to go there the main entrance to the Temple was already in ruins. There were Clones fighting at most of the other entry points," Organa said.
"Then the Jedi within were defending the Temple! Perhaps some managed to escape. Maybe they saw the attack coming and some got away!" Obi-Wan said, now feeling some genuine hope.
"They did see it coming," came a voice from the doorway.
The two Jedi turned quickly to see a surprisingly pregnant Padme Amidala at the door. Obi-Wan could not be sure, but she had not seemed so far along the last time he saw her.
"Anakin sent me a warning, just before the battle began. R2 delivered it to me. He also told me what little he knew about what had happened," Padme said.
Yoda and Obi-Wan exchanged a look at this news about Anakin, though Yoda's face made clear to Obi-Wan that it was not the time to discuss that issue. "Tell us, Senator, please," Yoda said.
"Anakin and Mace Windu arrested the Chancellor and brought him back to the Temple. It was less than an hour later that the clones attacked," Padme said.
"I have been trying to reconstruct events, and it seems to me that the arrest occurred just after the communication about your defeat of General Grievous, Master Obi-Wan," Bail Organa said.
"So he refused to give up power, is that it?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at Yoda, who said nothing at first.
"This droid, join us can he?" Yoda asked after a few seconds.
Minutes later R2 and C-3PO arrived in the conference room.
"Hello there, my name is C-3PO, human cyborg relations. Ah, Master Obi-Wan, how good it is to see you sir," the golden droid said. Obi-Wan smiled and Yoda nodded patiently.
"R2-D2," Yoda said, "can you tell us where in the Temple the Chancellor was taken?"
After several beeps from R2, C-3PO said, "He said he believes that the Chancellor was taken to the medical center in the Temple. He was monitoring transmissions after Master Anakin left for the Senate building alone."
"You mean without R2, correct? Certainly he went with Master Windu?" Obi-Wan said.
R2 responded and 3PO translated, "Apparently not. Master Windu left with all the other members of the Council except Master Anakin, and then he followed shortly after."
"The medical center you say," Yoda said softly.
"What is it?" Bail Organa asked.
"Cells in the Temple there are, which can be locked from the outside. If arrest him they did, why to the medical center did they take him?" Yoda said.
"Perhaps he was injured during the arrest," Organa suggested.
"Difficult to believe that resist he would, against four Jedi," Yoda said.
"What do you suspect?" Obi-Wan asked.
"In the medical center, a containment unit there is. Designed for my old apprentice it was," Yoda said. "Designed to contain a Sith Lord."
"Palpatine, a Sith Lord?" Obi-Wan all but shouted. "How could that be?"
R2 chirped sharply and 3PO said, "R2 wishes to inform you that while four Jedi did leave for the Senate building, only one of them, Master Windu, returned with Master Anakin and the Chancellor."
"Anakin knew," Padme said. "He must have known Palpatine was a Sith Lord and Master Windu needed his help."
"It will take time to unravel this mystery, but for now I believe we must return to Coruscant," Obi-Wan said. "We cannot risk any Jedi falling into the trap."
Yoda nodded and Bail Organa was about to speak when Kenobi's personal communicator beeped.
"We must be cautious about accepting any transmissions," Bail Organa said. "They could be used to locate us."
Obi-Wan looked at the communicator for a moment and then exclaimed, "But this is Anakin's Fulcrum network!"
"Is it Anakin?" an excited and scared Padme asked she saw a message in Aurebesh on the small screen of Obi-Wan's communicator.
"No, it's Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano. Her clones attacked her as well. She survived. I am going to put it on the holographic projector," Obi-Wan said as he plugged his communicator into a port on the table over Bail's objection.
A 3-D picture of Ahsoka appeared from a projector in the middle of the table. She had a look of relief, but also sadness on her face as she saw Obi-Wan's face. "Hello Master Kenobi."
"Ahsoka, thank goodness you are alive. Where are you?" Obi-Wan said.
"I am not sure of the planet, or moon, we crashed on. We had Maul in custody when the clones turned on us, but he escaped, and destroyed our ship in the process," she said wearily.
"Don't worry, we can come pick you up," Obi-Wan said.
"No…I have a ship capable of lightspeed that I was able to save from the wreck. I wanted to ask what happened to Anakin," she said.
"We don't know. We are trying to piece that together. Has he contacted you over the Fulcrum network?" Obi-Wan said.
"No," Ahsoka said. "But before everything happened, I felt a great conflict in his mind. An unease in my spirit, and I know it came from him. I don't understand how, but I felt it. I think he is in trouble, and I need to find him."
"We want that too Ahsoka," Padme said. "Please come to us and help us look for him."
"Padme?" Ahsoka, whose holographic display could not show her Padme, who was standing behind the receiver on the Tantive III.
"Yes Ahsoka. Anakin helped me get off Coruscant before the Temple was attacked," she said.
"The Temple?" Ahsoka said, shocked. "I didn't know."
"Need you we do, Ahsoka Tano. Need all Jedi we do," Yoda said.
"I am not a…," Ahsoka started to say.
"A Jedi you are. A Jedi you will always be. Changed not by the mistakes of old fools. In your actions, helping the Mandalorians, capturing Darth Maul, the truth of it lies. Need you we do. Need you the galaxy does," Yoda said. "Please."
"I…I will come to as quickly as I can," Ahsoka said. She took a long look towards Obi-Wan before breaking the connection.
After her hologram disappeared Obi-Wan turned to Yoda and asked, "Could she really sense what was going on in Anakin's mind from so far away?"
"Powerful the bond between Master and Apprentice is," Yoda said.
"Shouldn't I have been connected in the same way then?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Years it has been, since dependent on you Anakin was. Loosened the bond has been. Listen to young Ahsoka we should," Yoda replied.
"We should send her our location," Padme said.
"What if someone else is watching that channel?" Bail Organa said.
"Who else had access to Fulcrum?" Obi-Wan asked Padme.
"I…I wouldn't know of course," Padme answered.
Obi-Wan smiled sadly at Padme, thinking of all the hiding she had been forced into. But the suspicions that had been growing in his mind for years had been confirmed by the fact that when disaster loomed Anakin's thoughts went first to protecting her, that it was her safety he made R2's charge. "I think we can dispense with all that Padme, don't you? After all, Anakin's propriety with regards to the Code is hardly a pressing concern at the moment."
Padme looked down at her own pregnant belly and gently rubbed it. How much longer could they have kept it hidden even without this crisis, she wondered. She looked back up at Obi-Wan and said, "Well there's you, me, Anakin of course, Ahsoka. He told me he gave it to Wulf Yularen and to some insurgent on Onderon whose name I have forgotten." It was the most indirect confirmation of a relationship with Anakin that was possible, but it was still the most information she had ever intentionally given, and the strength of her feeling of relief surprised Padme. It was the feeling of exhaling after holding your breath for a long time. She rubbed her belly again and felt movement in response. How much longer until that other secret, the one she had even kept from Anakin, could be revealed?
"Saw Gerrera is his name, and while he is erratic I don't believe he is a danger to us," Obi-Wan said.
"Wulf Yularen is a problem," Bail Organa said. "He will obey orders. That whole generation of officers will. And at the top of their chain of command is Palpatine, not the Jedi."
"But will he be watching the Fulcrum channel? Wouldn't he only check that if he thought Anakin and I were alive? We have a little time while it can still be used I think," Obi-Wan said. "Ahsoka is worth the risk. If they are monitoring the channel we can be prepped to jump into hyperspace and try to warn Ahsoka through the Force."
"Agree I do," Yoda said.
It was some hours after they sent their coordinates to Ahsoka before they heard back from her, and several hours after that before she arrived. When she did, she brought a surprise with her, Captain Rex. The initial reaction was somewhat tense, with Obi-Wan's hand going to his lightsaber before being restrained by a word from Yoda. Ahsoka described what had befallen her on the return trip from Mandalore, about the chip in the Clones' brains and how she had removed the chip from Rex's brain.
"Do you still have it?" Bail Organa asked. "If we can find a way to turn it off remotely, without needing surgery, that could change everything."
"We didn't make it off the ship with anything but ourselves. The droids that helped us were destroyed," Ahsoka said.
"My brothers can't be saved, not all of them," Rex said grimly. "This is a war, a new war, and they are the enemy."
"The galaxy can't take more war," Padme said. "There has to be a way to bring the butchery to an end. These won't be droids you will be destroying; these will be men you are killing."
"Believe me Senator, I know. But I know what each one of them is feeling right now. I know what it is like inside their heads. They won't be reasoned with; they won't be convinced. They will obey because they don't have any choice about it. Just like the droids. That is what he turned us into, with his Order 66," Rex said.
"It is hard to believe this was planned from the start. Palpatine guiding the war from both sides, all to this end," Obi-Wan said.
Before the conversation could go any further an alarm went off and the captain of the Tantive III called out over the intercom that a Republic ship had just jumped into the system.
"Is the hyperdrive ready to jump?" Bail replied to his wrist communicator.
"Yes my lord," the captain said back.
"Then…," Bail started to say before being interrupted by Ahsoka saying, "Wait!"
"Ahsoka what are you doing?" Obi-Wan shouted as Ahsoka ran towards the bridge.
The rest followed, except for Yoda and Padme, neither of whom was inclined to run, and both of whom, perhaps, had an inkling of what Ahsoka had sensed.
By the time they reached the bridge the ship was just visible in the distance.
"Have you gotten an ID on the ship?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yes," the captain replied with a worried look at Senator Organa, who nodded for him to continue. "It's definitely Republic, a Consular class cruiser. One of the one's modified for service during the war. Fully armed and armored."
"But its transponder, what is it reading?" Ahsoka asked.
"That's the thing my lady, its transponder appears to be disabled," the captain said.
"Patch me through," Ahsoka ordered. The captain once again looked to Senator Organa.
"Are we prepared to jump?" Bail asked.
"Yes Senator," the captain said.
"Then do as she asks, but be ready to leave," the Senator said. The captain nodded and motioned for Ahsoka to step forward to be closer to the receiver.
"Anakin?" she said timidly.
"Hey Snips," he replied.