Chapter 3

I stared at the red light seeping through the blinds, my heart pounding in my ears.

This is bad, this is really really really bad.

I slowly made my way to the edge of the bed, ready to bolt. I didn't know if I was about to get kidnapped or killed and I wasn't about to wait around and find out.

When I finally got to the edge, I bolted for the door. The window shattered, sending shards of glass all around the room. The figure jumped in, brandishing his lightsaber, and ran towards me.

I had no time to think, only to act.

I shoved him with the force, throwing him into the back wall. I rushed around to my bedside table, grabbing my blaster and shooting at him as quickly as I could. He was disoriented, but he reflected the barrage with ease, moving towards me despite my best efforts.

With nothing else to do, I whacked him in the head with my lamp and hustled to the door, struggling with the lock.

Suddenly, I felt fingers close around my throat.

I turned to see nobody but the man with his arm outstretched, clenching his fingers. My hands flew to my neck as I gasped and choked, desperately trying to escape his hold. The invisible fingers wound tightly around my windpipe, slowly sealing my fate.

The last thing I heard before passing out was my mother banging on the door, screaming for me to answer her.

Padme

I awoke to a crash coming from my daughter's room. Without missing a beat, I jumped up from the bed and raced across the house, my yells for her mixing with the sound of blaster fire and the hum of a lightsaber.

Suddenly, the noises stopped.

"Leia!?" I pounded on the door. "Leia, are you alright sweetie!?"

No answer.

"Leia… Leia, you're scaring me! Please answer me!"

I heard something fall to the floor.

"LEIA!"

"Ma'am, can you tell us again what happened?"

I was sitting on the couch in the middle of the room, my head in my hands. "I… woke up to the sound of breaking glass… I ran to the other side of the apartment, and by the time I was able to get the door open, my daughter was gone!" I sobbed, a fresh wave of tears joining the trails on my cheeks.

Master Plo Koon put his hand on my shoulder. "Do you have any clues as to what may have happened?"

"Well… I heard the sound of a swinging lightsaber and blaster fire… does that help?" I slowly lifted my head.

He looked deeply disturbed. "Are you certain?"

I nodded. "She only has a blaster." That was only kind of true, she had a lightsaber at home, but she only had a blaster at the time of the kidnapping.

"I will notify the council and get the security recordings. Until then, I will have a few clones stay with you until we are certain you no longer face any danger."

Anakin

I was on Coruscant…. Leia was in her bed… she woke up… Red lightsaber… fighting… choking… Padme screaming…

I woke with a start, slamming my head on the ship ceiling as I heard Luke gasp, sitting straight up.

"Leia… Leia's in trouble!" Luke jumped up right before hitting his head and slipping on his sleeping pad, falling right back down next to me.

"Oww…." he rubbed his forehead. "Why do we sleep down here again?"

"It's a safer position, but I agree that it's not great for nightmares." I rubbed my head, knowing I had gained another bruise to join the cacophony of purple that was my forehead.

"What was yours about?" Luke asked, his eyes pained and impatient.

"I had a dream that Leia got kidnapped… But she couldn't have, she's in the middle of Coruscant, nobody would be bold enough to do that with that many witnesses…"

All of a sudden my communicator buzzed with a message from Plo Koon.

"Master Skywalker, we are on high alert. There has been a sith sighting in Coruscant."

Luke

So our dreams were right, huh.

Apparently someone had seen a red lightsaber and reported it right before Mom reported Leia missing. We were being called back to Coruscant for an emergency council meeting because security footage showed that Leia had, in fact, been kidnapped by the Sith, directly on Sidious's orders it seemed. Dad was on edge the entire time, silently freaking out. Soki had heard the news and was apparently staying with Mom so she would be around to help with the search effort once it was coordinated.

I was absolutely terrified.

She was alive. I could feel it. But I couldn't feel her emotions like I usually could, leading me to believe she was still unconscious like she was on the security footage. Finally, dad spoke.

"I want to take this mission."

"Huh?"

"This seems very high profile in nature, and I want to be the one in charge of bringing my little girl home safely."

I nodded. "Can.. Can I come?"

He looked at me. "Hopefully, nobody's figured out that Leia is my child. If it is about that, I don't want you going anywhere near them. If it's about her position on Naboo, I will allow you to come with me."

"Really?"

"You've proven yourself to be quite a good warrior. You would be a major asset in recovering your sister if they aren't after you as well."

I sighed. "Do you think mom is doing okay?"

"No. She's acting okay, but I can feel that she's not okay. She's terrified. We all are."

We entered Coruscant's atmosphere and docked near the temple. Mom was standing near the pad, anxiously awaiting our arrival.

The ship's ramp came down and Dad led the way out. "Senator Amidala, are you holding up alright?"

Mom threw her arms around Dad. "I'm scared Ani."

"I'm scared too, Padme. I'm scared too."

Mom pulled me into the hug. "They're waiting for you in the council room. You were the last to arrive."

"Kidnapped." Mace Windu circled the room, his robes flowing behind him. "This is extremely troubling in nature. I sense that something more is going on here."

"I agree." Plo Koon said, nodding sadly. "The Senator is terrified for the welfare of her child, and to be perfectly honest, we are too."

Dad was staring at the floor, thinking. He didn't want to come off as being overly distraught, but he was having trouble.

"Master Skywalker, have you anything to say?" Yoda turned to him, and he looked up.

"Yes…. I'm worried for Miss Amidala's welfare, Master Yoda." he nodded slightly. "I agree with Master Windu's assessment that something more is going on. I motion that we get involved and send a member of the council to try to locate her."

Yoda nodded, digesting his words. "Send someone, we will. Take over the siege of Alderaan, master Plo Koon must. Find Leia, Skywalker and his Padawan shall."

"Yes, Master." Plo Koon and my father nodded.

"Council Dismissed."

Leia

Cold….

Cold….

I'm being watched….

I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was in a metal room, lying down on a bed that I was strapped to. I was wearing a simple white dress, no shoes, and my hair was down and held my natural curl.

I slowly worked up the guts to speak. "Hello?"

"The sleeping beauty wakes!" a man's voice came out of the shadows and a hooded figure made his way over to me. "You put up quite a fight back there. I didn't mean to hurt you so."

"I was being kidnapped. I thought that was to be expected..."

"It was. I suppose I'd expect nothing less from the daughter of the chosen one."

I stopped. "What are you talking about? Anakin Skywalker is a celibate Jedi, he is not my father."

"Hmm. Somehow I doubt that, especially after that little blood test showed me you were." He held up a holopad, projecting that half of my DNA did indeed come from Anakin Skywalker.

"Alright. Well, I'm not force sensitive-

"That 25k midi count says otherwise hon."

My head was pounding in my skull. "What did you do to me….?"

"I had you drugged."

"Who even are you?"

He chuckled. "I am Darth Kronus."

"Sidious is your master?"

"Yes. He is."

"Why were you sent to take me?"

"Because he deemed it necessary."

"Why am I not rotting in a dungeon?"

"Because I personally think you're too pretty for that."

"You're toying with me"

"Not entirely"

I turned away, looking at the wall before looking back at him. "What is your true name?"

He stopped before reaching the door.

"He's dead. It doesn't matter."

"It does to me."

"Fine, I suppose. He was the first person I ever killed."

"Why do you speak as if you are separate?"

"Because I'm not Korkie Kryze. He was."

Anakin

"Alright, I suppose the first step is to search the apartment."

Luke followed me down to the room my daughter was taken from. There was still broken glass everywhere, and her blaster was on the floor next to the door. Lightsaber streaks were on the walls and blood was splattered on the sheets. I didn't want to think about what had happened to my daughter to create this scene, but it couldn't be good.

I closed my eyes and began searching for something, anything to latch onto and have a clue as to where my baby girl went.

And soon, I got my clue.

I could see her. She was fighting someone, his red lightsaber was flying all around her and she was desperately fighting back. She threw him against my wall and I opened my eyes.

I looked down and saw a single scrap of fabric, probably caught by the metal when the kidnapper was thrown. It was more than I needed.

"Luke, we have our lead."

Leia

He left about an hour later. His name sounded so familiar, I just couldn't put my finger on why. That wasn't the most important thing on my mind, however, because I had some escaping to do.

I closed my eyes and fell into the force, trying to pinpoint where I was exactly. All I knew is I was on a massive station, bigger than any I had sensed before. I could feel that my kyber crystal was in another room, I supposed it was wise to not let me have it, however annoying. My restraints were made out of metal and leather, and I could sense a weak point on the left side.

I slid my hands out of the metal clamps on my wrists, ignoring the pain of turning them into taquitos.

With one last look around, I unbuckled the strap over my arms.

I was expecting an alarm or something. Huh.

I tore off the strap over my legs and slowly slid off the table. The floor was freezing cold and my legs were weak. How long had I been tied up? Were they looking for me? Did my father know I was missing?

I crawled into a corner and sat down, steadying myself. My Kyber crystal was not guarded, I could probably just get that. Battle droids are hardly an issue when you have any sort of weapon when you're ready. I had no chance of capturing Darth Kronus when drugged, the best I could do is escape.

I had a plan. The second the next shift switch happened, I would leave, getting my kyber crystal and an escape pod on my way out.

3….. 2….. 1!

Darth Kronus

"You have the girl?"

"Yes, master. She is locked up on the station."

"Excellent. How close is it?"

"Nearly operational, my lord."

"Good, good. I will come as soon as I can, my young apprentice."

"She is extremely powerful."

"That is my understanding as well, Kronus."

"We could turn her if we tried…"

"Rule of two Kronus."

"I understand, my lord. She would be quite the ally, however…"

"If everything goes according to plan, she will be an ally, whether by her choice or force."

Leia

I have to admit, battle droids are a bit of a problem in numbers. Or maybe it's the drugs. Either one.

I threw the droids as they came at me, stumbling around, trying desperately to keep my wits about. My kyber crystal was on a piece of twine around my neck, and I could feel it pulling on me. It wanted me to fight Kronus, But I couldn't do that! I used my senses to guide me to an escape pod.

Is it just the drugs, or is this station absolutely ginormous?

I stumbled over to an escape pod and collapsed in it, barely able to hit the launch button.

As I adjusted myself in the pod and I slowly got further away, the space station came into view.

It was massive. So big that one would be forgiven for thinking it was a moon. How the Jedi hadn't sensed something this big by now was unbelievable, almost as unbelievable as the amount of kyber crystals I sensed were in it. How on earth did they get that many?

And what was it for?

Darth Kronus

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE JUST LEFT!?"

The battle droids were quivering in the corner. "She was too strong General!"

"SHE WAS DRUGGED!"

I threw them across the room, their legs and arms flying everywhere, dented and broken. The droids next to the door took a step back, carefully trying to avoid my wrath. I crushed their heads and tore them from their bodies. They weren't thinking much anyway.

My master would not be happy. I needed to get her back immediately or it would mean my head. This was too important to him. Especially because now she knew about the Death Star, it was nearly operational but not close enough to reveal.

"Prepare my ship. Set a course for the missing pod."

Leia

Tatooine.

That was my only option?

The separatists, who were very rich, were after me and I was about to walk right into a planet ruled by bounty hunters and gangs.

Yaaaay.

I had just begun to set my course to the dust ball when a bolt of green flew past my vessel, catching on one of the main thrusters.

Green. Separatists.

I frantically began typing in coordinates. Alderaaan? Out of range. Naboo? Out of range. Dagobah?

When I punched in the coordinates for Dagobah, a little silver info pod fell out into my lap. I picked it up and studied it, trying to find the little button that would turn it on. I tapped it a few times and it sprung to life, projecting a mini version of the space station I had just come from. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a blueprint.

I had the blueprints for a separatist space station.

What kind of stupidity led to that?

Oh yeah, the battle droids.

I tucked the little pod into the folds of my dress before getting ready for the crash onto Tatooine. Praying to any diety that would listen, I dipped down.

I hit the atmosphere and was thrown backwards by the resistance. I was flying towards the ground at thousands of miles a second in nothing more than a tin can, carrying an incredibly important piece of information while a Sith Lord chased me.

Bring it.

My hair whipped behind my head, pulling on my scalp as I was pushed farther into the seat. The pod tumbled through the atmosphere before rushing into a cloud of dust. Thousands of grains of sand carved into the screen in front of me as I got closer and closer. I couldn't see the seperatist blasts anymore but I doubted I would even be able to see them if they were there.

I felt something slam into the side of my pod, throwing it off course, barrel rolling into the storm. My seatbelt broke and my head was thrown into the wall.

The pod slammed into the ground and everything went black.