ℝ𝔼ℂ𝕂𝕃𝔼𝕊𝕊 ➵ o. kenobi {my only hope; book 2}

【 TWENTY 】

     ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀʀʀɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ɢᴇᴏɴᴏꜱɪꜱ, ᴡᴇ ʟᴀɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴏᴜʀ ꜱʜɪᴘ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴄᴏʟᴜᴍɴ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴛᴇᴀᴍ. It wasn't the most ideal place to land a giant starship, but given the fact that they were most likely indicators of some form of life--probably of the droid factory that used to function here--we decided to take our chances.

We could barely see anything when we landed, thanks to the steam billowing up around us, giving us little to no indication of what was waiting for us out there, or what we would encounter. But at least our ship would be hidden, and give us the element of surprise. I exchanged ready looks with Padmé and Anakin as we made our way for the exit. "Whatever happens out there," I told the two of them, "just follow my lead, got it?"

Padmé raised her eyebrows at me. "No, I most certainly do not 'got it'. I'm not interested in starting a war, here, Emmy."

"Maybe not," I shrugged, "but if that's what is necessary to save our friend, then that's what we're going to do."

I didn't dare look back at Padmé or Anakin after that, merely marching my way down the ramp and out into the column of steam.

I kept a tight grip on my lightsaber as the steam became thinner, indicating I was near the edge of the boundary of steam. Then I noticed the floor drop off in all directions but one, leading us out onto a precarious looking catwalk.

"Be careful," I called back to Anakin and Padmé, looking back to make sure they were following. "It gets really narrow here."

"Thanks," Padmé called back, stepping out carefully onto the narrow platform just behind me. Anakin took up the rear, watching over her as we made our way toward what looked like a door on the other side of the catwalk.

"Padmé, walk a little more carelessly, why don't you?" Anakin called toward my sister in exasperation.

"I'm not walking carelessly," she replied. I turned around just in time to see her slip, then steady herself, cheeks burning. "That proves nothing."

Anakin and I exchanged amused smiles before continuing on, approaching the large door. As I walked, I continued to smirk knowingly. As long as I'd known her, Padmé was always a well put-together person, always in control of herself, and never clumsy. She'd been trained for years on how to walk properly as queen, and had carried that elegance and posture with her to this day. It was unlike her to walk carelessly, or trip at all. Unless something was making her flustered enough to do so... or someone.

I chuckled a little to myself as I pressed a button to open the door in front of us, leading the way though. Unfortunately, it just seemed to lead to another hallway--though at least this one didn't have a narrow walkway. However, something about this room felt more dangerous than the last, and as we walked slowly down the hallway, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. I slowed my pace more and more, eyes scanning the room, until I couldn't shake it anymore. The feeling of immediate danger was overwhelming.

"Ani..." I murmured.

The sensation suddenly grew, and I had a sudden urge to turn around. Igniting my lightsaber as I did so, I sliced an ugly, brown creature in half the second it was about to grab my sister. My eyes widened as I suddenly realized what I'd been missing--there were dozens of them, pouring out from hiding places within the walls in what seemed like a neverendless fashion.

I turned to Padmé as I sliced two more coming up behind us. "Run!"

She didn't need to be told twice. While Anakin and I fended off the creatures as best we could, Padmé ran for the door off in the distance, trying to evade the creatures that blocked her path as she did so.