Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Chapter Text
A Very Special Bedtime Story
“My mom or dad always tell me a story at bedtime,” Leia said.
Obi-Wan felt a lump in his throat. The last person he’d told a bedtime story to was Anakin. “Leia, I’m not very good at telling stories,” he said tiredly. “Couldn’t you just have L0LA pull one up for you?”
Leia shook her head stubbornly. “I want one from you,” she insisted. “You’re a Jedi, you must have some good ones.”
Obi-Wan sighed. He looked at her sadly. Then, suddenly, it occurred to him that perhaps she should at least hear one story about her parents, even if she wasn’t aware that that was what it was. And, as it happened, he had the perfect one for her.
“Well,” he began. “Once, a Senator asked myself and two Jedi friends of mine to provide security at a gathering she was hosting.”
“What were your friends’ names?” she asked.
“Well, my Jedi friends were named – Deak, and Arduna,” he temporized quickly. “And the Senator was named – Kira. Now, Kira and some other Republic leaders were meeting with the leaders of a colony world who were applying for Republic membership.”
In addition to Padmé, also present at the gathering were Governor Roshti, King Dalit of Shila, his wife Queen Shaya, his sons, Dalit II, or Dal, and Pav, his oldest son’s wife, Zara, and their daughter, also Zara, nicknamed Zaa, as well as Sisha Bal, Shili’s senator, it’s Prime Minister, Drika Shan, along with Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and, of course, the Chancellor.
“The purpose of the meeting was a petition of a colonial world to join the Republic,” Obi-Wan explained to Leia. “Among those in attendance were the leaders of the colonists’ native world, which included their royal family. One of them, the youngest member present, was a few years older than you, but it was the first time she had left her planet in some time.”
“What was her name?” Leia inquired curiously.
“I can’t tell you that, either,” Obi-Wan replied. “Why don’t you give her a name?”
“Deera,” Leia said after considering for a moment.
“That’s a good name,” Obi-Wan agreed. “So, as I said, this was Princess Deera’s first time away from home in several years.”
The meeting went smoothly for the first few days. It was all the sort of talk that Ahsoka zoned out for, that Anakin found boring, and that reminded Obi-Wan why he wasn’t brave enough for politics. Day five, however, was when everything went wrong.
Padmé had invited Governor Roshti, Prime Minister Shan, and the Shili royal family to explore some of Coruscant. All except the King and Crown Prince had accepted, and they journeyed to the Senate Gardens, with bodyguards of everyone present going along, as well as Ahsoka, whom the Princess had taken a liking to, being a fellow Togruta and, more importantly, about the same age as her.
It started out smoothly. They had been there about an hour, and it was just starting to get dark, when Padmé, Princess Zara, Princess Zaa, and Ahsoka entered an area filled with lush plants and trees from Kashyyyk. Except for Ahsoka, all of them had four bodyguards with them. They had been in there about ten minutes, when a thin figure jumped out and launched herself at Ahsoka. It was Aurra Sing. Cad Bane soon joined her. Then, they were surrounded by seven more beings of various species, four men and three women, none of whom Ahsoka recognized, and various IG assassin droids. Padmé pulled out a blaster and started firing. All of the bodyguards were also putting up a fight. Ahsoka pulled out her two lightsabers, and Sing pulled out her own. They clashed for several moments. Then, the former Jedi lifted her hand, and Force-threw Ahsoka, who just managed to catch herself. Ahsoka lunged at her. By now, several of their attackers had been taken down, but at least as many were still standing. One of them, a Rodian woman, was diving toward the Princess. Ahsoka lunged at her, but at that moment, Aurra Sing began Force-choking the young Padawan, who struggled to fight it. Padmé aimed her blaster at the Palliduvan, but she batted the bolt away. Padmé aimed again, but Sing flipped away. Her third aim, though, hit the bounty hunter in the arm, and she yelled and dropped her lightsaber, then clutched her arm. Ahsoka fell to the ground, gasping, and Padmé rushed over to her, and helped her to her feet. Ahsoka then retrieved her larger lightsaber, and ran toward the Princess’s attacker, slamming it into her back. By now, another of the bounty hunters, a Twi’lek man, was also trying to grab Zaa, but her mother seized a blaster dropped by a knocked-out guard, and aimed it squarely at the head of her daughter’s attacker, hitting him, and he fell to the ground. At that moment, though, Cad Bane broke free of the three guards he had been fighting with, reached into his coat, and pulled out an object, which he then threw into the mass of people he was fighting with. Smoke filled the air around them, along with a strange odor, and soon, all of them were unconcious on the ground.
“When everyone came to, they found that the young Princess was missing,” Obi-Wan continued.
“Wouldn’t the bounty hunters have been knocked out, too?” Leia asked. “Besides the droids, I mean. I mean, that was a knock-out gas bomb, right?”
“Yes, but their leader wore a mask, and he probably had the droids carry the others away,” Obi-Wan explained.
“Oh,” she said, blinking. “That makes sense.”
Ahsoka contacted Anakin and Obi-Wan, who contacted the Jedi. Meanwhile, Princess Zara contacted her husband and father-in-law, while her and her daughter’s bodyguards contacted the rest of the Shila Royal Guard, and Padmé contacted the Coruscanti, then the Galactic authorities. Garden security had arrived on the scene by now. Soon enough, the police showed up, too, though not before Anakin and Obi-Wan, who were anxious to see that everyone, but mostly Padmé and Ahsoka, were alright. Of course, King Dalit and Prince Dalit had insisted on accompanying them, which meant more bodyguards. The usual questions were asked, and soon, a search was in full swing. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was taken back to the building where they had been staying.
“The princess and her abductors were quickly found to have vanished,” Obi-Wan continued. “Arduna, Kira and the others told us everything they could, but security footage showed they had taken the princess onto a starship, which had then taken off. They had left the planet. A hunt was started, but they appeared to have left the system as well.”
“Couldn’t they have been cloaked?” Leia asked.
“Possibly, but cloaks for shuttles as small as the one they had left on were rare then,” Obi-Wan explained. “Still, we – that is, the Republic – had developed cloaking technology for smaller vessels recently, so we couldn’t rule it out completely, although we had none for vessels that size yet. In the meantime, though, efforts were made to trace where they might have gone, and the investigation on Coruscant also continued.”
“The first time we take her off-world in five years, and this happens,” Prince Dalit lamented. He had an arm around his wife.
“Now, Your Highness, we’ve got the Coruscanti Security Force, the system and Galactic authorities, and the Jedi, not to mention your own and Senator Amidala’s security forces looking for your daughter,” Lt. Divo said. “Now, who might have wanted to harm her?”
Prince Dalit and Princess Zara exchanged glances. “Well,” the Princess said. “To start with, the reason we started keeping her in such seclusion in the first place was because she was kidnapped on Shila, five years ago.”
“And who took her that time?” the Inspector demanded.
Prince Dalit sighed at this. “The Raxshir Gang,” he explained. “They were holding her for ransom. We paid, but they were arrested later. They’re still in prison now.”
“Well, we’ll have to double-check on that,” Divo replied. “In the meantime, though, there might be any number of individuals and groups on Coruscant who might be looking for a ransom of their own.”
Princess Zaa’s parents traded looks once more. “Would ransom kidnappers hire bounty hunters?” Princess Zara asked.
“It’s unlikely, but we can’t rule anything out,” the lieutenant replied. “Has your family received any threats lately?”
“No,” the Prince said firmly. “We never would have taken Zaa off-world if we had.”
“What about since you left the planet?”
“No, nothing,” Princess Zara answered.
“While the police questioned the Princess’s parents, A—Deak and I spoke to her grandfather, the King of his world, while Arduna accompanied us,” Obi-Wan went on. “He told us much of what her parents told the police, and would later tell us – that she had been kidnapped previously when she was ten, five years earlier, and held for ransom, that the ransom had been paid, the princess had been safely returned, and the kidnappers later arrested, and that they were still in prison to this day. Investigation would later confirm this,” he concluded. “Otherwise, he was uncertain who would want to kidnap his granddaughter. He had his share of enemies, he acknowledged, but the monarchy on his planet had very little in the way of actual power, and what they had, was entirely ceremonial. Even their presence here was symbolic. As far as he knew, there was little opposition to their continued existence. The stipends they received were enough for them to live in relative wealth, but there were plenty on their world who lived far more extravagantly. The family had also received no threats recently, and would never have taken the Princess away from home, let alone off-world, if they had.”
“In any case, why kidnap her here?” he asked. “Who from Shili who resented our lifestyle could afford to travel that far? Surely they’d just try to kidnap her there?”
“Desperate people may do desperate things, Your Highness,” Obi-Wan replied gravely. “And from what you’ve told us, she was quite hard to reach on Shili.”
“We didn’t keep her closed up indoors, you know,” her grandfather snapped slightly. “She was able to wander the grounds of her family’s residence quite freely, often with guards at a distance, even. We simply limited her public appearances.”
“Nonetheless, she was easier to take here,” Anakin pointed out.
“And who would wait that long?” he demanded.
“It may be unlikely, sire,” Obi-Wan acknowledged. “But we cannot afford to rule out any possibility.”
The King sighed and ran his hand over his head. “I understand that,” he said tiredly. “But surely you should consider the likeliest possibilities first.”
“We should, Your Majesty,” Anakin agreed. “But unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t know what those are.”
The King sighed once more. “Tell us, milord,” Obi-Wan said kindly, politely. “Who do you think most likely did this?”
The King studied his hands. “Another ransom kidnapping seems like the likeliest motive to me,” he said. “Either that, or Separatists who don’t want Kiros to join the Republic. But then, surely they would go after Governor Roshti’s family, not mine?”
Obi-Wan and Anakin traded looks. “We can’t rule anything out, milord,” Anakin echoed Obi-Wan’s earlier words.
“Has anyone else ever threatened your granddaughter in the past?” Obi-Wan questioned.
The King sighed a third time. “Yes, a few times,” he acknowledged. “Most of them it was the family as a whole, not her specifically. In fact, usually she is not even mentioned individually. Sometimes, someone will threaten one branch of the family – myself and my wife, my older son and his wife, and sometimes Zaa with them, my younger son, or both my sons, or all of the family except me. The most recent threat that I was made aware of was towards my daughter-in-law and granddaughter, actually.”
Obi-Wan blinked. “And what was the nature of this threat?”
“Well, it was actually my son who received it, not myself,” he replied. “You’d have to speak to Dal and Zara about it, honestly. I’m sorry, but I really feel it’s their place to tell you, not mine. But I have no doubt they will tell you,” he added quickly. “There is nothing they wouldn’t do for Zaa.”
The two Jedi traded looks. “Alright, thank you, Your Majesty,” Obi-Wan replied. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”
Obi-Wan decided to cut short his narration of their interview with the King at that point. He had certainly had more to tell them, but none of it had relevance to the story he was telling Leia. “Meanwhile, others were interviewing other members of the Princess’s family,” he went on. “For our part, Deak, Arduna and myself soon moved on to interviewing the Princess’s parents.”
“Milord, milady,” Obi-Wan greeted the two royals with a respectful bow. He turned to Princess Zara then. “Your Majesty, your father-in-law mentioned that you and your daughter had been threatened recently. I do not wish to pry, but this could be relevant.”
She frowned slightly. “Well, it was months ago, but – we did receive a letter, addressed to me, personally.”
“Could you tell us the nature of this letter?” Anakin asked politely.
She frowned a bit harder, not as though she were offended or bothered by the question, but rather as though she were troubled at the memory. Her husband squeezed her hand. “When I was younger,” he began, “I had an – admirer. This was before I truly got to know my wife, well before we were engaged. Her name was Gamila Bel. I never wanted anything to do with her, and I was seeing another woman at the time, but she wouldn’t leave me alone, no matter how many times I told her no. Well, finally she attacked us both. We were both fairly badly hurt. She was arrested, but she was released a few months ago. She sent me a letter, saying she was coming to – ‘’claim me back’, she said, and ‘deal with my wife and daughter.’ Those were her exact words. She was re-arrested, and my wife and I testified against her. The last we knew, she was still in prison, and they’re supposed to notify us both when she’s released.”
Obi-Wan nodded gravely. “Do you have any other ideas about who might have taken your daughter?”
The couple traded looks. “Well,” Princess Zara said. “She did have an unwanted suitor of her own. Prince Melgas, of the planet Velge. Their family visited ours last year. He said they should get married. Zaa refused, so did we, so did her grandfather. His grandfather quickly told him to stop, and not to bring it up again, and apologized to us. They left soon after.”
“Have you told the police about this?” Anakin asked.
“Yes,” her father replied. “We’ll tell all the authorities.”
“Very good,” Obi-Wan said.
They interviewed the Princess’s grandmother next, then her various servants and guards and everyone else who had been present when she was taken So did all the others investigating the case. They didn’t learn much new, however, and so they set about pursuing the leads they had been given. They quickly learned that the Crown Prince’s unwanted admirer was still in prison – another Jedi would later travel to Shili to verify this – and the prince who had proposed marriage to her was on his home planet, something another Jedi later visited that planet and confirmed, although in his case the possibility of his having hired someone to take her could not be ruled out.
Obi-Wan decided at this point that it was best not to go into too much detail, in order to not give too much away. “We spoke to all of the Princess’s family, and all the available witnesses,” he went on. “The case quickly took a turn, however, when we received a message from one of her abductors.”
Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka were speaking to one of the Princess’s guards when C-3PO entered the room. “Excuse me, Master Kenobi, Master Anakin, Mistress Ahsoka,” he said. “But, a message has just come through from Cad Bane.”
All three Jedi exchanged glances. “Cad Bane?” Anakin repeated in astonishment.
“Yes, sir,” the protocol droid replied. “I really think you’ll want to hear it, sir. If I may say so, sir, I believe the Princess’s guard should hear it, as well.”
Puzzled, they left the room with him. They found the entire royal family of Shili, their staff, Padmé, the chancellor, and all the others investigating the case gathered around a courier droid. “The message came in just a couple of minutes ago,” Lt. Divo explained. “It was addressed to the royal family specifically.”
“Let’s hear it,” Obi-Wan said, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
“Droid, play the message,” Divo ordered.
A hologram of Cad Bane promptly appeared. “This is a message for the Royal Family of Shili,” the Duros bounty hunter said. “Princess Zaa is in the hands of the Aberi, which I am sure the royal family is familiar with. The only way to save her will be to negotiate with them. Good luck,” Bane concluded flatly. With that, the hologram vanished, and the people in the room were left baffled.
“The Aberi?” Obi-Wan echoed.
“They’re a sort Togruta isolationist group, known for kidnapping children,” Prince Dal explained. “But – how would they even get here? And why would they take Zaa?”
“You say they’re an isolationist group,” Obi-Wan observed. “Perhaps they don’t want Kiros joining the Republic. I’m more puzzled by the message. If Cad Bane was hired by the Aberi, why would he advise us to negotiate with them? Unless, of course, he was luring us into a trap.”
“You’re not going to let them have our daughter?” Princess Zara pleaded.
“Not at all, Your Highness,” Obi-Wan assured her. “But I must contact the Council for further instructions.”
“The Council decided to send Deak, Arduna, and myself to investigate the group the chief bounty hunter claimed had the Princess,” Obi-Wan continued.
“They operate mainly on a planet in the Outer Rim, called Aber,” Obi-Wan informed those gathered in the room, which included the entirety of the Shili royal family, all the authorities investigating the Princess’s disappearance, and Padmé. “It looks as though we’ll be escorting the Royal family there.”
Padmé caught up with them on their way out of the room. “I’m going with you,” she declared.
Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged glances. “You’ll need a diplomat,” she added.
Anakin let out an exasperated sigh. “Senator—”
“I’m not asking your permission,” she said firmly. “I’m going with you.”
Obi-Wan and Anakin traded looks again. “I’m sorry, Senator,” Obi-Wan said firmly. “But the Council would not approve.” Anakin gave him a grateful look.
The next morning, Anakin and Ahsoka were preparing to depart when they received a call from the Council. Obi-Wan was also present on the call. A tired-looking Mace Windu was quick to explain things. “There’s been a change of plan,” he said. “Senator Amidala of Naboo will be accompanying the three of you on this mission, along with four of her security detail.” With that, he ended the call.
Obi-Wan gave Anakin a look that said I tried. “We’d best get ready,” he said with resignation. Anakin nodded in agreement, then turned to Ahsoka with a sigh. “You heard Obi-Wan,” he said. “Let’s get ready.”
Two hours later, they were all meeting just outside a shuttle provided to them by the Council. As well as Padmé, Princess Zaa’s parents were aboard, so there were quite a few security guards, as well as the three Jedi, C-3PO, and R2-D2, as another astromech droid belonging to Padmé named R4-B7, and an LEP service droid named LEP-701.
“I’ve been doing some research on the Aberi,” Padmé said once everyone was settled in and the ship had taken off. The royal couple had retired to their quarters, so it was just her, the Jedi, and the droids on the bridge. “They usually kidnap poor and middle-class children, not royalty. And they generally take children younger than teenagers. This whole thing seems… off to me.”
“I’m wondering why they haven’t done anything until now,” Anakin said. “These people are just snatching kids up, and they get away with it until they take a princess?”
“The trouble is, most of the children are off-world when they’re taken,” Padmé said. “Or, when they are taken on Shili, they’re quickly brought to areas outside of the jurisdiction of local authorities. Shili doesn’t have a very centralized police system. Most communities there don’t have a police force at all. Usually, if a child goes missing in a community, the community will go and try to find them on their own, but things are different in Corvala.”
“Have any children ever been taken from Corvala?” Anakin asked. “By the Aberi, I mean.”
“Possibly,” Padmé replied. “A few are thought to have been kidnapped by them from there a few years ago. They were never found, though, so it’s hard to be certain it was even them.”
“I don’t get it,” Ahsoka said. “What do they *want* with these kids?”
“To raise them in their way of life,” Padmé explained. “They’re an isolationist group, Ahsoka. They want to go back to the ‘old ways’, as they call them, of the Togruta having limited contact with the outside world.”
“But that isn’t the Togruta way,” Ahsoka argued. “We’re a very communal people. We don’t cut ourselves off from others.”
“There are always groups who have twisted ideas about what they should stand for, Padawan,” Anakin said. “How do you think the Sith got started? I know you heard the stories as often as I did, probably more. People’s ideals get twisted around in their minds, especially when they get desperate.”
“I guess,” Ahsoka replied, still not really understanding. Anakin gave a faint, sad smile at her still-confused tone – he wasn’t really sure he did, either.
Still, he thought his Padawan was too good for him. And for this universe.
“How long until we reach Aber, R2?” he asked, changing the subject.
R2 let out his usual series of beeps and whistles. “R2 says about a standard day and a half, if we maintain current speed, sir,” 3PO translated for him.
“Right,” Anakin said. “Okay, then. Can you handle it from here?” he asked the two astromech droids. A string of beeps from each followed. “They say yes, sir,” 3PO translated. “They can still get us to Aber within the allotted timeframe if you were to retire for the remainder of the journey.”
Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, R2,” he said. “Thanks, R4, 3PO.” All three droids made their sounds of welcome, while Anakin rose from the pilot’s chair. “Alright, Snips, training time,” he instructed. “We’ll be focusing on dodging this time, not defense, so put those lightsabers away for now,” he added. The disappointed girl slid them back into their holsters sorrowfully. “Care to join us, Master?” Anakin asked.
“Gladly,” Obi-Wan replied, and followed the other two out. Padmé remained on the bridge, supervising the droids.
The practice session went on for two hours, first focusing on Ahsoka’s ability to avoid her masters’ blows, before switching to defense. Finally, Anakin declared an end for dinner. After that, it was a climbing test – “We’ll be travelling on a forested planet tomorrow, Snips,” –followed by two hours for Ahsoka to spend on homework and free time before bed. With that, Obi-Wan and Anakin moved on to sparring with one another.
“I know that look,” Obi-Wan observed about an hour into their session, lowering his lightsaber. “What’s on your mind, Anakin?”
Anakin shook his head, and lowered his own blade. “Just – thinking about what the Senator said, that the Aberi don’t usually go after high-ranking children, or teenagers.”
“And?” Obi-Wan prompted. “What do you make of that, Padawan?”
Anakin shook his head. “I suppose winning over the second-in-line for the throne of Shili would be a victory for them, but why take a fifteen-year-old? They aren’t exactly easy to influence.”
“True.” Obi-Wan nodded in thoughtful agreement. “I have some theories of my own about that, but I want to hear yours right now.”
“It could be a set-up,” Anakin said thoughtfully. “Someone framing them, but to what end? To get them shut down? It seems odd for Cad Bane and his crew to be so interested in enforcing the law all of a sudden.”
“They’ll go where the money is, Anakin,” Obi-Wan pointed out. “You know that.”
“I know, I know.” Anakin sighed. “Just – who would be so loyal to the Republic or to Shili to want a small, splinter isolationist group taken down, but would hire bounty hunters to kidnap the princess of Shili?”
“Someone truly desperate,” Obi-Wan replied. “But that isn’t the only possibility, Anakin. What else could the kidnappers hope to achieve?”
Anakin smiled faintly at that. “You know, I was having this same conversation with Ahsoka a couple of hours ago. Only, I was on the other end of it then.”
The corners of Obi-Wan’s mouth turned up slightly. “And? What did she think?”
“She suggested that the Aberi may have kidnapped the Princess to ransom her in exchange for their official independence.”
“Oh? And, what do you make of that theory?”
Anakin paused thoughtfully. “It’s certainly possible. But, they’re already operating independently in a practical sense. With the war on, the Republic hasn’t had time to go after small splinter groups like the Aberi. And the rest of the Togruta don’t bother fighting against them all that much, except when they’re on Shili.”
“And yet, they keep taking children from Shili,” Obi-Wan pointed out. “They must know they won’t get away with that forever.”
“True.” Anakin nodded. Then, he was silent for a moment. “I’ve got a funny feeling about this, Master. I think there’s a lot more to this than we realize.”
“So do I.” Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. “But only time, and careful investigation, will reveal to us what that is, Anakin. In the meantime,” and here he raised his lightsaber again, “we must keep our skills sharp.”
Anakin did the same thing. “You know, I’m really not sure this will be much help to us in this instance,” he stated.
“Oh? And why not?”
“Because if we have to fight the Aberi, they’re unlikely to have lightsabers,” he pointed out.
“Fair enough, Padawan. I’ll summon a couple of training droids, and we’ll each run through some forms.”
They spent another two hours on just that. Finally, Obi-Wan declared that he thought that was enough for the night.
“And I think that’s enough for tonight,” Obi-Wan concluded.
Leia slumped. “But the story’s not finished yet,” she protested.
“We’ll continue tomorrow,” he said firmly. “I’ve already kept you up far later than I should have. Now I suggest you have L0LA play something relaxing, so that you can go to sleep.”
The little girl sulked at this. “Fine,” she said grumpily. Obi-Wan left the room. Just outside, he heard the sound of a lullaby playing.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Notes:
I've done a bit of editing to this chapter, so, if you notice details different than what you remember, that's probably why.
Vashee was the surname given to Princess Zaa in the comic she was mentioned in. Yar was the surname of at least one other historical Shili royal, according to Wookiepedia.
Chapter Text
“Now, where were we?” Obi-Wan asked the next evening.
“You and your friends were on your way to the isolationist colony,” Leia reminded him.
“Oh, yes,” Obi-Wan replied. “Well, most of us were not of the same species as this particular group of isolationists, and we knew enough about them to know this meant that if we arrived near any of their settlements, we would likely be taken prisoner. We devised plans to deal with that scenario, should it become necessary. However, we thought it wise to try a diplomatic approach first.”
“R2 says he detects a vessel approaching,” 3PO said.
“Very good,” Obi-Wan said. “Try and contact them.”
“That shouldn’t be difficult, sir,” the protocol droid replied. “They are hailing us.”
“Well, then, patch them through,” Anakin replied.
Seconds later, a hologram of a green-skinned Togruta man appeared. “Republic vessel,” he said shortly. “You are trespassing in our space. Depart immediately, or prepare to be boarded.”
“We are here on an urgent mission,” Obi-Wan replied evenly. “Princess Zaa of Shili has been abducted, and we have reason to believe some of your people may be… involved in her disappearance.”’
“Are you accusing us of kidnapping?” he demanded.
“Not at all,” Obi-Wan answered, polite as ever. “However, I’m certain you understand they we must investigate every possibility.”
“We have no knowledge of any abduction,” the man insisted coldly.
“Then you won’t mind if we land and conduct a search for her,” the Jedi Master returned.
“We do not welcome Republic intruders on our world,” the Togruta said.
“Well, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Anakin said, tapping his lightsaber idly.
The man let out a slight growl. “You may land and conduct your search,” he said. “We have nothing to hide.” His hologram vanished. Moments later, they were cleared for landing.
Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padmé, Ahsoka, Princess Zara, and Prince Dal all went down to the surface together, accompanied by a bodyguard each for Padmé and the two royals. They were greeted by the man they had spoken to earlier, alongside another Togruta man. “Republic emissaries,” The first Togruta said, briskly. “I am Governor Paras, of Aber. This is my bodyguard, Tobilo Drak.”
All nine visitors bowed respectfully. “Governor Paras,” Obi-Wan said. “I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is my fellow Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker, and his apprentice, Ahsoka Tano.”
“I am Senator Padmé Amidala, of Naboo,” Padmé added. “This is my bodyguard, Captain Alké Adira.”
“And I am Crown Prince Dalit Yar, of Shili,” Prince Dal said. “This is my wife, Crown Princess Zara Vashee, and these are our bodyguards, Captain Angress Gar and Captain Neira Bel.”
The governor and his bodyguard bowed stiffly. “I am sure you would like to begin your search at once,” Governor Paras said. “Please, allow us to escort you.” He turned, followed by his bodyguard, and led them to a transport vehicle, with a general service droid in the driver’s seat. “My droid, SM-701,” he said. “Please, SM, take us home.”
They soon arrived outside a five-story house, which stood out compared to the one- or two-story houses they had passed on the way there. “Welcome to my home, ladies, gentlemen,” Governor Paras said. “Please, allow me to—”
Before he could continue, there was a clattering noise from inside, and a Togruta girl of about seventeen, with purple skin, burst from the house, followed by a LEPI droid. “Mistress Darsha—” the droid began, but the girl cut her off before she could finish. “Are you Jedi?!” she demanded of the visitors.
“Who are you?” Obi-Wan asked her, puzzled, but the Governor seized her before she could answer. “My granddaughter,” he answered, shortly.
The girl struggled against him. “My name is Darsha Ky,” she said. “Please, help us—”
The governor slammed his hand over her mouth. “Forgive me,” he said to the flummoxed guests. “I’m afraid Darsha is not quite well mentally. She believes—”
Without warning, Darsha flung out her hands, and the governor, Tobilo Drak, and the LEP droid flew backwards. “I’m Jedi!” she explained to the people present. “My grandfather took me from—”
The governor was quickly back on his feet, pressing a button in his pocket. “This is Governor Paras!” he barked. “I need security in front of my home—”
Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka had their lightsabers drawn in seconds. Padmé, Captain Adira, the Prince and Princess, Captain Gar, and Captain Bel had their blasters out almost as quickly. They lunged at the governor and his guard. The LEP droid seized Darsha and pulled her out of the way. Drak lunged at Ahsoka, seizing her from behind and knocking one of her lightsabers to the ground. Darsha reached out her hand, and the fallen blade soared into her opened palm. Then she dove at her grandfather and pressed it to his throat, just as a team of security droids arrived on the scene. “You’ll let me and these visitors go, or I’ll slit the Governor’s throat!” she screamed at the droids.
The droids stopped in their tracks. Darsha turned to glare at Drak. “Let her go,” she threatened, jerking her head in Ahsoka’s direction.
“Don’t you dare, Drak,” Paras warned. “I won’t lose—” Darsha pressed the lightsaber harder against his throat, causing him to choke slightly, and Drak reluctantly let Ahsoka go. Darsha raised her free hand and knocked her grandfather against the wall of his house, depriving him of consciousness. She then Force-lifted Drak, doing the same to him. The security droids started towards her, but she reached into her pocket and appeared to press something, which seemingly deactivated all the droids present. Then she ran toward the LEP droid and picked her up. After this, she ran toward the visitors. “Follow me,” she said. She leapt into her grandfather’s vehicle, knocked the driver droid from his seat, climbed into it, sat the LEP droid down in the seat beside her, and turned to the visitors. “Get in,” she said. They stared at her, baffled. “We have to get away,” she pressed. “There’ll be more security droids after us soon.”
After another moment’s hesitation, they began climbing into the vehicle, one at a time. They barely had time to buckle in before Darsha, having already secured herself and the droid, started the engine. Anakin took care to make sure that Ahsoka and Padmé were on each side of him, with Obi-Wan on the other side of Ahsoka and Alké on that of Padmé.
“I was taken in by the Jedi when I was three,” the girl explained. “I was chosen as a Padawan by Master Gita Pel when I was fifteen. About a year after that, I went with her on a mission to Shili – my home planet. My grandfather contacted us while we were there – he wanted me back. My parents had died two years ago, apparently. I was their only child, and my father was his. But my master refused to return me, and I refused to go. The Jedi were my family now. I could remember my parents a little bit, but not him. I didn’t know he had become the leader of the Aberi. They attacked us the next day, and Gita was killed, and they took me, and brought me here.”
“You said ‘help us,’ earlier,” Padmé observed. “Have they taken other Jedi?”
“Not Jedi , no,” Darsha replied. “But there’s other Togruta children here they’ve taken from their families – Mela Rima, Mabon Tor, Palo Boj, and Ena Anva. Those are just the ones I know about.”
“What do you know about them?” Padmé asked.
“Palo was from my grandfather’s village,” Darsha replied. “Mela and Mabon were taken from other small communities. Ena was from Corvala.”
“What about a girl named Zaa Vashee?” Princess Zara demanded. “She would have been taken quite recently, from Coruscant.”
Darsha tilted her head at the Princess, baffled. “The Aberi have never taken anyone from Coruscant, to my knowledge. And my grandfather’s group hasn’t taken anyone at all since they took me and brought me here.”
Before anyone could say anything else, a beeping sound came from the transport’s computer. Darsha swore. “They’re after us,” she muttered. As if on cue, the sound of engines came from behind them. “I’m switching to autopilot,” Darsha muttered, pressing some buttons, then unbuckling and seizing Ahsoka’s lightsaber. Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka also unstrapped themselves and retrieved their weapons. All four leapt to their feet and began batting away blaster fire. After a moment, Darsha tossed Ahsoka her other ‘saber and leapt back into the pilot’s seat, then began firing back at their attackers. Everyone else also unbuckled and pulled out their blasters, turning to fire at their enemies themselves.
They soon found themselves surrounded by five vessels, however. Everyone scrambled out of the vehicle. Darsha managed to hit one of the other transports and send it crashing to the ground, and Padmé took down another, but the other three surrounded them, and fired, hitting them and causing them to crash. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by security droids, who seized Darsha. The others moved to attack them, but she held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’ll go with you,” she said, “If you’ll let the others go.”
The droids appeared to consider. “The Governor said to bring his granddaughter back alive,” one of them pointed out.
One by one, they lowered their weapons. Darsha reached over into the vehicle they had been riding moments earlier and picked up the LEP droid. Then, she leaned in and whispered to the others. “Save the other children,” she whispered. Then she turned to follow the droids away. Anakin held up his lightsaber, but Obi-Wan stopped him with a warning hand on his shoulder. “We need to get the Prince and Princess to safety,” he whispered. “But this isn’t over. We can still rescue Darsha and the children.” Reluctantly, Anakin lowered his weapon. Then, they all watched as the droids led Darsha away.
“And I think that’s enough for tonight,” Obi-Wan concluded.
Leia slumped glumly. “Oh, alright,” she said reluctantly.
Obi-Wan gave her a faint smile. “Goodnight, Princess,” he told her.
“Goodnight,” she replied. Obi-Wan left the room, closing the door behind him, and a moment later, heard the same soft music drifting out from the night before.
Chapter Text
“Now, where did we leave off last night?” Obi-Wan asked.
Leia gave him a quick run-down. “Ah, yes,” he said. “Well, it appeared we were left stranded for the moment, but fortunately for us, we were able to contact the droids on our ship, and one of them arrived in a shuttle to retrieve us, and take us back to our vessel. We were forced to flee to the next sector, to avoid discovery by the isolationists. We then contacted the Council to apprise them of our situation, and receive further instructions.”
“Deep, this case has become,” Yoda said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Only he and Mace Windu were actually present, the rest of the Council being away on various war-related assignments. “Contact the rest of the Council, and discuss the matter, we will. In the meantime, continue with your mission, you must. See what you can learn of both the Aberi, and what you can of who else might want to abduct Princess Zaa. However, the first of these, your greatest focus must be. Others we have, looking into her disappearance here on Coruscant, and two Jedi, we have dispatched to Shili.”
“Thank you, Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan replied, with a respectful bow. “We will continue to investigate, and await your further instructions.” With that, the call ended.
Some research into the Jedi archives verified that Padawan Darsha Ky and her Master Gita Pel had vanished on a mission on Shili two years earlier. Pictures of Darsha proved to greatly resemble the young woman they had met, as did voice analysis. Meanwhile, Padmé was looking into more about the Aberi and the children Darsha had mentioned were being held by them.
She approached Obi-Wan and Anakin while they were in the midst of another sparring match. “Master Kenobi, Master Skywalker,” she said, carefully. They lowered their blades, and looked at her, curiously. “I’ve been doing some research about the Aberi, and the kidnapped children Darsha mentioned, as well as other children suspected to have been taken by them. I found that one was named Luma Piri. Her father was a police officer in Corvala. He had recently arrested a group of Aberi, and was certain they had taken his daughter in retaliation. He became obsessed with finding her, and ended up losing his job. His wife also left him. Luma was their only child.” She took out a handheld computer device and pressed a button, displaying a picture of a blue-skinned Togruta man. The two Jedi looked at each other, recognition in their eyes.
“I think we’d better have a talk with Captain Gar,” Obi-Wan said.
* * *
Obi-Wan and Anakin opted to confront the Crown Prince’s bodyguard in the privacy of his own quarters. “Captain Gar,” Obi-Wan greeted. “Or, should I say, Garnak Lett?”
The man stared at them both for a moment. “I beg your pardon?” he said at last.
Anakin pulled out a device of his own and pulled up the hologram Padmé had shown them. “We’ve learned some interesting information,” he said. “It seems a young girl was kidnapped around five years ago, around the time of Princess Zaa’s first kidnapping. Her name was Luma Piri. Her case was overshadowed, however, by the abduction of the Princess. Her father was a policeman himself, and had recently arrested a group of the Aberi. He was certain they had taken his daughter in retaliation. However, he was unable to ever track them down.” Anakin pushed the device further toward the man in front of him. “This is a picture of Luma’s father. It looks awfully familiar, don’t you think?”
The man stared at the two Jedi for a very long moment. Finally, he stood to his full height and glared at them both. “Five years,” he said. “Five years, I searched for my daughter. I knew who had taken her. But it was the first time the Aberi had kidnapped a child, and no one believed me. Even when I received a message from them, saying they had her. By the time I had tracked their whereabouts, they had moved elsewhere. They were always moving on and off the planet. They were very difficult to track. They were clever. They knew how to come in quietly, and take children in ways no one would notice. They would use other children to lure them away. The media was so focused on the kidnapping of the Princess, no one paid attention to my Luma. I tried everything I could think of to get people to help me find her. Finally, I realized there was only one thing to do. She had been gone two years. I resigned from the police force, and began work as a bodyguard. It took me until this year to work my way up to the royal family. I was able to contact some bounty hunters, quietly, on my way to Coruscant. I had heard of Cad Bane and his crew. I needed to get my daughter back.”
Obi-Wan and Anakin traded looks once more. “Where is the Princess?” Anakin demanded.
“There’s no need to worry about her, Jedi,” Gar/Lett said. “She’ll be returned safely to her parents. After I get my Luma back.”
“We’ll get Luma and the other children out,” Obi-Wan said. “But we must insist the Princess be returned as well.”
“She is safe,” Lett replied, simply. “Which is more than I can say for my daughter. No thanks to Princess Zaa and her family.”
“You think she asked to be kidnapped?” Anakin demanded. “You think her parents wanted that?”
“I did not do this to hurt the Princess, or her parents,” he returned. “I did it to save my daughter. Don’t you see? This was the only way to bring attention to her case.”
“Do you think Cad Bane and his bounty hunters are going to let her live?” Anakin demanded. “Tell us where the Princess is, Lett. I promise you, we’re going to get your daughter back. We’re Jedi. We’re not about to leave behind anyone in need of help, let alone children, when we’re right here and can do something to help them. Having the Princess back isn’t going to change that.”
“Except, you intend to rescue the Princess first,” Lett argued.
“No,” Obi-Wan countered. “We intend to wait here for instructions from the Jedi Council, and hopefully reinforcements, then go in and rescue the other children, while we notify the Council of the Princess’s location, and they send other Jedi to save her.”
Lett turned his chin up stubbornly. “I have waited five years for my daughter to be safely returned to me, Kenobi. The Prince and Princess can wait however long it takes you to sort through your precious Jedi protocol before you bother to try to save my child.”
Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at each other once more. “Mr. Lett,” Obi-Wan said. “Your daughter has been held by the Aberi for five years, and survived. I highly doubt they will do anything to harm her now. Remember, their entire purpose in abducting children in the first place is to raise them in their ways, so that their movement will grow. The Princess, however, may suffer great harm at the hands of Cad Bane and his bounty hunters, if she has not already.”
Lett glared at them. “I have spent five years wondering what has happened to my daughter, Kenobi. All because their precious Princess vanished at the same time. Her story was all over the news, all across the planet, but my little girl? She was forgotten.” His face grew harder still. “Now I think it is time the royal family got a taste of what I experienced, don’t you?”
“And what makes you so sure your daughter would have been found had it not been for the Princess’s abduction, Mr. Lett?” Obi-Wan asked. “Plenty of missing children are never found.”
“I am a police officer,” Lett retorted. “Or I was. I could have gotten my daughter’s abduction the attention it deserved—”
“So, you would have been willing to let other abductions be overlooked?” Anakin demanded. “How would you be any different than the royal family, then?”
Lett was silent at that.
“Tell us where the Princess is, Mr. Lett,” Anakin said. “Whatever you may think of her family, she doesn’t deserve to be punished for it.”
More silence.
“Very well, Mr. Lett,” Obi-Wan said firmly. “We are placing you under arrest, effective immediately.” He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a pair of binders.
Lett, however, ran for the exit. He was out of his quarters almost before either Jedi could react, but they were quickly chasing after him. Anakin soon caught up with him, and tackled him. Obi-Wan joined them a moment later, and placed the binders on a still-struggling Lett’s wrists.
By now, everyone in the rooms surrounding Lett’s had heard the commotion, and come out into the hall.
“Master Kenobi, what is this?!” Princess Zara demanded.
“You can’t just arrest our staff!” Prince Dal explained, clearly furious.
Anakin jerked Lett upright to face his soon-to-be former employers. “Apologies, Your Highnesses,” he said evenly. “But you’ll find we have an excellent explanation. Perhaps Captain Gar here will explain it to you himself. He was certainly happy enough to explain it to us.”
Chapter 4
Notes:
Master Sendak and Ashla Chutoo (unknown spelling) were originally meant to be the characters The Clone Wars focused on, according to Tvtropes.com.
Chapter Text
* * *
“I’ve hacked into the Aberi records,” Anakin announced to Padmé, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. They were all gathered in the shuttle’s ready room. Obi-Wan opened his mouth to ask how Anakin had managed this, then closed it again. “There are records of children there with the same or similar first names to the ones Darsha mentioned, but different last names. They’ve all been ‘assigned’ to different families. There’s also records of other children who had the same thing happen to them. But I can’t find any child named Luma, or anything indicating a child matching Luma Piri’s description has ever been on that planet.”
The others all exchanged glances. Obi-Wan swore quietly. “So, all this may have been for nothing, then,” he muttered.
“We’re going to be saving dozens of other children,” Anakin argued. “I’d hardly call that ‘nothing.’”
“I was thinking of the Princess’s and her family’s ordeal,” Obi-Wan replied. “But, yes, of course, you’re right, Anakin.”
Normally, Anakin would have made some snarky comment about marking it on his calendar that Obi-Wan actually said he was right. Today, however, everyone was in too solemn a mood for that.
The room’s comm chimed at that moment. “Sir, we’re about to land,” 3PO’s voice said. “Master Sendak is already at the designated location.
“Alright, thank you, 3PO,” Anakin replied. “We’ll be down in a moment.”
All four were soon escorting Prince Dalit and Princess Zara off the ship. Master Sendak, a Twi’lek, and his Padawan Ashla Chutoo, a Togruta, escorted them, along with Padmé, onto their own ship. About half an hour later, Bant Eerin and her Padawan Bas Thorpe arrived to escort Lett to prison. It was then time for Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka to set about their mission of rescuing the kidnapped children on Aber.
“Are we really going to do this with just the three of us?” Ahsoka asked Anakin and Obi-Wan doubtfully.
“The Jedi are already stretched thin, with the war on, and thinner still with this case, not to mention the various other business they inevitably have to deal with,” Obi-Wan reminded her.
“Ah, come on, Snips,” Anakin added. “We’ve pulled off way harder than this.”
Ahsoka sighed but nodded, then took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “So, what’s the plan?” she asked.
“We landed in a forested area, distant from any settlement on the planet, but near enough the town we had visited before that we could travel most of the way by speeder-bike,” Obi-Wan told Leia. “As it happened, Deak had done more than just hack into the town’s computer systems. He had also managed to make contact with an ally.”
“The governor’s granddaughter?” Leia asked.
“The governor’s granddaughter,” Obi-Wan confirmed. “She, in turn, managed to send us coordinates for a good place to land. What was more, she sent us help.”
They found an LEP droid waiting for them when they arrived, which they quickly recognized as the one belonging to Darsha.
“Master Jedi,” she greeted. “I do not believe we were properly introduced before. I am LEP-74, Mistress Darsha’s personal droid. She sent me to assist you.”
All three Jedi looked at each other. “How do we know we can trust you?” Anakin demanded. “You helped the governor before.”
“Mistress Darsha has reprogrammed me,” she replied evenly. “Besides, if I proved to be a threat, the three of you could easily take me down, don’t you think?”
The other three traded looks again. “I have the coordinates of Mistress Darsha and the imprisoned children,” LEP-74 went on. “I can take you to them.”
Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka traded glances a third time. Then they huddled in together.
“I don’t like this,” Anakin whispered. “It could be a trap.”
“It very well could, but what choice do we have?” Obi-Wan whispered back. He gave Anakin and Ahsoka a look reminding them that they already had plans for that exact scenario.
Anakin sighed, but nodded reluctantly. He and the other two then broke apart. “Alright, we’ll go with you,” Obi-Wan told the droid. “You’ll ride with me.” Obi-Wan and LEP-74 climbed onto Obi-Wan’s bike, while Anakin and Ahsoka got onto Anakin’s. They then set off for their destination.
“When we got within walking distance of the town, we abandoned our bikes and set off on foot,” Obi-Wan related to Leia. “From there, the droid sent coordinates for each child’s location to each of our comm devices, then set off for home. She couldn’t risk being gone too long, she said, for fear of raising suspicion from the governor and his guards.”
The three Jedi agreed to set off for different locations. Anakin was reluctant to let Ahsoka out of his sight, but she and Obi-Wan reminded him that they needed to get this done as quickly as possible. LEP-74 assured them that Darsha already had a plan to escape, and help rescue some of the other children. And so, all three Jedi split up, each heading for a separate location.
Ahsoka went to look for Ena Anva, while Anakin went to search for Mabon Tor, and Obi-Wan for Palo Boj. She and Darsha would look for Mela Rima, LEP-74 promised. From there, they would set about planning how to find the other children.
Each Jedi went off in their own direction. Obi-Wan set off for the coordinates of the home he’d been told Palo Boj was being held. He soon found it. He also found the alarm system he had been expecting, and quietly disabled it, then three more. Finding no others, and sensing nothing else in the Force, he carefully made his way over the wall. Reaching out through the Force again, he was dismayed to find at least three children present. Carefully, he made his way around the house. Using his scanner, he found that one room had two adults inside, and another had a single child. The next had two. He groaned.
Obi-Wan didn’t want to look in the window. He felt like a creep already, stealing around children’s bedrooms in the middle of the night to carry them off. But he had no choice. He used the Force to part the curtains slightly. Two boys lay, apparently asleep, in two different beds. Obi-Wan pulled up a holo-image of Palo Boj. Yes, one of those boys was him. Now, to figure out how to get him away from the house…
Palo stirred slightly. Obi-Wan froze. Then, he watched as the boy’s eyes fluttered opened. His head turned, and he spotted Obi-Wan. Before the Jedi Master could react, he was on his feet and at the window. He slid it opened. “Are you here to take me home?!” he whispered.
“Yes,” Obi-Wan whispered back. LEP-74 had mentioned that Darsha had told the stolen children she knew that Jedi might be coming to save them, even showing them pictures she’d managed to capture. The boy scrambled out of the window, closing it behind him. Obi-Wan picked him up carefully. Then he set off across the yard.
They had just made it to the wall when they were surrounded by security droids. Obi-Wan swore and quickly lifted Palo over the wall and hurried after him. Then he picked the boy up once more and started running. He kept the child carefully in front of him, shielding him from blaster bolts, and Force-running as fast as he could Soon, however, he felt one hit him, and fell to the ground, unconcious.
Meanwhile, Anakin was searching for Mabon Tor. He had arrived at the house where they’d been told the boy was being kept, and, scanning the place, was relieved to find that it held only a single child. He quickly found the room he was in. According to his scans, the child was alone. Carefully, he tapped on the window.
There was brief silence, then the curtains opened slowly. Then the window. The child’s face broke into a smile. “Darsha said you’d be coming,” he whispered. He hurried over to Anakin, who lifted him onto his back, very carefully. “Don’t make a sound,” Anakin whispered. The boy nodded.
Anakin carried Mabon across the yard, then lifted him, then himself over the wall. He was just picking the little boy back up when he heard the sound of security droids. Swearing, he broke into a Force-run. After a short distance, he spun around and held out his natural arm, sending the nearest droids crashing. More were coming, too, and now more people, as well. He ran even faster this time. Pressing his comm unit, he barked into it, “R2, I need pick-up, *now*,” and sped up still further. He soon found his speeder bike, and managed to buckle Mabon onto it and take off, sending the batch of droids and Togruta currently tailing them crashing first. Somehow, they managed to reach the location they had arranged for R2 to meet them in a small shuttlecraft, where Anakin knew he would already be waiting. Anakin could hear the engines starting, so he pressed his comm again. “R2, we’re nearly to your location, hold up!” They reached the shuttle. Anakin hit his comm button a third time. “R2, we’re here, lower the ramp!” R2 did as he was told. Anakin scrambled aboard, then strapped Mabon carefully into the nearest seat. “Get him back to the ship!” Anakin ordered the astromech. R2 beeped in compliance, but Mabon seized Anakin’s arm. “Don’t!” he warned. Anakin turned to look at the boy. “I have to find the other children, and my friends—” he began, but the child shook his head frantically. “I heard Rila and Toro talking to the Governor,” he said. “They put tracking chips in all of us. They’ll be able to trace me.”
Anakin swore, then pressed his comm unit. “Ahsoka! Ahsoka, are you there?! Come in, Ahsoka!” No response. Anakin swore again. Then he pressed the button for the fifth time that night. “Obi-Wan! Master, where are you?” Obi-Wan didn’t answer. Anakin whirled to look at R2. “R2, take off, full speed!” he ordered. Dashing for the seat nearest Mabon, Anakin strapped himself in as R2 began taking off. Then he reached for his comm yet again, this time contacting his medical droid. “TB-2, we’ve got a kid coming in with a tracking chip implanted inside him, I want you and the others prepped to find it and get it out as soon as we get there!” he ordered.
“We’ll do our best, sir,” the astonished droid replied.
They arrived moments later. Anakin hurried Mabon to the medical bay. TB-2 scanned the boy carefully. “I believe I’ve found it,” he soon announced.
“Can you get it out?!” Anakin demanded.
“Sir, I believe it would be faster to simply deactivate the device remotely--”
“Do it,” Anakin commanded.
“Very well.” Anakin resumed trying to contact Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, until TB-2’s voice cut him off. “It is done, sir.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very good. Prepare two of your best medical droids to leave on a shuttle. Make sure they know they’ll be caring for a small child.”
“Yes, sir,” TB-2 repeated.
Anakin turned to R2-D2 next. “R2, I need you and four of our best security droids to take Mabon on our cloaked shuttle back to Coruscant, and get him to the Jedi Temple, as fast as you can,” he said. “You are to contact the Temple as soon as you are in range, and apprise them of the situation, and that Mabon needs to be safely returned to his family. And, until he is safely in the care of the Jedi, you and the other droids are to guard him with your life, do you understand?”
R2 beeped his compliance. Anakin turned to Mabon and knelt to his eye level, placing his flesh hand on his shoulder. “My friend R2-D2 and some other droids are going to take you to the Jedi Temple,” he said gently. “They’ll take care of you there, and get you home, okay?”
Mabon nodded, eyes wide. “What about you?” he asked.
“I’m going back to save the other children, and my friends,” Anakin replied determinedly.
“And that’s enough of that story for tonight,” Obi-Wan stated once more.
Chapter 5
Notes:
Sorry, this story is really getting away from me. I hadn't originally intended for it to be multi-chapter at all, let alone take so many twists and turns. I hope I'm not boring anyone.
Chapter Text
“Now, let’s see, where did we leave off?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Your friend Deak had sent the little boy he found to Coruscant, and was going to go back and look for you and Arduna and the other children,” Leia responded.
“Ah, yes. Well, Deak never was one to waste time, and he came up with plans rather quickly, especially when those closest to him were in danger. By now, of course, he suspected that Arduna and myself had both been captured. He was determined to find us and get us out of there, as well as the other children.”
Anakin had returned to the planet within mere hours later. He already had a plan in mind for how to rescue Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.
He didn’t bother contacting the Council. They would just tell him to wait for further instructions, which was something he wasn’t willing to do at this point. And it was unlikely they would be able to send back-up anyway, so there didn’t seem to be any point.
He landed closer to the town this time. For what he was planning, stealth was not only unnecessary, it was counterproductive. He did need it to look like he was trying to be stealthy, though, so he still made sure to stay a few klicks outside of the village.
He did not go to the village right away. Instead, he sat down, closed his eyes, and reached out through the Force, trying to find Ahsoka’s and Obi-Wan’s signatures. He found them soon enough, but he knew that tracking their exact location would be more difficult. He felt around carefully, trying to contact them mind to mind, using the Force-bond he had with both to try and contact either or of them both mentally. He found that he couldn’t reach either of them, though. He probed around, still looking for their Force-signatures, but got nowhere. He even tried reaching out to Darsha, but he couldn’t even really distinguish her presence in the Force, which he was at least able to do with his Master and his Padawan. Well. He would have to do this the hard way, he finally concluded.
With a sigh, he drew in his breath and re-focused his efforts on drawing enough stamina from the Force to make the long walk to town. He pulled up the hood of his cloak and wrapped the cloak tighter around himself, then tied the belt and closed it. Then, he set off.
As he’d expected he would, he found the streets crawling with security droids. Well. Being caught wouldn’t be difficult. The real difficulty was, just how hard should he make it? He wanted to get close enough to Ahsoka and Obi-Wan that he could detect their presence. If he got caught at the wrong place or time, there was no guarantee that they’d actually take him to where they were being held. If possible, he needed to find that out before he was taken, and hopefully reach that location himself. True, there was still no guarantee he’d be placed there even if that was where he got caught, but at least he could get a feel for the place.
Standing at the outskirts of town, hiding behind a tree, Anakin closed his eyes once more, and again reached out through the Force, feeling for both his mentor and his apprentice. Still, he couldn’t get a trace on their location. He frowned. Was something interfering? He wondered. But only a Force-sensitive being could be capable of doing that. Darsha? Possibly, but he’d sensed no deception from her. Granted, he’d barely interacted with her, but if she was attempting to lure them into some kind of trap, this was a ridiculously elaborate way to go about it when she could have just allowed her grandfather and his men to arrest them all on the spot. Was there another Force-sensitive individual in the town? He hadn’t sensed any, but then again, he hadn’t been looking for any.
Also, he’d never heard of anyone capable of masking *others’* presence in the Force – only their own.
He felt around, but still, he sensed no other beings strong in the Force. Well. That didn’t prove anything, they could be masking their presence. But that required Dark-Side training, and he couldn’t think what any of the few currently-existing Dark-side users he knew of – Dooku, Asajj Ventress, or Maul – would be doing here. He shook his head. Well, he couldn’t worry about that now. He needed to find Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.
He ultimately decided he would have to enter the town to do this. He still couldn’t pinpoint the location of either of them from here. So, quietly, carefully, he entered the village, still reaching out to find either one of them.
He got about a quarter of the way into the town before he finally thought that he was beginning to zero in on their location. They seemed to be in the same place, at least. That was good news. It would be easier to get them both free that way, though he doubted they were within speaking distance. Regular speaking distance, anyway. Perhaps they might have managed to mentally communicate with one another? True, he’d been unable to reach either of them that way, but maybe…
His thoughts were cut off as he sensed something approaching. His head jerked up and he spotted two police droids walking nearby. He shrunk further into the collection of trees where he’d been concealing himself, hoping they wouldn’t notice. “I’m detecting something,” one of them said. “A human.” Anakin’s heart sank. Well, this was fine. He could work with this. He’d planned for this exact scenario, after all, even if it hadn’t been his first choice for how to go enact his plan.
He could hear the droids approaching. Then, one of them was pushed aside, and he found himself facing the droids. “You’re under arrest,” one of them declared.
Anakin reached out his hand and Force-threw them both. Maybe he could still find where Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were, and, if not, he could still put on a good show. He took off running, using Force-speed to do so. No need to bother hiding who he was when he was trying to get caught, especially since the security droids had most likely already been alerted to that information, anyway.
He managed to outrun the droids for several blocks, continuing to search for Ahsoka and Obi-Wan as best he could as he did so. When he found himself surrounded on all sides by droids, he again Force-threw them away and resumed running. He still didn’t feel he was getting any closer to the others’ location. The next time he found himself cornered, he decided against another Force-throw, instead drawing his lightsaber and taking down as many droids as he could. This went on for about five minutes before he opted to just climb over the wall of the nearest house, then onto the roof of said dwelling. After that, he jumped from one roof to the next, trying to get to where he hoped the downtown area was. Soon enough, he found himself on top of a building where he finally felt two very familiar presences.
He smiled, and almost leapt down from the roof, but stopped himself. If he let himself be taken right where Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were being held, it might look suspicious. He decided to continue fleeing for another couple blocks. He took out his datapad and quickly put in the coordinates, but he also carefully memorized the location, taking in the sights and the Force-feel of the place as best as he could.
When he had finished doing that, he again leapt to the roof of another building and continued on his way. He went on for as long as he had planned, then climbed down off the roof to continue his journey at ground level. He climbed over the wall surrounding the building, then went on for another block, before allowing the droids to catch him once more.
He made a point of putting up a fight, of course. But this time, he allowed his attackers to win, to take him prisoner, even to deprive him of his lightsaber.
When all this was done, one of the droids pressed his own comm button. “Captain Devant, this is GU-800,” he said. “You may inform the Governor we have Skywalker.”
Another, more organic-sounding voice came over the comm. “Thank you, GU-800, the Governor will be pleased to hear that.”
Anakin was led up the street in what he soon realized was the direction of the Governor’s home. He made it a point to struggle, but did not actually try to get away. He was led, however, not to Paras’ home, but to what appeared to be a building three streets away. Gazing up at it, he realized it must be the local government building.
He was then taken inside and in a lift up to the fourth floor. There, he found the Governor surrounded by bodyguards Togruta and droid alike. “Governor Paras,” Anakin said evenly, as though he hadn’t been dragged in by four security droids and his wrists weren’t bound behind his back and he wasn’t under arrest. Obi-Wan would have been proud.
“Skywalker,” the governor returned, his voice equally level, yet at the same time, full of ice. He gestured to several of the droids and some of the Togruta around him. “Take him to the prison,” he ordered them. “Make sure he is on a different floor than the others.” Well, Anakin thought with slight dismay, all that searching had been for nothing, he could have just let himself be caught earlier. Too soon would still have been suspicious, it was true, but he hadn’t needed to go to quite so much trouble. He hoped Obi-Wan and Ahsoka hadn’t been harmed in any way because of it.
There were five Togruta with him, and as they loaded him onto a transport vehicle to take him to the prison, Anakin could now sense that two of them were definitely Force-sensitive. *Of course,* he thought. Governor Paras wouldn’t be holding an actual Jedi, even a Padawan with limited training, hostage without having others who were strong in the Force to help. Darsha had shown herself to be capable when they’d first arrived. And even if they could manage to hold her without help, there was still a high risk that other Jedi would come looking for her. Honestly, Paras was lucky there was a war on, or they most likely would have found her already.
The only question was, how much training did these two actually have, and where had they gotten it? Were they Jedi? If so, why were they here? Sith? There weren’t many of those around. If they were truly able to use their abilities in any meaningful way against other Force-sensitives, they would have to have had some kind of training at some point. So where had they gotten it? From the Sith? Unlikely, as there were only supposed to be two at a time, they would have killed any failed trainees. The Nightsisters? They only trained other Zabraks. Most likely Jedi, then. Anakin studied them carefully. And that was when it hit him – he *knew* one of them. It had been years, but…
“Jav Hutran?” Anakin asked.
The other man, who was a few years older than Anakin, eyed him warily. “Who are you?” he demanded.
“Anakin Skywalker. We trained together under Master Dran, remember?”
The man eyed him carefully. “I don’t remember you,” he said, guardedly, but Anakin thought he could sense he was lying.
“I remember you,” he insisted. “You were a Jedi. What happened to you?”
Jav continued to study him warily. “You didn’t hear?”
“I heard you were expelled from the Order,” he replied. “What happened?”
Jav glared at him for a moment. “Jav,” his female companion warned him. “Don’t—”
“I had been given a Padawan,” Jav stated, flatly. “Iana Cal. One day, we were at a diplomatic meeting. She went to use the ‘fresher, and I noticed she took a long time coming back. So, I went looking for her. I found her arguing with some guy. He was getting… inappropriate… with her. She kept trying to tell him no. I lost my temper, and flung him over the balcony, down a whole story. Found out later he was the prince of Urgan. And I broke his spine in two places. I got thrown out of the Order. For protecting my Padawan.”
Anakin didn’t say anything in response. He couldn’t risk it with so many others present. Maybe he could manage to speak to Jav alone later, though. Tell him he understood where he was coming from, explain that he was trying to save his own Padawan, as well as other children.
When they arrived at the prison, Anakin was led to a cell on the top floor. They put him inside it, gave him a pitcher of water and a cup, and locked him inside it. Then he was alone.
He began reaching out to his friends through the Force. *Ahsoka!* he called. *Obi-Wan! Are you there?*
No response. Anakin tried again, and again. Still nothing. He felt around, searching for their Force-signatures. They were both here, he could sense that much. He continued to probe the Force around him. Finally, he found them both. Ahsoka was on the third floor. Obi-Wan was on the first. *Smart. This way, there’s one floor between each of us.*
Well, Anakin wasn’t about to let that stop him. He’d find a way out.
“And that’s enough for tonight,” Obi-Wan concluded.
Chapter 6
Summary:
Anakin devises an escape plan.
Notes:
I apologize if this is getting too long. This story has really gotten away from me.
Also, don't worry, I have plans for another part of the tale starring Padme.
Chapter Text
“Now, let’s see,” Obi-Wan said. “I believe Deak had just gotten himself captured, hadn’t he?”
“Yep!” Leia said. “And he’d met that guy who used to be a Jedi – Cam, I think you called him.”
“Oh, yes,” Obi-Wan recalled. “Now, let’s see, what happened after Deak was put in jail…”
Anakin hadn’t thought they would let Jav be alone with him, so he was pleasantly surprised when he arrived with his morning meal the next day. “Jav,” he said, wasting no time. “Listen, I need your help.”
Jav didn’t answer, instead simply placing his food on the floor next to his bed. “They’ve got my Padawan, too,” he said. “Ahsoka Tano. She’s about the same age as Iana, I think. I need to get her out of here.”
Jav turned to walk away, but Anakin stood and quickly grabbed his arm. “You were trying to protect Iana. I get that,” he said truthfully. “And I have to protect Ahsoka. Please, help me do that. You gave up everything to protect your Padawan. Now help me protect mine.”
Jav jerked free of Anakin’s grasp. “Leave me alone,” he snapped. Anakin seized his arm again. “You know, Prince Halor didn’t get off scot-free, either,” he said. “He’s banned from the Jedi Temple, and from Coruscant, and it’s widely known, what he did. A lot of governments won’t even let him set foot on their planet.”
“But he had diplomatic immunity, so they didn’t actually punish him,” Jav snapped. “He got top-of-the-line medical care and gets to walk around just as well as he ever did, living a life of luxury. Meanwhile, I got kicked out of the only family I’ve ever known, *by them,* for protecting my Padawan, which is what I’m supposed to do. How is that fair, Skywalker?” He turned to leave, but Anakin tugged him back. “I’m trying to protect my Padawan, now, too,” he insisted. “Please. Don’t punish her for the sins of the Jedi Council.”
Jav jerked free once more, and stomped from the cell, slamming the door behind him.
Anakin tried again contacting the others. *Ahsoka! Obi-Wan! Are you there?*
Finally, he got a response. *Anakin. What, in Heaven’s name, are you doing here?*
Anakin grinned in spite of himself. That was his Master. *Getting you guys out.*
Obi-Wan was silent for a moment. *You’ve gotten yourself captured, haven’t you?*
*Yep,* he replied cheerfully. *Now to get us all uncaptured.*
*And how, exactly, do you plan to do that?*
*Oh, I have a plan.*
*Wonderful.*
Anakin grinned once more. *Relax, Master. I even have a back-up plan this time.*
*Why do I not find that very reassuring?*
*Don’t worry, Master. I’ve go this all under control.*
*Oh, I’m sure you do,* Obi-Wan answered wryly.
Anakin made mental contact with Ahsoka next. *Master!* she exclaimed. *I knew you’d come to get us out of here! What’s the plan?*
*For now, we take a page out of Obi-Wan’s book, and wait,* he replied. *But don’t worry. It won’t be for long.*
The next morning, Jav again brought his food. Anakin again caught his arm as he was setting the tray down. “Please, help me get my Padawan out of here, Jav,” he said.
The man yanked free once more. “Leave me alone, Skywalker.”
“She’s fifteen, Jav. How old was Iana when that Urgani prince attacked her?”
“Seventeen,” Jav said reluctantly.
Anakin nodded. “I can’t leave Ahsoka with these people, Jav. Who knows what they might do to her?”
“They won’t hurt her. They’re good people.”
“Who put her in prison? Who kidnap children from their families? Whose governor holds his own granddaughter against her will, and they’re all okay with that?”
“You don’t understand!” Jav slammed the tray down on the floor and stood back up to glare at Anakin. “I’ve already been expelled from the Jedi Order, and when I tried to go back to my family, they refused to take me back, because I disgraced the Order, and most of the Togruta love the Jedi! If I help you and the Aberi find out about it, they’ll kick me out, too, and they’re all I have left! I can’t lose them!”
“So, you’re essentially just being held hostage by them,” Anakin argued. “Just like Ahsoka, and my Master, and Darsha Ky, and all the children they’ve kidnapped. Your being a part of them is conditional on you doing what they want, regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, or rather you object to it.”
“And you think the Jedi were any different?” Jav demanded angrily. “They took me from my family when I was a baby, then tossed me aside when I didn’t play by their rules. Oh, and my family sided with them, too. Everyone’s like that, Skywalker. Everyone only accepts you for as long as you keep being what they want you to be. And I have to keep being what the Aberi want me to be, or I won’t have anything left.”
“You don’t know that,” Anakin argued. “There could be plenty of other places you could go, plenty of other groups you could join—”
“And you expect me to just take that chance?!” Jav challenged. “Who do think I should join, then, Skywalker? The Separatists? I’d have the Jedi hunting me down for the rest of my life, the very people I once considered my family! That is, if Dooku or Ventress or someone else in their circle didn’t kill me themselves! There’s no other place in the galaxy for a Force-sensitive being like me! Don’t you get it, Skywalker?! I’m stuck here, unless I want to just be completely alone!”
“Yeah,” Anakin said, nodding. “Yeah, I do get that, Hutran. You wanna know why I get that? Because I’m stuck here, too. And so is my Master, and so is my Padawan. And so is Darsha Ky, the governor’s own granddaughter. She doesn’t want to be here. She tried to escape as soon as she knew we were here. Then, she had to surrender herself to save us. If that’s how Governor Paras treats his own granddaughter, his only living family, by the way, how do you think he’s going to treat you if you ever decide you want to get out? Oh, and all those young children he had kidnapped? They’re stuck here, too. They want out, if how Mabon acted when I came to get him is any indication.”
“So? The Jedi take children from their families, too,” Jav snapped.
“Not if their parents don’t agree,” Anakin argued. “And not if the children themselves don’t agree. They give them a choice, Jav. The children here weren’t given a choice.”
“Do you know why the Aberi take the children they do, Skywalker?” Jav demanded. He didn’t wait for an answer. “Their parents are particularly devoted to the Jedi. They follow the religion of the Force. They teach their children to think the Jedi are the greatest thing to ever exist. These children really believe that, too. They need to be brought here, so they can unlearn that. So that they can come to see the Jedi for who they really are.” Jav turned to go. “I’m not talking to you anymore. I have more important things to do.” He turned to go.
“The Jedi have a lot of faults, Jav,” Anakin acknowledged. “They’re not perfect. Far from it. But they’ve done a lot of good in the galaxy.”
“Like what?” Jav demanded.
“Like Chara Shef,” Anakin replied.
“Who?” Jav demanded.
Anakin took a deep breath. “A couple of months ago, a girl was kidnapped from her home on Coruscant. She wasn’t royalty, or related to anybody famous, or anything like that. She just lived fairly close to the Temple. He father came there, to ask for help finding her. Master Nuwa Matra was there, and she agreed to help find her. She took a week, but she did, and got her home safely. Not only that, but she and a bunch of other Jedi shut down the trafficking ring that had taken her.”
Jav was silent for a moment. Then he said, “That doesn’t take away what they’ve done wrong.”
“No,” Anakin admitted. “No, it doesn’t. But what they’ve done wrong doesn’t erase what they’ve done right, either.” He looked at Jav hard. “Your Master was Lakin Lok, wasn’t he, Jav?”
“What about him?” Jav asked flatly.
“He was killed at Geonosis,” Anakin replied. Jav started. “He fought hard for you to be allowed to stay in the Order, if I remember right. You know he wouldn’t want this.”
Jav was once again silent.
“I heard Iana’s new Master was killed, too,” Anakin went on. “Just a couple weeks ago. Calla Coll, I think her name was. At a battle in the Sant sector. I’m betting she really needs a friend right now, Jedi or not.”
More silence.
“Darsha is about the same age as Iana, too, I think,” Anakin said. “Her grandfather killed her Master, you know. And she’s been taken from her home, and the only family she’s ever known.”
Jav turned to look at him once more. “We’ve saved her. They would have just broken her heart, eventually, when she came to see them for who they really are. She just won’t see that.” With that, he turned once more.
“I can take you to see Iana,” Anakin called after him as he headed toward the door. “If you just let us escape. I’m sure she’d like to see you again, Jav.”
The other man turned to look at him. Studied him hard for a moment. Then he turned for the last time, gazed at Anakin long and hard, then turned and left, slamming the door behind him.
*Well. That went well,* Anakin thought. It didn’t matter, he had other plans for escape. But he felt bad that he hadn’t been able to get through to Jav. But at least he’d left him with something to think about. He couldn’t worry about that now, though, he just needed to focus on getting himself and Ahsoka and Obi-Wan out of here, and then rescuing those other children. Maybe, he could speak to Jav again later. Or, maybe he wouldn’t be able to. Either way, however, for the moment he needed to concentrate on escaping.
For the next three days, he focused on memorizing the routine of the prison guards. He was brought three meals a day, always by a single guard. Besides himself, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka, he could sense as many as four other Force-adepts in the place at any given time. Aside from Jav, he had no idea how powerful they were or how well-trained they might be or where or from whom they had received their training, if they had any at all, which he had every reason to believe they did. He thought he sensed Jav’s presence once or twice more in the prison building, but he didn’t know the man very well so he couldn’t be sure, and Jav did not deliver any of his meals again. The others who brought his meals were also Force-capable, but Anakin found that questioning them on their origins got him nowhere, apart from one woman who informed him coldly that she had been removed from the Order at a young age and assigned to the Agricultural Corps without having ever been taken on as a Padawan, and that her name was Elaine Val. Apart from that, however, she was even less receptive to his attempts at conversation than Jav had been, and he soon gave up on her, not wanting to push his luck too far. He also observed that, apart from the Force-sensitive Togruta guards, the prison was manned mostly by various types of police droids. On the afternoon of his third day in the prison, Anakin decided that it was finally time to put his plan into action the next day.
He was surprised when the door swung opened late that night, and Jav entered once more. Anakin sat up, puzzled. He had already been brought his food earlier that evening. What was Jav doing here?
“I’ve decided to help you,” Jav said softly.
Obi-Wan could see that Leia was starting to drift off. “That’s enough for tonight, I think,” he said softly. “Goodnight, Princess.”
From the doorway, he heard an equally soft, “Goodnight, Obi-Wan.”
Chapter Text
Alright, now,” Obi-Wan said. “I believe Cam had just offered to help Deak, hadn’t he?”
“Uh-huh,” Leia replied.
“Very well, then,” Obi-Wan stated. “Let’s see…”
“Why should I trust you?” Anakin asked warily.
“What choice do you have?” Jav argued.
Anakin considered. He could refuse to believe Jav, and try to escape and get Obi-Wan and Ahsoka out on his own and rescue Darsha and the abducted children with only their help, and possibly Darsha’s.
But, that was not the Jedi way. And he had, after all, been the one to offer Jav help, and to offer him a second chance.
“What’s the plan?” he asked, still guarded.
“The plan is, you and your friends come with me,” Jav answered. “Darsha and I forged papers saying I’m transporting all of you to a hidden prison outside of town. She’s keeping her grandfather’s Force-soldiers occupied. We’re going with you.”
“What about the abducted children?” Anakin demanded.
“Between us, Darsha and I think we know where all of them are,” came the reply. “Getting them all out will be difficult. We thought it would be better to wait for reinforcements.”
“There’s no guarantee that any will be coming,” Anakin warned him. “The Jedi are already stretched thin, with the war on.”
“Then we’ll rescue them by ourselves, if we have to,” Jav stated. “But we need a separate plan for that. Trying to get them all out tonight would be too risky.”
Anakin was taking the time to read Jav carefully with the Force. He could sense no deceit from him. Cautiously, he stood and followed Jav out of his cell. “I know where Ahsoka is,” Anakin informed him. “Two floors below. Let’s get her out first.”
Jav nodded in agreement. The two of them made their way out of the cell. None of the droids interfered as Jav led a still-cuffed Anakin away. When they reached Ahsoka’s cell, however, they found five Togruta guards, two of whom Anakin recognized – one was Elaine Val, the female guard he had spoken to previously, a man whose name he didn’t know, but who had brought him most of his afternoon meals. The others, a man and two women, were unfamiliar to him, at least in appearance. Anakin thought their Force-signatures felt familiar, particularly the oldest woman, a middle-aged Togruta who felt the strongest in the Force of those present.
“Did you think we would not suspect you might try something, Jav?” she demanded. “Why do you think we allowed you to see Skywalker at all? It was all to test your loyalty. You forget, I was a Jedi myself, once. I know their methods, Hutran. I knew they would try to appeal to your emotions. And you fell for it. You disappoint me.”
Anakin had been afraid of this. Using the Force, he undid his binders. At the same moment, Jav reached into his pockets. He pulled out two lightsabers. Anakin recognized them as his own and Obi-Wan’s. He summoned his to him, just as the older woman, Elaine, and their companions pulled out sabers of their own. Anakin vaguely noted that two of them had red ones, while the older woman’s and one of the men’s were blue, and Elaine’s was green. He stepped forward and found himself clashing with the older woman, whom he guessed to be the leader, one of the men, and the third woman, while Jav clashed with Elaine and the second man. The police droids closed in around them at the same time. Jav, however, pressed a button in his pocket, which appeared to shut all of them off. “Clever, Hutran,” the man Jav was fighting with said. “But did you really think we would not be ready for that?” He reached into his own pocket, and seemed to press another button, reactivating them.
Anakin reached out his hand and Force-threw the droids, sending them toppling to the floor and into each other as hard as he could, once again deactivating most of them. His male opponent took advantage of this moment of distraction to slash at his side, but Anakin sensed him coming, and dodged his attack, so that the blade only singed the side of his tunic. He swung to return the blow, but missed as all three of his challengers lunged at him at once. He managed to avoid their blows easily enough, but with three of them and only one of him, he had little success in actually wounding any of them. He wanted to ask Jav if he had Ahsoka’s lightsabers, too, but that was difficult in the midst of a battle. He tried to make mental contact with him, but didn’t seem to be able to reach him.
Just then, however, he heard a soft *click*, and the cell door swung opened. Ahsoka came out, and leapt at one of Anakin’s attackers. He dodged her, but the next moment, Jav had thrown another lightsaber at Ahsoka, one of her own, and she caught it easily. Jav then threw her other blade to her, and she joined in the fight. Anakin now managed to fling one of his adversaries against the wall, knocking her unconcious. His male opponent lunged at him, but Anakin blocked his swing. The fight continued for several more minutes after that. Finally, though, Anakin and Ahsoka managed to take down their male adversary. “Help Jav!” Anakin ordered his Padawan, turning his head in the direction of their ally. Ahsoka reluctantly ran toward him, slamming her blades into the back of the man Jav was fighting. The two of them, together, then took down the woman, leaving only their leader. Ahsoka and Jav now rejoined Anakin, and with the four of them against her, it was not difficult to defeat their remaining foe. All four then re-sheathed their blades. “Well,” Anakin said. “Now we just have to get Obi-Wan out.”
“That should be easy enough,” Jav spoke up. “Governor Paras will have the rest of his Force-soldiers either looking for Darsha, if she got away, or guarding her, if she didn’t. He won’t send them after us. Keeping her here is more important to him than anything else. And the police droids are programmed not to leave a prisoner unguarded, regardless of what happens to the others.”
“We’ll still have to get through them, though,” Ahsoka pointed out.
Anakin shrugged. “We’ve done it before.”
They made their way to the elevator. Jav’s clearance seemed to have been deactivated, but Anakin was able to hack the system. They then went to the bottom floor. Luckily, Jav was still able to deactivate the droids. They found Obi-Wan soon enough, and Anakin broke into his cell using the Force. “You missed all the excitement,” he greeted his Master.
“Indeed,” he replied, studying the other three. He eyed Jav suspiciously. “He’s with us now,” Anakin assured him. “He’s been quite helpful, actually.” He noticed Obi-Wan wince as he helped him to his feet. “Blaster burn,” he said, noticing Anakin’s expression. He clutched his side, but waved away his protégé’s attempts to help him. “I can walk, Anakin,” he said courteously.
Anakin slid an arm under Obi-Wan’s anyway, and the Jedi Master reluctantly leaned on him. “We need to get out of here as quickly as possible,” he pointed out. “We still may have to fight our way through the Aberi townspeople.”
They made their way to the door past unconcious police-droids. Sure enough, the second they opened it, they were greeted with the sound of blaster fire.
Obi-Wan looked over at Leia and realized that she was asleep. Smiling slightly and shaking his head, he pulled the covers over her. It had been an intense day, he could not say that he was really surprised. “Goodnight, little one,” he whispered softly. “Sleep well.” The ne left the room.
Chapter 8
Notes:
Cam = Jav, the former Jedi who ended up helping Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan has probably given all the characters in this story assumed names as he tells it to Leia.
I may be playing with the timeline and events of the Obi-Wan Kenobi show a bit here. I'm just hoping that there may be days over the course of the show that went well, that we didn't see. I didn't want to watch it again, as it just feels too emotional.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"You fell asleep early last night,” Obi-Wan observed as he sat down beside Leia’s bed. “Do you need a review of what happened?”
“Yes, please,” the little girl responded.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Obi-Wan asked.
She thought for a moment. “Deak and Cam and Arduna had just escaped from the Force-soldiers, I think.”
Obi-Wan gave her q quick run-down of events from that moment forward, up to when they exited the prison building and found blasters being fired. “We soon discovered, however, that the blasters were not being fired at us,” he explained.
The sight of the familiar uniforms of the 501st and 212th were certainly welcome, but they were also quite surprising. The Aberi were clearly overwhelmed, and it wasn’t difficult for the three Jedi and Jav to escape amidst all the chaos.
They soon found themselves amongst a group of very familiar Clone Troopers. “Teller, Slip, Twelve,” Anakin greeted his men. “How did you get here?”
“Senator Amidala, sir,” Teller explained. “She sent us to find you, after your little droid arrived. Looks like we got here just in time.”
“R2 got Mabon safely to Coruscant, then?” Anakin asked.
“Yes, sir, the Jedi Temple’s already contacted his family.”
“Have you got a way off this planet?”
“We can get you to the Resolute or the Negotiator right now, sir, whichever you’d prefer,” Twelve said.
“That would be whichever one’s closest, Twelve.”
This turned out to be the Negotiator. They soon found it, just a few klicks outside of town. Bones, the 212th’s chief medical officer, soon looked Obi-Wan over and prescribed a brief stay in a bacta tank.
“Our divisions soon had most of the isolationists in custody, and had all the children, abducted and otherwise, safe,” Obi-Wan concluded. “We then made our way back to Coruscant. The children who had been kidnapped by the isolationists were soon reunited with their families.”
“And what about the Jedi girl they’d help prisoner?” Leia asked.
“She was allowed back into the Order. She chose to remain at the Temple work as a healer She soon completed her training.”
“And the man who helped you escape?”
“He was not allowed to return to the Order, but he was allowed to go free. He decided to join the colonists who had been trying to enter the Republic, and went to their world with them. He did reunite with his apprentice, however, and kept in touch with her.”
“And what about the princess, and the policeman’s daughter?”
Obi-Wan smiled. “That is another story, which I’ll tell you about tomorrow night.”
“Oh.” Leia slid down under the covers. “Well, goodnight, Obi-Wan.”
“Goodnight, little one,” he replied softly.
He exited the room then, and headed for the cockpit of the ship. Three figures sat there. The story he had been telling Leia had given him more than a chance to relive memories of better times, it had given him an idea of people he could contact for help. He hadn’t expected to find that Darsha and Iana had survived the war, or that they had gone to Kiros to hide out. But here they were.
“How much longer, Darsha?” he asked.
“Hard to say, General,” she replied. “But I think we’ll be there before tomorrow is out.”
“Alright, thank you,” he replied. He left the cockpit then, retiring to his own quarters.
Notes:
As a bonus, I'm imagining Darsha was promoted to Knight and became Iana's new Master shortly after the events of this story.
Als, the third person was Jav.
Chapter 9
Notes:
Happy Mother's Day!
Chapter Text
“Obi-Wan?” Leia stood in the doorway of his quarters. “Can we finish the story tonight?”
Obi-Wan rose, smiling softly. “We can continue it,” he said. “I cannot promise we will finish tonight.”
“That’s okay,” she said. He walked her to her room and helped her get settled in her bed. The events of the past few days had prevented them from resuming the story. “Now, where did we leave off?” Obi-Wan asked, smoothing the little girl’s covers.
Leia thought for a moment. “You were about to tell me what happened to the Princess, and the other girl who was kidnapped.”
“Oh, yes,” Obi-Wan said. “Well, as it happened, while we were busy on the isolationist colony, the Senator had opted to do some investigating of her own, and was looking into both disappearances.”
Padmé happened to have a contact close to certain aspects of the Coruscanti underworld who might know something, named Phema Phay. She arranged to meet her now, at their usual location of the Outlander Club, where they could talk privately without any questions being asked. She went in disguise, of course, wearing a shabby cloak to keep her face hidden. No one would take any notice here, as that was quite normal.
They sat in a corner booth. “You’re here about that missing princess,” Phema said quietly, taking a sip of her drink.
Padmé nodded silently.
Phema took another sip. “There’s lots of rumors flyin’ ‘round about her. Everyone knows Bane and his crew took ‘er, no one knows where or why. Ones most worth listenin’ to, if you want my ‘pinion, though, are the ones that say she’s been taken off world. Bane and his crew wouldn’t keep ‘er on Coruscant, they’re too smart for that. Probably they’ve taken her out of Coruscanti jurisdiction. Keeping someone that high up where the Coruscanti police can ‘em, no, that’s dangerous.”
“We know they left the planet with her,” Padmé replied. “The question is, where have they taken her?”
“Well, that’s a whole ‘nother question,” Phema said. “There’s always rumors goin’ round, a kidnapping like this, and it’s hard to know who t’ believe. I’ll tell you the biggest rumors, though. First, there’s talk she was taken by some Togruta isolationist group. The Aberi, I think the call ‘em.”
“We know about that one, too,” Padmé explained. “We’ve already checked their planet, and haven’t found her. We know who hired Bane and his crew. It was a Togruta police officer, who had a grudge because his daughter was kidnapped five years ago, and Princess Zaa was abducted around the same time, and her case overshadowed his daughter’s. He believes the Aberi took his daughter, he had arrested some of them recently, and got a letter from them saying he had her.”
Phema let out a long, low whistle at that. “You know if he told Bane and his goons what to do with ‘er?”
“No.”
“Well, then, lemme tell you what I think’s most likely. First, they either killed ‘er, or, they still have her, alive. Otherwise, they might’ve sold her.”
“Sold her?”
“High-rankin’ girl like that could get ‘em a lot of credits, ‘specially from anyone else with a grudge ‘gainst her family, or her people, or even royalty in general. But the first two options’re more likely, if you ask me. Guy who hired ‘em may’ve had more plans for ‘er, or even have told ‘em to do somethin’ special with ‘er. Either way, I’m bettin’ she’s still alive. An actual princess could be valuable to those bounty hunters in all kinds of ways. Gotta tell you a couple rumors that’ve really been flyin’ ‘round about that girl, though.”
“Yes?”
“Well, first, there’s been talk she’s still bein’ held somewhere her on Coruscant, some underworld facility. Some say Bane an’ his crew only faked having taken ‘er off planet, or did take ‘er but came back later. ‘Nother story says she’s been sold to Zygerrian slavers, t’ get back at the part the Kiros Togruta and the Jedi played in takin’ ‘em down a few months ago. Then, there’s chatter sayin’ Bane and his people are plannin’ to get a ransom for ‘er. There’s one thing that’s been goin’ around in whispers, though, that I didn’t think much of at first, but after what you told me, there might be somethin’ to it after all.”
“And what’s that?” Padmé demanded.
“Well, there’s talk Bane handed ‘er over to somebody else.”
“Somebody else?” Padmé echoed.
“Yeah. No real word on who, just that he handed her over to ‘em, no idea why. Real hush-hush business, they say. He gave ‘er over, whoever it was took off with her. That’s all they know. No idea what the guy he gave her to even looked like. They think he may’ve been Togruta himself, too, or Twi’lek. Called himself Lett, though. Thanked ‘em for takin’ her.”
Padmé rose. “Thank you, Phema,” she said softly. “I believe this could be very important.”
Obi-Wan smiled as Leia yawned sleepily. “I believe that is as good a stopping place as any,” he said softly. “Goodnight, Princess.”
“G’night, Obi-Wan,” came the little girl’s drowsy reply.
Chapter Text
“Now, where did we leave off this time?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Your friend Kira had just found out that police man took the princess,” Leia explained.
“Oh, yes.” Obi-Wan had known that, but he had come to enjoy letting Leia remind him. “Well, the Senator went to speak to him almost immediately.”
“What did you do with the Princess, Lett?” Padmé asked. She stood facing him from outside his cell.
Lett met her gaze calmly. “It’s quite simple, Senator. I did to her just what was done to my daughter.”
Padmé’s stomach dropped. “And just what was that?” she demanded. She could not keep her voice from trembling.
He smiled grimly. “You think I killed her, don’t you?” He shook his head. “No, Senator. I assure you, I had no intention of doing that. You see, I wanted the organization who took my Luma shut down. And I knew the best way to do that, was to ensure that the Princess of Shili was placed into their hands. After all, this is what doomed the Raxshir Gang. So, that is precisely what I did.”
“And what organization is that?” Padmé queried.
“They are called the Rath, Senator,” he replied coldly. “I may as well tell you everything now. At first, I legitimately thought the Aberi had my daughter. But as I did my own investigating, I began to realize that something was wrong. All signs indicated she was on Shili. The Aberi would have taken her off-world. I learned, however, that the Aberi had an offshoot, one well hidden in Shili’s shadows. This was the Rath. They, unlike the Aberi, were determined that the Togruta remain on Shili. It took me two years to realize that they, not the Aberi, had my little girl. Regardless, I knew they must be closed down if I were to have any chance of getting Luma back. I worked my way into the royal family’s good graces. Earned their trust. And then, I put my plan into action. I contacted the Rath. I offered them the Princess in exchange for my daughter. I knew they would take her and keep Luma as well. But this way, they would be shut down. So go on, now, Senator. Contact the authorities in Corvala, and tell them the fate of our planet’s precious Princess is in their hands, if they do not shut down the Rath organization.”
Padmé stared at him. “Why go to all this trouble?” she demanded. “Why not tell the truth from the beginning?”
“I wanted to see the Prince and Princess worry about their daughter,” he snapped. “As I have had to, for so many years.”
The Senator continued to stare. “How do we know you’re telling the truth this time?” she demanded.
“You don’t,” came the simple reply.
She stared at him for a moment longer. Then she turned and left.
As soon as she arrived home, however, she contacted the Jedi Council.
“And I think that’s enough for now, ” Obi-Wan declared. "Goodnight, little one."
"Goodnight," she replied.
Chapter 11
Summary:
Obi-Wan finishes Leia's bedtime story.
Notes:
I'm sorry this got wound up so quickly. I hope everyone enjoys, anyway.
TW for Obi-Wan briefly speaking hopefully about the afterlife. He quickly notes, quite correctly, the value and importance of this one, however. A reminder that all our lives also have value in their own right.
Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Now, where were we?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Your friend Kira had just talked to that policeman, and he told her a different group than the one he said had the Princess, on his home planet,” she answered.
“Oh, yes,” Obi-Wan replied. “Well, as I said, she contacted the Jedi Council almost immediately. They agreed to send a few Jedi to the planet to investigate, including Deak, Arduna, myself, and two others.
The Council decided to send Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka to Shili, alongside Uatha Kel, another Togruta Jedi Master, and her Padawan, Torao Puna, who was also Togruta. They also recommended Padmé contact the interplanetary authorities and the Shili Royal Guard, as well as the police in Corvala, which she did. Once again, she insisted on going along on the journey to rescue the Princess, and so did Princess Zara and Prince Dalit.
When they arrived on the planet, they immediately set about searching for the Rath. They were not difficult to find – they lived in an isolated area on Shili, on the northern hemisphere. It was actually a fairly heavily populated location, by the planet’s usual standards. They landed about five klicks outside of their community, then went the rest of the way on foot – Padmé, the five Jedi, the Prince and Princess, accompanied this time by four guards each, and a dozen members of the Intergalactic Police Force. They had not alerted the Rath to their visit this time, all parties involved having agreed that it would be better to simply take them by surprise.
“It was a simple enough operation from there,” Obi-Wan related. “We went in, and were able to arrest the leaders. We took all the children there into protective custody. We handed them all over to the planet’s police force, and they were able to track down the families of the ones who had been taken. For the children whose parents were charged with crimes, they were soon placed with other family members. In some cases, one parent had taken them, and for those children, they were soon returned to the other. In some cases, their parents were prisoners as well, and they simply went home with them.”
“What about the Princess?” Leia asked.
Obi-Wan smiled.
The moment they were onboard the ship, Princess Zaa rushed to hug her parents. They pulled her into a tight hug. All three of them were crying.
“And the other girl?” Leia questioned.
Obi-Wan once again smiled.
It was Anakin and Padmé who found the picture of a teenage girl looking very much like one from the files they had all pored over for the last week or so. “What’s your name?” he asked kindly, though he had already guessed.
“Luma Piri,” she responded.
“Luma,” Padmé said, kindly. “We’re going to get you home, we promise you.”
The very next day, Padmé and the five Jedi stood in the police station as a woman looking like an older version of Luma entered, a man and boy accompanying her, the man holding a baby. The girl was immediately on her feet, and they ran toward each other. “Mom!” “Luma! Oh, my baby, look at you, I thought I’d never see you again—" Anakin watched closely as the woman introduced her daughter to her stepfather, stepbrother and baby sister. If the girl was wary at first, she warmed up a bit on seeing the baby. Obi-Wan and Padmé each put a hand on Anakin’s shoulder, while Ahsoka touched his arm. He turned to look at them then, smiling faintly, but genuinely, tears of bittersweet joy in his eyes. Both his Master and Padawan sensed what he felt then, sorrow, yes, but happiness, too, at giving someone else a chance at what he had never gotten.
“And that’s the end of that story,” Obi-Wan concluded.
Leia smiled. “That was a really good story,” she whispered. Then looked at him curiously. “What happened to your friends?” she wondered.
His smile largely faded, though it didn’t disappear entirely. “Arduna is… still alive,” he said, carefully. “That’s all I know, We have to keep away from each other, or it could endanger us both.”
“And Kira and Deak?” she asked.
Obi-Wan shook his head slowly. “They’re gone,” he said, quietly.
“Oh.” Leia looked sadly down at he blanket for a moment. Then she looked back up at Obi-Wan. “I’m sorry,” she said.
He pulled her covers up a little. “I am, too,” he whispered. “But, one day, we will all be reunited, in the Force.” And, just in that moment, he truly believed that. “In the meantime, though, I can keep their memories alive. By continuing to live, and fight for what they believed in.” He squeezed her arm gently. “Do you understand, little one?”
She thought for a moment, then nodded. “I think I do.”
“Good.” He smiled at her once more. “Goodnight, Leia.”
She wrapped her arms around him. After a brief moment of surprise, he returned the gesture. “Goodnight, Obi-Wan,” she returned.
She released him then, and he left the room. Moments later, he was asleep in his own bed.
He had no bad dreams that night.
Notes:
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