"Where are you going! There's no lagrange point in this direction, and the shields can't take another hit like that!" Captain Typho growled. Only his natural stoicism keeping his voice from revealing the rising level of panic he was feeling.
Glancing at the sensor display, I let out a small sigh of relief at seeing us finally exit the missile range of the two security platforms we'd blazed past as we left orbit. They'd fired more than a hundred and twenty concussion-missiles at us in four great converging salvos, because I'd threaded the needle to avoid the majority of the effective turbolaser fire. It was a holocaust of ordinance only my ability to precisely predict their trajectories had allowed us to evade. Even then, the shields had taken one near-direct hit, and been caught within the blast of a second warhead. Those two detonations had been enough to reduce the skiff's shields to the point they were barely strong enough to handle basic hazards to navigation.
Fortunately, there was a bright side to our recent near-death experience. Since it was "impossible" for a Senatorial shuttle to survive a full weapons-free release by not one but two advanced orbital weapons-platforms, the eight Munificent-class Star Frigates which had suddenly jumped in-system as we were leaving the atmosphere hadn't made any move to pursue us. They'd simply fanned out to cover the other seven areas of the star system representing viable jump-points, and released their swarming complements of vulture-droids in spherical dispersion patterns to preclude even the faint possibility of our slipping past one of them. The two native Lucrehulks which had been in orbit had already launched their own vulture-droids in pursuit of us, but the vessels themselves were far too slow to play any meaningful role in the chase.
"Artoo, I need everything you can squeeze from the sub-light engines" I called back over my shoulder. Still guiding the ship toward the one portion of the star system not being covered by any of the warships.
Looking at a secondary viewing screen where she was buckled in at the rear of the cockpit, Padme's worried voice echoed Typho's, as she spoke up "Knight Skywalker, I don't claim to be an expert pilot, but I know enough about flying to know you need a lagrange point to engage the hyperdrive. You're flying us into the system's asteroid belt. Which represents countless mass-shadows precluding the existence of such a jump-point. Is there any particular reason you're trapping us in a system full of hostile warships, or have you suddenly lost the will to live?"
Shaking my head at their lack of faith, I pointed at the blinking comm-array and said mildly "You might want to get that, Captain. It's liable to be important."
Glaring at me, Gregar touched a button. Causing an image of my mentor's head and shoulders to appear. Her lined face looked as serene as ever, as she remarked "I trust this frenzied all-encompassing effort to annihilate the three, excuse me, four of you isn't justified by any carnage on the surface?"
"Just a couple hundred thousand credits worth of shorted-out generators and power conduits, Master. I think they're expressing their unhappiness with our having gotten away not only with proof that Senators Dod and Clovis are engaged in treasonous collusion with the ruler of Geonosis, but a holo-recording showing the saboteur of Tynna quite welcome down there. In command of Neimoidian legionnaires and Colicoid droidekas, no less. The recordings make it clear she's there on behalf of Poggle the Lesser, with the knowledge of Senator Dod, and the Neimoidian Defense Legion. Ventress explicitly taunted me with the fact her force was coordinating with both the Neimoidians aboard the security platforms, and the ships in-system" I answered with a calm which was only possible due to the Force's serene song.
All the calm unconcern fled my teacher's face in an instant. "Anakin, these are IG.BC ships. If you escape with proof the Senator of Scipio is committing treason, hardly anyone in the entire Republic is going to view the recorded telemetry we've got on eight IG.BC warships trying to stop you as anything but a desperate attempt on the part of the IG.BC as a whole to cover up what Rush Clovis is doing with the ruler of Geonosis. No one is going to believe a rogue element in the IG.BC could suborn this many ships without the knowledge of the Chairman and their board of directors. Blood of the Force, this is a twelfth of the InterGalactic Banking Clan's primary Default Asset Acquisitions fleet. They'll do anything to stop your getting away with those recordings!"
I nodded grimly as I watched vulture-droids continue to hurtle our way. Flinging the shuttle into a tight spin to the right as I avoided fire from the nearest trio of droid fighters. Buying time for the shields to regenerate with my best evasive maneuvers. "Is everything ready on your end?" I asked hurriedly. Not allowing the pressure I was feeling to show on my face, or be heard in my voice.
"Seraph's been fit to bursting these last few hours, but she's finally finished converting all this ingested rock and metal to surplus ordinance. You know what you're proposing is entirely mad, yes? This entirely theoretical proposition is going to require split-second timing, and even then, we may end up annihilating ourselves" Dark Woman answered levelly. Holding up a hand when she saw I was about to reply. "I know, it's not as if we've another choice. Not with this level of coverage of the lagrange points. I'm sending you the data with the coordinates where I deployed the mining-charges. Once you pass the fifty thousand kilometer mark, I'll go to rapid-fire with her lava-cannons and blast whatever sizable chunks survive the detonation of the charges. If you can survive the jump, I'm sure your Force Bond with Seraph will allow her to follow you. That's a very, very big if, however." Her voice making it clear she had some reservations about my plan despite our lack of options.
"Would one of you mind telling us just what mad proposition you're gambling all our lives on?" Padme asked. Her voice surprisingly calm and collected under the circumstances. I glanced back over my shoulder. Flashing her as reassuring a smile as I could manage while I did so.
"It's a pretty simple plan, actually. If the mass shadows of the asteroid belt are what's preventing the existence of a viable jump-point, then what if we just got rid of the asteroids? Not all of them, of course. My mentor's spent most of the last day seeding a small corridor with charges used to break up the rocks in an area where the average asteroid is on the smaller side, and Seraph's going to blast any chunks the collective shock-wave doesn't send flying out of the designated corridor. The temporarily empty space created will be far too small and too full of low mass-shadows for a nav-computer to plot a viable jump, but the Force will allow me to make a jump no machine could ever manage. Seraph is no mere starship. She's a living vessel with a profound link to me. Seraph can follow me anywhere, if given the chance, so all my Master has to do is jump in our wake." I explained with the thrill I always got amid life-threatening danger.
"You're utterly mad!" Gregar exclaimed in a near-shriek. He was glaring daggers at me from the co-pilot's seat, and I could feel his outrage over my taking such a risk with Padme's life.
"If you have a better idea, Captain, I'm open to suggestions. I don't think our pursuers are going to be open to a diplomatic solution, however. If we give ourselves up, I guarantee we'll all be killed attempting to escape" I replied with all the calm confidence I could push into my voice.
"We do seem to be short on alternatives" Padme allowed in a reflective tone. I was incredibly impressed by how she'd crushed the tendrils of fear which had been snaking their way into her mind. Now, she was looking at me with calm consideration, and finished by remarking "I hope for all our sakes you're as good a pilot as you think you are, Jedi Skywalker."
"I hope so, too" I thought, but pointedly did not say.
We crossed the fifty thousand kilometer mark, and the space ahead of us blossomed into a corona of fire. The cockpit view-screen instantly damping what was transmitted, as hundreds of charges went off at once. Vaporizing some floating rocks, and sending many others tumbling out of the affected area. Immediately, Seraph shimmered into existence. A cloaking-device I had acquired for her under questionable circumstances in a certain Museum of Failures belonging to a dead man no longer concealing her elongated blue-green teardrop shape from others' view or sensors. The under-slung maws of a half-dozen lava-cannons capable of spelling a frigate's end if allowed to fight her way spitting balls of highly reactive white fire with the speed and force of rail-guns. Normally, her rate and total volume of fire would be considerably less to avoid straining her physiology, but Seraph was nothing if not loyal. She might not be capable of comprehending all the details, but Dark Woman would have communicated the only point my beautiful predator would care about.
Her master had need of everything she could give, so she would give until there was no longer need, or she died. It hurt me to put her through this, but this was the very last of last resorts. If I hadn't been trained by one of the most pragmatically paranoid Jedi presently living, we wouldn't even have this option.
The near-solid streak of burning white orbs were spat at any obstructions which dared bar our way. Slamming into the few chunks of metal and rock the charges hadn't done for, and either vaporizing them, or turning them into scattered fragments so small their shadows would be meaningless.
"Artoo, kill the safety on the hyperdrive please" I called over my shoulder. Turning back to watch, as my fiery angel continue to pour destruction into the space ahead of us. Her cannons more one slashing blade of sheer destructive fury than simple ballistic weaponry.
A loud beep, followed by a prolonged whirring told me the hyper-competent droid had fulfilled my request. Doing in under a minute what it would have taken me ten times as long to accomplish. I closed my eyes and blotted out Gregar's growl of protest as he noticed me doing so. Allowing my awareness of the Force to blossom outward as far as I possibly could, my hands began to fly over the navigation console. I hesitated a moment as what I perceived as a dark blot on my consciousness momentarily fouled where and when we needed to be. Sighing in relief a moment later, as that blot abruptly vanished.
"Hold onto your seats!" I suddenly warned in a voice tight with concentration. Inputting the last series of numbers the Force provided me with, as a viable pathway through a maze of mass finally finished making itself known.
The skiff shuddered around us, then the stars streaked in a bizarrely curving manner. For one heart-stopping instant as the forming blue-white tunnel seemed to weirdly distend outward, I was sure I'd killed us all.
Then space resolved into the familiar circular passage of hyperspace a split-second later. Seeing it, I suddenly sagged in my seat. Feeling the strain of the last few minutes acutely.
"Are all Jedi as mad as you, or are you a special case?" Gregar's voice sounded half-bemused, half ready to throttle me. I noticed a distinct lack of courtesy toward the Jedi present in his tone, but decided under the circumstances it would be undiplomatic to point that out.
Streaks of light resolved back into a field of stars several hours later. Looking at the navigation readout, I saw we were as anticipated in the Commenor System. Yet there was no possibility of my relaxing as yet. Not until I knew my teacher and Seraph had likewise made their escape.
Seeing the readout himself, I felt Gregar's surprise over our location. "Commenor? Why in the name of all that's sane and rational would you run closer to the Neimoidians? Their homeworld is one kriffing jump away!" He'd gone from wanting to half-throttle me, all the way to desiring his hands around my neck as a more than passing fancy. In his mind, I continued to be incredibly reckless with the life of the woman who'd put the stars in the sky as far as he was concerned. If I didn't provide an excellent rationale for our proximity to Neimoidia, I wasn't willing to bet against the chances of his taking a swing at me.
Fortunately, I had just such an answer. "There were only two systems we could have run for, Captain. The Quellor System is the way most people would have gone, because it's further from any Neimoidian systems. It's also an isolated backwater without a significant planetary defense force to patrol the system. It's the kind of system where anything could happen, and the locals would go along with the account of events preferred by the people who ship in their food and hold the markers on their debts. Our other choice was an extremely affluent system no more beholden to the Trade Federation or IG.BC than anyone else. Somewhere with a very robust planetary defense force that patrols the system regularly. One which would at least report any untoward happenings."
Gregar seemed to be mulling that over, so I added "Besides, we'll only be staying long enough to- Oh, thank the Force!" I cut across myself, as I noticed a familiar sensor return resolve within a hundred and seventy-five thousand kilometers. Almost immediately, the comm system began blinking to indicate an incoming message.
Toggling the comm, I gave my mentor a relieved smile, then said "I don't believe I've ever been more glad to see you, Master. Please tell me Seraph's not too badly injured."
Smiling faintly herself, Dark Woman's nod loosened a knot in my chest. "The barrels of two of her lava-cannons suffered some damage due to exceeding her normal rate of fire for such a protracted period of time, but the injuries are well within her ability to heal. Provided she's afforded time to do so in peace, that is." Her voice was it's usual quintessential calm, but I knew her well enough to detect a significant amount of relief concealed beneath all the poise.
Finally, I could settle back in my chair and begin to accept that, against all the odds, we'd actually succeeded. My silver-haired mentor's blue eyes sparkled intently despite presently being a hologram. She seemed to be able to read me like a book (as always), so it was no surprise to me when she said "You've had your few seconds to rest, Anakin. Now, get that ship moving in Coruscant's direction."
She paused for a few moments then. Seeming to weigh her words even more carefully than usual while doing so. When she spoke up at last, her voice sounded strange to me. "While meditating among the asteroids, I had a vision. The first which proved to be more than a few semi-coherent fragments strung together in many years."
I sat up straight at this news. Immediately opening my mouth to ask what she'd foreseen. Only for the Jedi Master to shake her head firmly and say "Now isn't the time to get into it. We need to return to the Temple, and the sooner, the better."
The hologram disappeared a moment later to punctuate her statement. Leaving me wondering what exactly she'd seen, and how serious it must be if the normally fiercely independent Jedi Master's first thought was to notify the High Council.
I turned to my companions and, injecting all the "The Jedi knows what's going on, and everything is under control" poise I'd actually been trained to project into my voice, asked "Everyone ready to get back to somewhere where our enemies use subtler methods than concussion-missiles?"
Neither Gregar or Padme looked amused by my question. While R2-D2 emitted a snarky beep-beep-zing-zzzt. Letting me know he didn't appreciate my effort to cut the tension, either.
"No credit for orchestrating a miraculous escape from a near-perfect trap, I see" I muttered just loudly enough to be heard.
Punching in nav-coordinates for our next jump terminating in the Brentaal system, I transmitted our transponder-code to the hailing patrol craft out from Commenor. Giving the next system along our planned route as the bare-minimum response to a request-for-itinerary the defense-force ship was entitled to inquire about, before indicating our next jump was imminent. I was glad to handle the affair without verbal communication, because customs and patrol officials were always nosier when they didn't have to deal with either typing their own queries, or waiting for such to be done before receiving what was relayed to them.
Finally, the Sphyrna-class Corvette wished us an uneventful journey and quickly moved off far enough to avoid being a navigational hazard as they continued on with their circuit. I was glad there hadn't been any physical contact between our skiff and Seraph, because that would have screamed "nefarious dealings" to a patrol which dealt with smugglers, pirates, and roaming fences dealing in the wares of both as their primary reasons for being. Though I did wonder what they were making of my darling's unique sensor-returns.
Shrugging off the encounter, I throttled up the hyper-drive. Watching as the star field streaked and turned into a hyper-space corridor once more, I turned over the cockpit to Captain Typho. Unclipping my harness, then going aft to check on the sub-light engines. We'd pushed them more than was wise, so I wanted to make sure there was no unpleasant surprises in our future.
-------
Several minutes later, I heard a light tread on the deck-plating, then heard Padme's melodically resonant voice. "I want to apologize if we seemed ungrateful, Jedi Skywalker. You've done everything in your power to keep us, keep me, safe, and you not only did so under exceptionally trying circumstances. You avoided killing or even seriously injuring anyone. I'm sure Master Dark Woman is exceptionally proud of the Jedi Knight you've become."
I turned away from the sub-light engine diagnostic panel I'd been studying, and said in a quiet way "Thank you for that, but I'm the one who should be apologizing, Senator. I told myself you probably hadn't even noticed my avoiding you, but that was a lie. You've been nothing but courteous and cordial, while I've been distant to the point of projecting hostility up until this mission. I'm sorry for making my problems yours."
Inclining her head slightly in acknowledgement of what I'd said, she observed "There's no reason we can't start over, if you aren't simply being diplomatic because you're trapped in close proximity to me for most of a day. You could try using my given name, rather than remaining so formal every time we interact."
I winced a little at the hint of suspicion in her voice, but forced myself to meet her gaze directly as I replied "I'm not really one for diplomatic gestures, and I truly didn't mean to cause you any distress, S-, Padme. You can call me Anakin, if you like."
She seemed to consider what I'd said for a few seconds. Cocking her head slightly, there was an expression of clear curiosity on her heart shaped face, as she belatedly inquired about my earlier comment "If it wouldn't be prying too much, would you mind my asking what the personal problems of a Jedi look like? I would have thought holding yourselves separate from a society whose people you're forbidden to become personally involved with would prevent many of the issues which are a struggle for the rest of us. Especially when you have so many older and more experienced Jedi Masters to help you find the niche where you'll thrive."
A moment later, she added "Please don't take this the wrong way, but, you seem quite different from Obi-Wan, Master Jinn, or even your teacher."
It shouldn't have surprised me she was this perceptive. Even if her notion of what it meant to be a Jedi was only partially accurate, that was to be expected. The Order had spent centuries convincing people our insight and abilities gave us the means to conquer the foibles of the human condition. The better to persuade those we strove to serve of our trustworthiness and commitment to the Republic's highest ideals. When in reality, the truth was a great deal more complicated. In part due to our being vulnerable in a way no one who wasn't Force-sensitive either could be, or would ever even completely understand. My first instinct was to draw back and tell her that, yes, it would be prying. Yet as I sensed her surprisingly strong desire to understand and help me with whatever was troubling me, I looked into those expressive, intent, and inviting dark eyes. Finding I did actually want to talk. It wasn't an impulse which was necessarily rooted in any particular bit of reasoning on my part, but her understanding and knowing me better was suddenly something I valued very much.
"I wasn't raised in the Temple creches, or trained in the usual manner. I'm, something of an unusual case, you might say." I knew my answer was one which invited questions, so I patiently waited while the woman opposite me decided on one.
Padme seemed to consider my statement for a few moments, but when she finally responded, it seemed like a bit of a non sequitor to me. "I saw most of the duel between Master Jinn, Obi-Wan, and the yellow-eyed Zabrak. The one with the double-bladed lightsaber we encountered on Tatooine, then again on Naboo. Initially, he seemed to be trying to coax both Jedi into following him down a corridor leading to the reactor-chamber, but Master Jinn made it obvious he wasn't having any of that. Captain Typho and the rest of my guards were trying to shepherd me out of the hangar at the time, but our movements seemed to catch the assassin's attention. He turned into a blur as he tried to race past both Jedi in an inverted "V" movement to get at me, I think. He failed, obviously, because Master Jinn was just as fast. He got there in time to block our adversary's way, with Obi-Wan arriving maybe a second later. Together, they drove the Zabrak back, and allowed us to withdraw."
She gave me the kind of inscrutable look Master Yaddle sometimes did, before commenting "None of them moved like you did, back there. The three of them were all streaky, indistinct silhouettes, but you could at least see where they were going. You, on the other hand, seemed to simply disappear, then reappear beside me. It was like you hadn't even covered the intervening couple hundred meters." Her tone seemed to invite elaboration on my part, but this kind of questioning was beginning to feel all too reminiscent of the kind of scrutiny I was subjected to inside the Temple.
"One way of looking at it would be my having devoted many thousands of hours to honing the Force Speed technique you're describing. Likely more hours than Master Jinn and Knight Kenobi together have spent on honing this particular technique, because it has far greater utility for me than it does for either of them. Unlike them, I was trained by a member of a Force-tradition which specializes entirely in using the Force to augment their physical performance. Meaning not only is my baseline stamina much greater than that of Jedi who haven't had such training, I've also learned how to temporarily boost my available physical reserves at need. Allowing me to perform feats with physical Force-augmention normally only possible for the most skilled Jedi Masters" I calmly explained as I met her gaze unblinkingly.
Padme wasn't deterred for an instant from cutting to the heart of the matter by my misleading answer. Her instinct for winnowing through convoluted assertions to get at the truth serving her well, as she responded "That explanation seems to beg the question, What other way of looking at it is there? It seems to me like you hoped that very detailed and technical explanation would preclude my inquiring about any other explanation. If you don't want to share something with me, Anakin, then please, just say so. You don't owe me your deepest secrets, but I'd appreciate it if this conversation could continue without word-games or comments designed to mislead. I get quite enough of that while carrying out my duties to do everything in my power to avoid such tactics in my scant free time." Oddly, for being such pointed statements, the words were delivered in a much gentler tone that made them less a rebuke, and more a simple comment regarding her feelings in the matter.
I sighed and looked away, before replying heavily "I was born with the strongest connection to the Force ever recorded. My midi-chlorian count is a little shy of thirty-two thousand. Coupled with my gifts for working with technology, piloting, lightsaber combat, and soaking up Force-techniques like a sponge? It results in a lot of scrutiny being directed my way for what, rather than who I am." It sounded so strange to me. Saying this aloud, rather than having every five year-old youngling in the Temple just knowing all of this.
The dark-haired ex-queen was silent for a couple of seconds, before remarking "I know something about wanting to be seen for the content of one's character, and struggling to overcome perception to do what you believe is right." Her smile was warm bordering on dazzling as she said this, and I could feel a strong surge of satisfaction in her at the same time. The cause of which took me a moment to place.
"It's somehow comforting to know at least one Jedi is down here in the muck of the human condition with the rest of us." It was a comment I might have taken to be rather mean-spirited, if I couldn't see her teasing smile, or sense the growing rapport caused by my being clearly uncomfortable during my admission.
"Oh, boy." I found myself thinking. Even as the concern I should have been feeling at this development seemed to get lost in that smile being directed my way.