THE SKYWALKERS: book one

CHAPTER NINE - Rescue

It felt like a hole had been punched through her chest, leaving her hardly able to breathe. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't happening.

Padmé was pacing back and forth in her cell, unable to sit even for one moment. Sitting meant that the distracting noise of her feet on the ground would cease. She never took her hands off her baby bump, and every now and then, she whispered that everything was going to be okay. She told herself it was to the baby, but she knew it was more to herself.

She'd thought of a thousand different escape plans, but none of them would work. She was in a high-profile locale, meaning they would have state-of-the-art security. Not to mention, groups of clones marched through the hallway every once in a while. All that aside, Padmé was unarmed and had no way to break out of her cell in the first place.

After a while, thinking about her current situation grew to be too much, so she thought about Anakin. She remembered all the good times they'd had together, and how kind and brave and...and so handsome...

She suddenly felt as if her legs couldn't hold her up any longer, so at last, she came to rest on the ground, resting her head against the wall. She began humming a lullaby her mother used to sing her while hot tears slowly rolled down her cheeks, and she wished she could be back in her bed on Naboo.

If she was going to die tomorrow, she might as well spend her last moments peacefully. "I'll be with you soon, Anakin," she whispered.




"I don't see why you insisted on bringing him," Obi-Wan jabbed a thumb back in C-3PO's direction. The droid was blabbering on about not being cut out for this and wanting to return to Padmé's apartment as they zoomed through Coruscant on Organa's transport.

Anakin shrugged while he flew. "I guess I'm a little attached to him. Besides, I'd wanted to stop at Padmé's apartment anyway to pack her things."

"Because Padmé won't be returning to Coruscant," Obi-Wan finished for him, and Anakin nodded.

"I'm dropping her off on Naboo, then I will come find her there once I'm finished with the Separatists."

"Once we're finished," Obi-Wan corrected.

Anakin smiled, glad his old master was willing to help him. "But what of Master Yoda's orders to meet up on Dagobah?"

"Master Yoda believes we must all follow our own paths at this point, and that this is ours."

Anakin almost laughed. Why couldn't Yoda have been like this when Anakin was trying to sneak around all the ridiculous Jedi rules?

"Do you even have a plan?" Obi-Wan shouted over the wind.

"No," Anakin shouted in response. "But I'm sure we'll work something out when we get there."

"They have security cameras!"

"So, we take out the security guard," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you even know where to go?"

"It's down here. I can feel it," Anakin sent them plummeting down into the bad part of town, filled with nightclubs and all sorts of vile creatures. It reminded Anakin of the last time they'd been on a mission down there, chasing the bounty hunter.

They came to a stop outside a window, and Anakin started to pull out his saber, but Obi-Wan held out a hand to stop him.

"I think I should take out the security guard and stay up here to monitor everything that's going on." Before Anakin could object, he pulled out a comlink. "Here. Take this so we can communicate. You need to sneak down and get Padmé. I'll tell you where to go."