When Stars Align

Chapter 5 - Death Watch

Author's Note: Yes, Kolara is a canon character from the comics. She does not have nearly the amount of love or attention as she deserves. :)

~ Amina Gila

Anakin is fully used to expecting... complications, though they don't always come in the forms he anticipates. Certainly, he didn't anticipate the negotiations on Mandalore to be interrupted by Kolara. Anakin hasn't seen her since he and Padme snuck to Raxus a while back.

Obi-Wan had taken Anakin to the Senate – his master had been there to meet with Palpatine, and Anakin tagged along for no real reason, and it was... boring, and confusing, until Padme came in and offered to teach Anakin a bit about politics. Which wound up with them going to Raxus, no matter how worried he was about it.

They'd met Mina Bonteri and a few of her friends – oddly enough, including Mother Pran, who Anakin remembers very well from Carnelion IV. She was leading all the children there into a never-ending war, and Anakin had barely managed to get through to them to try ending the fighting. War changed the planet, and after the Separatist movement began, Carnelion IV broke away.

The Republic took until their planet was entirely destroyed to intervene. Anakin doesn't even blame them.

The talks were ended by an explosion – blamed on the Republic – that killed Mina Bonteri and a number of her colleagues, others who were trying to end the war.

Including Pran herself.

Kolara had been working with her, as something of a representative Anakin thinks, and she dug deeper. Of course, she did, but speaking out in public is a guaranteed way to get her killed.

"You didn't say she'd be here," he says quietly, leaning over a bit so the other Senators won't hear their interactions.

"She wasn't supposed to be," Padme replies.

Anakin watches, feeling sick as the droids drag her away. She's his friend and she helped him. She helped him save his master once, a long time ago, and that's not something he'd ever forget. "They'll kill her. I have to help."

"Do what you can," Padme agrees quietly, "But be discrete. If the Separatists notice something, they'll use it as a reason to end these talks."

"Of course," Anakin promises, squeezing her shoulder lightly before stepping back. Slipping out of the room unnoticed isn't too difficult, and for that matter, neither is tracking down Kolara. He doesn't have his lightsaber, but he's still just as good against droids – he fights them nearly every day. Blasters are almost as good on them as lightsabers are, and he just borrows one of theirs after taking out the first.

"Anakin?" Kolara breathes, wide-eyed.

"Come on," he says, offering her a hand, which she takes, letting him pull her to her feet. "Time to get out of here." Anakin contacts Artoo on the way out, telling him to fire up the engines to their shuttle. Battle droids are chasing them, but Anakin avoids them easily enough.

They don't stop until they sprint aboard the shuttle and Anakin asks the clone captain present to clean up the remaining droids – for all that he wants to do it himself, there's not time.

"Thanks for the help, Anakin," Kolara says once they've settled into the cockpit and he's taking off. They're not going to be safe until they make it out, and Anakin needs to know how many people are involved. He met Lux Bonteri briefly, and he has no doubt there are many Separatists out for the truth. Who know the truth.

"Anytime," he replies, "Does anyone else know? Is there anyone we need to extract off Raxus?"

"Lux already went into hiding," she answers, "On Onderon. He'll be safe there. I wanted to come forwards with the truth myself." There are a few minutes of silence before a comm from Obi-Wan comes through.