Ahsoka woke Luke, careful not to wake Leia. Ahsoka disagreed with not taking her, but Han wasn't willing to risk her, and Anakin would kill him if he did. Even so, Han left a message for Leia next to her pillow.
Leia woke up that morning completely upset that they hadn't taken her with them. When everyone woke up, Padmé was surprised to see Leia in the garden, staring into space.
"What's wrong, Leia?" Padmé asked, still sleepy.
"This is what's happening," Leia said, handing the note to her mother. Padmé's eyes widened in surprise. Were they crazy? "Ani!" Padmé cried, and Anakin ran to them.
"What's wrong, darling?" Anakin asked, kissing them both on the forehead.
"This," Padmé said, handing him the note.
"If anything happens to Luke and Ahsoka, I'm going to kill him," Anakin said angrily, going into the house.
"We'll have to wait. If they don't arrive, they've probably gotten into some trouble," Obi-Wan said. What were they thinking? Risking everything for a ship?
"I hope it's a starship," Anakin sighed, sitting down with both hands covering his face, worry and annoyance welling up inside him.
"It's a damn piece of junk," Leia said irritably. She hated when Han did that, even though that's how she'd known him, she could never get used to it when he left. "It's just fast."
"How much of a piece of junk?" Anakin asked, and Leia assured him she didn't want to know.
The queen granted Padmé and Satine permission to secretly access some of the palace's records. There, they found valuable information about Palpatine's travels when he was a senator and even when he was chancellor. Many of the trips coincided, and they were sure they would find answers in those places. The main places Palpatine had personally visited were Mustafar and Kamino.
The day passed quickly, and there was still no news of Ahsoka, Luke, or Han. Reluctantly, Padmé went to rest; she was pregnant and needed to. Leia accompanied her, though both were terribly worried. Satine had retired to rest, but Obi-Wan knew she would stay for long hours drafting treaties.
Obi-Wan sat trying to meditate in the garden, but in reality, he was just watching Anakin pace back and forth, cursing silently.
"I'll go after them," Anakin said, walking toward his ship.
"Anakin, do you think I wouldn't have suggested it already?" Obi-Wan asked. "We don't know which way they went, and they turned off their trackers."
"Damn it!" Anakin yelled, sitting down and pulling at his hair with both hands.
"Your son and Ahsoka will be fine," Obi-Wan said, but he had a bad feeling about all of this.
"I have a bad feeling, Obi-Wan," Anakin said.
Another day passed, and they still hadn't appeared. Obi-Wan and Anakin had taken their ships and searched all the nearby systems, but without success. Leia had tried to take a ship and leave, but they wouldn't allow it. Satine begged her to look after Padmé, who was growing increasingly worried.
"They're not here, Obi-Wan," Anakin said, getting out of his ship and looking toward the house. "Do you think it's easy to just show up and tell her every time I haven't found her?"
"I'll tell her this time," Obi-Wan said, supporting his former apprentice. He walked toward the house and broke the bad news to Padmé, who could only hug Leia in despair.
It was the wee hours of the morning, and neither Obi-Wan nor Anakin had slept in two whole days. Obi-Wan could feel Anakin's anguish. He wanted to comfort him, to tell him he would be alright, but even he didn't know why they hadn't returned.
Suddenly, a gigantic ship landed in front of the house, and Anakin sensed his son's presence, but one presence was missing. He and his master rushed to the ship and found Han helping Luke out of the wreckage. Luke had a deep wound on his arm.
"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked.
"We were attacked," Han began, standing in front of Anakin as Obi-Wan helped Luke.
"Where's Ahsoka?" Anakin asked, his blood boiling at the sight of his wounded son.
"They—" Han began, knowing this was the end of his life—"she was kidnapped," he said with sorrow.
Anakin looked at Han and everything went black. He remembered landing a punch to Han's face and then throwing him to the ground to Force choke him. Obi-Wan and Luke tried to stop him, while he felt Leia and Padmé's presence behind him. He didn't want to become a murderer in front of his wife and son.
"We can bring her back. There has to be a way. I'm sure she's okay," Han said, holding his neck.
"For your sake, I hope so," Anakin said, letting go.
Leia watched Han, upset. She knew her father wouldn't kill him, but she couldn't believe how Han had allowed this to happen.
"Leia, I—" he said, approaching his girlfriend—"I can explain."
"There's nothing to explain," Leia said, approaching Luke.
Padmé and Leia were tending to Luke's arm wound. It wasn't serious; it was a blaster shot to his left bicep.
"What happened?" Anakin asked, trying not to lose his already fragile patience.
Luke and Han stared at each other, unsure how to explain without further angering everyone.
"Can you two speak, damn it?" Leia demanded furiously. "Ahsoka has been kidnapped! The faster you open your damn mouths, the faster we can rescue her!" Leia said, pointing at Han.
"Leia, I—" Han began, unsure how to apologize to his girlfriend.
"I don't want to hear it!" Leia snapped. "I want to know what happened!" she yelled.
Everyone in the room stared at her in surprise. Her temperament was clearly very similar to Anakin's; he would have smiled proudly if it weren't for his worried expression.
"Give me the coordinates and tell me who took her," Anakin said.
"Dad," Luke began nervously, "We don't know where they took her."
"Luke, why did you do this?" he asked, sitting down next to his son.
"Han's ship is by far the fastest ship I've ever seen. It can help us a lot. Dad, we had the ship, we were coming back. Han was in the Millennium Falcon, and Ahsoka and I were following behind in her ship. We were attacked. She said they were the Separatists. They boarded the ship, they shot at us, and before they could figure out I was from the past, she threw me toward Han's ship in an escape pod, but she didn't make it," Luke said, looking down at his father, who was watching him in dismay.
"I tried to help, but any shot I could have fired would have destroyed the ship and them in the process."
"I tried to help, but any shot I could have fired would have destroyed the ship and them in the process."
"I was trying to help, but any shot I could have fired would have destroyed the ship and them in the process."
"I was trying to help, but any shot I could have fired would have destroyed the ship and them in the process."
"I was trying to help, Dad ... Dad."
"I was trying to help, but any shot I could have fired would have destroyed the ship and them in the process."
"I was trying "Do you realize this is your fault?" Anakin asked, looking apprehensively at Han.
"I'm sorry, I didn't want anything bad to happen to the girl," Han said, and Anakin sighed, deeply worried.
"If the Separatists have her, the Chancellor is behind this," Obi-Wan said.
"Do you think he already knows about us? About everything we've been plotting?" Leia asked.
"No," Padmé said, thinking everything through. "It's a trap for me."
"He wants to test your loyalty and your concern for Ahsoka," Satine said, and everyone except Leia looked at her, confused.
"He wants to test your loyalty and your concern for Ahsoka." "We don't understand politics," Obi-Wan said.
"Han," Padmé said, annoyed, looking at the man. "Did they attack your ship?" Padmé asked, and Han seemed to consider it.
"That's the strange thing. They only attacked that ship when we were coming here," he explained.
"They were waiting for us," Luke said, understanding. "They wanted to attack any one of us to test Mom's commitment to the Chancellor."
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy."
"How will we rescue Ahsoka?" Anakin asked.
"It's time to play all our cards," Padmé said. "The Chancellor played his. We knew he wouldn't make it easy."
"We'll go to the Senate tomorrow," Satine said, explaining the plan that now needed to be expedited. "But first, Padmé will speak with the Chancellor."
"I'll tell him the Separatists have Ahsoka, that I went directly to him because I didn't dare call him from here for fear of them intercepting the transmission. I'll give him my answer, I'll tell him I'll do whatever it takes to help the Republic."
"You know he'll start getting more and more demanding," Anakin pointed out.
"I know, but I'm afraid their target wasn't Ahsoka. Droids have never been clever; they must have mistaken Luke for you," Padmé said, and everything seemed to make sense. "You were their target."
"Me?" Anakin asked.
"If she kidnapped Anakin and Ahsoka, she'd have the necessary pressure on Padmé," Obi-Wan understood.
"I just hope she's alright," Anakin said, unable to bear it if anything happened to his padawan.
"She'll be alright, Dad," Leia said, hugging him.
"I hope so," Anakin sighed, deeply worried.
They set sail for Coruscant that very night, the Millennium Falcon following closely behind. Han felt guilty; he hadn't wanted the girl to be kidnapped. He wanted his ship back. He'd been sent to help, but it seemed he was only making things worse. Leia occasionally tended to Luke's arm, who felt he had let everyone down. Anakin piloted the ship alongside Obi-Wan, while Padmé reviewed the plan with Satine.
"Dad," Luke said as they engaged the autopilot.
"Luke," Anakin said, sitting down beside him. He couldn't be angry with his son.
"I'm so sorry," he said, lowering his gaze. "If anything happened to her, I could never forgive myself. We should never have gone."
"You're reckless. Everyone was reckless," Anakin said. "But I'd be a hypocrite if I were angry with you for it. I've done the same thing many times."
"But you never failed. I said so on the Holopad. You're the fearless hero. You rarely failed. I'm not even a shadow of what you were," Luke said, disappointed in himself.
"Luke, you did what you thought was right," Anakin said, not entirely convinced. Going to Corellia with Separatists everywhere?
"Going for a ship with Separatists on all sides?" "It wasn't right, Dad, and Ahsoka is in danger because of me."
"It's part of being a Jedi," Anakin commented. "You have hundreds of people under your command, and their lives depend on your decisions."
"I'm not ready to be a Jedi, Dad," Luke said, amazed. The Jedi were so much more than they were in the future; their actions a thousand times more heroic than they were in the future. "Dad, I'll never be like you."
"You don't have to be," Anakin said, putting his arm around Luke's shoulders. "You're Luke. You're my son, just as you're Padmé's son. You're also Leia's brother, and you're also the same boy who was thrown into a battle he wasn't prepared for, but who destroyed one of the largest Imperial bases of all. You went to rescue your sister even though everything seemed to be against you, without knowing she was your sister. Luke, you've done very heroic things. You're brave, and even though you've made a mistake now, I'll always be proud of you. What does Yoda always say?" Anakin asked.
"That failure is the best teacher," Luke said.
"And you must learn from it. What lesson did you learn today?" Anakin asked.
"That I must always worry about the entire group, not risk them unless necessary, and definitely not for personal gain," Luke said, and Anakin nodded.
"As Jedi, we must always worry about the group. You see, Luke, in battle that's very important."
Obi-Wan watched the conversation between father and son with a smile. He hadn't realized how much Anakin had matured. That was why his men trusted him, why the Republic trusted him, and why the Separatists always faced him with respect. Now more than ever, he was convinced the Council was wrong. Attachment doesn't lead to the dark side; on the contrary, it provides reasons to fight. Anakin had never risked his men, Anakin had never failed a mission despite being married. He smiled, and Satine understood what he was thinking.
"I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner," he said, kissing the Duchess's forehead.
"You grew up under that code."
"I didn't," Obi-Wan sighed. "Qui-Gon told me many times that the code was wrong. He stood up to the council many times as well. He would have been a better teacher for Anakin."
"I'm sure you were the best teacher he could have had," Satine smiled. "He loves you like a brother."
Obi-Wan smiled as Padmé walked toward Leia.
"I didn't." "Are you upset with Han?" Padmé asked.
"Yes," Leia replied. "He shouldn't have been so reckless."
"He's probably just desperate to help. He was sent to an unknown time, and I'm sure he wants to impress your father."
"I know," Leia said, knowing that was what bothered her most. Han had been reckless for her sake.
"It's not your fault. He has to take responsibility for his decisions, and he already is," Padmé said.
"If anything happens to Ahsoka, I won't be able to help feeling guilty."
"She'll be fine. I'll make sure the Chancellor brings her back safe and sound."
"How will you do that?" Leia asked.
"He controls the Separatists. When he sees I'm on his side, he'll send a squad after her. He'll stage a heroic rescue. I know he will," Padmé said, and Leia nodded.
"I just hope everything goes well," Leia sighed.
When they arrived on Coruscant, Han, Leia, Luke, Obi-Wan, and Anakin headed to the Jedi Temple. They needed to discuss what had happened without going into too much detail. They didn't know who they could trust and who they couldn't, although when they heard about Ahsoka's situation, Master Ploo was genuinely worried.
"We must go find her," the master suggested.
"Senator Padmé Amidala will personally ask the Chancellor for political support. We explained to her that it's difficult for us to organize a rescue; it would be risking lives just to save one person," Obi-Wan said, and the other masters agreed. Now it was Anakin's turn to act.
"But Master, we must rescue Ahsoka," Anakin said, feigning complete disagreement. "We don't know if the senator will succeed."
"I'm sorry, Anakin. I thought my teachings had been clear," Obi-Wan said, looking at Anakin as he left, feigning indignation.
"I'm sorry, Anakin. I thought my teachings had been clear." "I trust Skywalker will understand," Master Windu said.
"We must focus on this young man," Master Yoda said, observing Han.
"From the future as well?" Master Windu asked.
"Yes," Han replied.
"Won't they tell us anything? They've come to save the future, but we can't know how? How do we know they aren't Separatists?" Mace Windu asked suspiciously.
"We must trust them. They will be our allies. Wise are their decisions," Master Yoda said, and everyone nodded. But Mace Windu had his suspicions.
"We must trust them. They will be our allies. Wise are their decisions." Padmé and Satine were waiting to speak with the Chancellor. As soon as the politicians left the Chancellor's chamber, Padmé rushed inside, while Satine waited for her at the door.
"Chancellor," she said, weeping bitterly.
"Padmé, what has happened?" the Chancellor asked, placing a hand on her back.
"Ahsoka, my friend, has been kidnapped by the Separatists," Padmé said, crying.
"How did this happen, Padmé?" the Chancellor asked, feigning concern.
"I don't know, Chancellor," Padmé sobbed. "Chancellor, I know this is beyond your control, that I can't just go and ask you to force the Jedi to rescue her, but it's Ahsoka," she wept bitterly.
"What you ask is very difficult to do, Padmé. It goes against my duties," the Chancellor said.
"I will do anything, Chancellor," Padmé said, kneeling in humility. "Anything. Ahsoka is very important to me, and..." For Ani, if he loses her, I don't know what I'd do.
"Ani?" the chancellor asked, feigning confusion. The girl blushed. "Please, Padmé, you don't have to do this," he said, helping her to her feet.
"Master Skywalker, I meant, sorry, Chancellor," she said, pretending to blush at the name she had used for Anakin.
"Are these two so important to you?" the chancellor asked. "Why, Padmé?" she asked, knowing he was about to question her about her relationship with Anakin.
"Anakin is everything to me," she finally said. "Ahsoka is like his sister, like my own sister too. Anakin would never forgive me if anything happened to his padawan because of me. They were escorting me on Naboo." Padmé wept bitterly, and the chancellor embraced her with a huge smile she couldn't see.
"Do you love him, my child?" he asked with a fatherly expression when Padmé began to stammer and shake her head nervously.
"I—" she began, and the chancellor took her hands, comforting her.
"There's nothing wrong with love. We're human, Padmé. You can trust me."
"I can't love a Jedi, chancellor. What are you saying?" Padmé asked, blushing.
"You can't?" The chancellor raised an eyebrow. "Are you referring to the Jedi Code?" Padmé nodded shyly.
"We're married," she finally blurted out, collapsing to the floor in a flood of tears she didn't even know where she could feign. "I'm sorry, chancellor. I've failed the Republic. I've failed the damned Jedi. Will you expel me from the Senate? Will you tell the Jedi?" Padmé sobbed.
"My child," said the chancellor, feigning surprise. "This takes me by surprise. Anakin never told me this," Palpatine said.
"Please, chancellor," Padmé sobbed, not really knowing what she was asking.
"I won't say anything, Padmé," the chancellor said, stroking the senator's hair. "Padmé, I know what love is. I'm human; it's normal. We would break all the rules for love," the chancellor said.
"You won't say anything?" "Why?" Padmé asked doubtfully.
"You're like a daughter to me, Padmé," the chancellor lied. "It brings me great joy to know you're married to Anakin. He's a good boy; you'll be very happy."
"We can't be happy," Padmé said, feigning her best hateful glare. "The Jedi don't allow it. The code keeps him away from me. It's because of Obi-Wan," Padmé finally said.
"I thought you got along well with Master Kenobi," the chancellor raised an eyebrow. "At least that's what you said last time."
"I don't want to hate you, chancellor," Padmé said, looking him in the face. "But he's jealous of Anakin. He's always criticizing him, always keeping him away from me because he knows how Anakin feels about me. That's why he wanted to bring the duchess to Naboo. I managed to convince her, chancellor. I managed to get them together," Padmé said with an almost devilish smile.
"Padmé," the chancellor said, truly surprised. If Padmé were a user... Of the Force, love would have led her straight to the dark side. This was perfect. The girl was more lost than he had thought; she was the perfect ally. "That's wonderful," he said with an almost wicked smile.
"Aren't you upset, Chancellor?" Padmé asked timidly. "This is personal. I'm not acting for the good of the republic you love so much, for democracy."
"Padmé, you've convinced the Duchess of Mandalore. Many systems will return to the republic because of this, and you've brought her closer to Kenobi. Could I ask for anything better?"
"Isn't this a good thing?" "I'm afraid I don't understand, Chancellor," Padmé said.
"You've given us a perfect ally, you've given me the names of neutral senators, and now you're beginning to see the same evil in the Jedi that I do."
"Evil in the Jedi?" Padmé asked.
"The Jedi want to overthrow the Republic, I'm afraid. My powers are becoming increasingly limited by them, by the Council. I fear they're conspiring against me, Padmé," the Chancellor said, taking a seat and feigning exhaustion.
"That can't be, Chancellor. Anakin would have told me. He loves him; he's his friend," Padmé said, rushing to the Chancellor, helping him sit down, and offering him something to drink, seeing how dejected he looked.
"I know, Padmé. I haven't had anyone to talk to about it, but I'm glad it's you," the Chancellor said.
"Perhaps if I could get Anakin on the Council," Padmé said tentatively, biting her lip.
"-" "Do you think so too?" the chancellor asked, his eyes gleaming. "I had considered it, but I don't know if Anakin will accept. He seems to have a great deal of respect for the Jedi."
"He will accept, Chancellor. He has always known that the Jedi envy him. He is the fearless hero. He has won more battles than anyone on that council," Padmé said with a dark pride, rising to her feet. The chancellor simply watched her. She was certainly no longer the frightened girl who had been queen. This ally was far more powerful than he had imagined.
"He will accept, Chancellor. He has always known that the Jedi envy him. He is the hero without fear. He has won more battles than anyone on that council." "Padmé, I don't want you to think I'm against the Jedi, I'm just worried," said the Chancellor.
"I know, Chancellor, I know you want what's best for us, for democracy," said Padmé.
"I'll speak with Anakin. I'll tell him he'll be my representative on the Council. They'll have to give him the rank of Master."
"It's what Anakin deserves," said Padmé proudly, and Palpatine smiled. The Jedi would never give him the rank of Master, and that would drag him one step closer to the dark side. In fact, it was likely his wife would help lead him to the dark side.
"I know, Padmé. I see a bright future for him," he said, smiling. Soon Skywalker would be his ally, very soon.
"Regarding Ahsoka, Chancellor?" asked Padmé.
"You would do anything for me," said the Chancellor, and Padmé nodded. "And I would do anything for my friends," the Chancellor smiled.
"Will you send someone to rescue her? But how will we know where she is?" The Jedi will not help; they would never break their stupid, sacred rules, not even to rescue a helpless padawan.
"Trust me, Padmé," the chancellor said, reassuring her. "I will do everything in my power to have him back tomorrow. I will use all my authority, but remember, this is only for you."
"Thank you, Chancellor, a thousand times thank you," she said, looking at him gratefully.
"Thank you, my dear. Now, calm down and tell the Duchess to come in. I need to see the treaty you drafted," the chancellor said, and Padmé gave him a knowing look. He smiled back. Padmé pretended to relax and invited Satine inside.
Satine accepted the chancellor's terms. Padmé tentatively mentioned the dangers Master Kenobi faced, and Satine feigned terror. The chancellor looked at Padmé with a knowing smile, and finally, they signed the agreement, which would later be presented to the Senate.
"Thank you very much, Chancellor," Padmé said, and he nodded.
"Chancellor," Satine said, feigning tears but maintaining her characteristic pride.
"Duchess," the Chancellor said, and they both left.
They flew to Padmé's apartment, where everyone was already waiting for her.
"What happened with Ahsoka?" Anakin asked.
"She'll be back tomorrow, she promised me."
"How do you know she's telling the truth?" Anakin asked.
"No one would ever lie to your wife," Satine said, still impressed. "She's incredible," she added, and Padmé blushed.
"Thank you," she said, hugging Anakin, who looked genuinely worried about his Padawan.
Just as the Chancellor had promised, a magnificent rescue took place, and Ahsoka was rescued, much to the Jedi's surprise. The Chancellor had Padmé go and find her herself, and Padmé did so.
When Ahsoka returned to Padmé's apartment, Anakin rushed to her side, asking if everything was alright.
"Everything's fine, Master," Ahsoka replied. "It was a trap, just as Padmé predicted."
"Never again go out like that without telling anyone," Anakin said, and his Padawan nodded. It had been a mistake to go after Captain Solo's ship, but at least they had the ship.
"I'm so sorry, kid," Han said, and Ahsoka nodded.
"It wasn't your fault."
"Ahsoka, I'm so sorry. I should have helped you," Luke began.
"It wasn't your fault," Ahsoka said with a smile. "They would have found out everything. It was better this way."
"Even so," Luke said apologetically, and Ahsoka nodded.
"What do we do now?" Leia asked after Ahsoka finished recounting everything that had happened.
"We'll split into groups," Anakin said, and Obi-Wan listened intently. Anakin's plans were always the best—risky, but they always worked.
Everyone listened carefully. As soon as dawn broke, the plan would begin.