Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Across The Stars

Premonitions of The Force

Obi Wan belted into his seat as the ship burst off into hyperspace,"Nice one, fighting off Ventress." he smiled wryly, "For once, I cannot say I told you so."

"No you can't, in fact, I think you owe me one," Anakin smirked.

"Oh come on-"

Anakin groaned, leaning over the controls and squeezing his eyes closed, knuckles white from gripping the handles so hard.

"Anakin? Anakin!" Obi Wan's eyebrows converged upwards, and he put a hand on Anakin's arm, "What's wrong?"

Anakin took a deep breath, and calming himself, he sat up straight. His eyes were glistening with unshed tears, "Sorry, I felt a great disturbance in the force. I think Pad- Senator Amidala is in danger." He looked off into space, pretending to focus on piloting so that Obi Wan wouldn't notice his vexation.

"I'll try and find out where the Senator is." Obi Wan closed his eyes and delved into The Force. He sat there for a moment, contemplating.

"Can you sense her? Where is she? How badly is she hurt?" Anakin tried to hide his worry, but he nearly grabbed Obi Wan and shook him by the shoulders to get the answer to his questions.

"She is on Cato Neimoidia, with Viceroy Gunray, in Trade Federation Headquarters. That's about all I can figure out right now."

Anakin screamed with agitation inside. What if she was fatally wounded, or needed a cure that they didn't have? He was boiling inwardly, but on the outside, he had to appear completely at ease, "Reroute our coordinates to Cato Neimoidia then."

"Anakin, we need to discuss this with the Jedi Council before-"

"No! We might not have any time to save her if we do!" Anakin started to seethe with anguish, tone down the worry, he thought to himself, Obi Wan can't know.

"Anakin,-"

"No! Don't try to reason with me! Padmé is stuck on a planet with a person -creature- who has wanted to kill her for over 10 years! Don't you think he would try to end her life then and there? It's our job to protect the Senate and it's Senators, Padmé included!"

Obi Wan shook his head, sighing, and stroked his moustache, "Fine, but you are not allowed to kill any Neimoidians unless it is completely necessary."

"Of course." Anakin said, anything for Padmé, he thought. As long as she's safe.

"So, what's the plan?" Obi Wan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The plan is that we land on Cato Neimoidia, ambush the facility, kill all the droids, and get Padmé back." Anakin said, as though it were the easiest thing in the galaxy.

"Are you serious? Just waltz in and hope that they don't kill her? I should've known a plan like that would come from you." Obi Wan smiled wryly, and shook his head, "let's go find her then."

* * * *

Padmé blinked, her dry eyes stinging from the lack of moisture. She hadn't had food or water for the past two days, and she was famished. Putting aside the fact that she was starving, as well as dehydrated, she hadn't had sleep either, and her eyes barely stayed open. Her entire mouth was desert dry.

To be concise, she really wished she could be free, get the antidote, and some food and water. She wanted to believe that someone was coming, but she was beginning to lose hope. How would anyone know where she was? Most the people who would be looking for her would think she was off on her own business, not far away on Cato Neimoidia, dying slowly from starvation, dehydration, and the blue shadow virus, not to mention sleep deprivation.

The one person who would look for her, Anakin, was off on a mission, and probably would go back to Coruscant when his mission was over, and be too late to save her.

Padmé coughed as another wave of blue smog clouded the chamber, impairing her vision. Great, she thought, another flux of germs to worsen my condition. Suddenly, she heard a loud sizzle, the clang of metal against the floor, and smack of two feet on the ground. Then a familiar voice resounded clearly through her mind:

"Okay, meet you back at the ship."

Anakin? Is that you? Padmé thought groggily.

"Yes, it is." came Anakin's matter of fact reply, echoing boldly throughout the room.

Padmé jumped, not realizing that he could hear her thoughts. When the haze had cleared, she looked over, and sure enough, it was Anakin. Relief flooded over her in a wave; Anakin was here, she would get out of this cell and go back to Coruscant. Pure joy, jubilance, spread across her face in the form of a deliriously happy, and simple smile. All she wanted to do was run to Anakin and throw her arms around him. She could finally be free of the fatiguing burden of hunger and thirst.

"Anakin!" Padmé cried. Her voice cracked, and her eyes stung, but she didn't care, she was too intoxicated with the idea of freedom for that to matter.

"Padmé!" Anakin started to run up to the glass chamber. Suddenly, the walls opened, and in came an onslaught of droids.

Anakin ignited his lightsaber with a hiss, and started to attack the droids. He swung his lightsaber left and right, up and down. Slashing the droids in half, cutting their heads off, or aggressively stabbing them precisely through their metal plated chests. Blocking blaster bolts as he went, each droid sizzling with the calefaction of his saber. Anakin fought till he killed off every droid but one. He ricocheted it's plasma bolts, just missing Padmé, but shattering the glass chamber, then cut the droid cleanly in half.

Crunching sharp, jagged shards of glass, Anakin ran toward Padmé, a look of desperation on her face, mixed with a worn -but still strong- hope, shining like the last ember in a fire, fighting just to stay alive. He carefully cut the cuffs around her wrists and ankles. Padmé collapsed into his arms as soon as he broke her free, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Anakin," Padmé distanced herself from him, and put her hands on his cheeks, looking into his eyes solemnly. For a moment she just stared into the infinite depths of his eyes, her angelic face and lips brushed with a delicate pink flush, caused by her fever, "my love, you have to go, leave, before you catch the blue shadow virus too. Leave, and close the door behind you, so it doesn't spread." Padmé hated to suddenly just throw away her freedom, but she wasn't about to cause Anakin to die because she just didn't want to be alone.

"No Padmé," Anakin turned and made a gentle motion with his hand, closing the only entrance to the room, "I won't leave you here to die." He put his arm around her and pulled her close, "I'm going to tell Obi Wan what your condition is, and have him get the antidote, while I stay here with you." Anakin rested his lips on the crown of her head, breathing in her familiar scent, cherishing the untarnished, uninterrupted solitude.

Finally, he stepped back, and pressed the button on his com link, "Obi Wan, you there?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Listen, Viceroy Gunray infected Padmé with the Blue Shadow Virus, multiple times. I can't leave this room without spreading it. You have to go get the antidote off Iego, and bring it back, preferably before either of us dies."

"Okay, on it." The com link clicked off.

* * * *