They were in her stateroom, the one they had insisted on giving Padme, the largest and most comfortable. She of course had tried to refuse. She could sleep in the cargo hold, or in a chair, she didn't care. They knew this was true, but something about Padme made beings want to give to her.
He wanted to give her everything, but of course, she would not want it. Navigating his marriage with Padme was like stumbling through a dark room sometimes, Anakin thought. He had believed on their wedding day that love would see them through any difficulty. What they felt was so huge that it would crash through every barrier.
He still believed that with all his heart. But he had not imagined, on the day of his wedding, that some of those barriers would lie within his wife herself. He did not think that he wouldn't be able to talk her out of putting herself in danger. He had secretly hoped that, in time, she would resign her Senate seat. As the wars went on, she would see how ridiculous it was to try to talk planets out of something that would bring them more power or more wealth.
Now he saw how naïve he'd been. She would never quit the Senate. She would keep talking about justice with the last breath in her body. She believed that words mattered.
He accepted that. He was even proud of her reputation as a sharp-tongued orator. In the Senate, held together somehow by the strength of Palpatine, she had made enemies. He feared for her. It was a nameless dread that sometimes could clutch him by the throat and drive the air from his lungs.
"We're not at Azure yet," he said. "And it won't he long before the Separatists come after us. Did you see how Magus targeted Taly? Now they know that Taly has contacted us, and that means he cannot be allowed to live. If he throws his knowledge on the side of the Republic, they'll do anything to stop him. His life is not safe until the Clone Wars are over."
"I didn't think of that," Padmê said. "Of course that is true."
"The Jedi must remain on Azure to ensure that the Republic experts can deploy the codebreaker. Then we must accompany the experts to another safe location. At least in the beginning, we're going to have to keep moving. That's why you must return immediately to Coruscant with Taly."
Her expression turned flinty. "That sounds like another order."
"No. It is a necessary step to protect you and Taly, and you know it. And it is a request," he said, softening his voice. He was relieved when he saw her slowly nod.
"All right."
"Padmê." He reached out for her hand. He needed the reassurance he felt when he touched her. "Your job lies in the Senate. My job lies is in the field. Until these wars are over, that is the way it must be."
"I hate these separations."
"No more than I."
"We chose this life," she said. "But it's so hard to live it."
"It's worth it, to know that you're mine. But if anything happened to you, I don't know how I could survive it. I can't . . . I can't lose you."
"I feel the same."
She stood, her cool fingers sliding out from between his. She began to pace. "But the secrecy is tearing me apart. I'm always afraid I'll betray us with a look or a word. Sometimes I wonder . . ."
"What?" he asked. If she hadn't been so agitated, she would have recognized the tone in his voice, a warning.
She whirled to face him. "Did we do the right thing? Not in loving each other — we couldn't help that — but in marrying? I've put a wedge between you and the Jedi."
"No, you haven't."
"But your first loyalty is to me," Padmê said. "That makes your path confused. I know enough about the Jedi to know how wrong that is."
"It is they who are wrong." Ana kin insisted. "I am strong enough to do both, and they can't see it."
The comm unit crackled, and they sprang apart instinctively. They heard Obi-Wan's voice. "Anakin, are you there? Come to the cockpit immediately."
They hurried down the corridor into the cockpit. Taly was standing with the codebreaker. There was a mixture of awe and trepidation on Obi-Wan's face.
"It works," Obi-Wan said. "We've been listening to coded Separatist communications. It really works."
"There's too much space interference here," Taly said. "We have to get to the spaceport. Clearing devices can be used with it But we were able to hear something."
"What did you hear?" Anakin asked.
"They are moving ships and troops," Obi-Wan said. "A massive battle is planned. But we can't seem to pinpoint the location. Originally, it seemed to be planned for Nativum, which we suspected. But that changed to a new target recently."
"If we find out in time, we could score a great victory," Padmê said.
Obi-Wan nodded. "We could destroy most of their fleet."
Padme gripped the console. "If General Grievous is with it, we could win the war," she said.
CHAPTER 29
Azure was a tiny planet with no strategic importance. It was a blue dot in a vast expanse of space. It stood alone, not part of a system, and had no satellites. It boasted a spaceport that took up a good portion of its land. A convenient way station for those traveling through the Mid-Rim, but not a draw in itself. It had no industry, no minerals, and no great wealth.
In other words, it had no reason to exist in the minds of the Separatists, and made a perfect secret base for the Republic, one of many in the galaxy.
They landed without incident. It seemed impossible that they had come so far, had made the journey without trouble. The crucial piece of equipment that could turn the tide of the war was now in Republic hands.
Taly handed it over to the tech experts with regret on his face. "It is my greatest invention," he said. "Now I must lead the life of a fugitive."
The cluster of tech experts hurriedly transported the codebreaker off to the command post. They were followed closely by General Solomahal. Recently promoted to the post, the Lutrillian could hardly contain his satisfaction at having the codebreaker arrive at his base. He had assured the Jedi that the name of Azure would live on in the chronicles of the war.
"This is the day the war will be won," he said, the large furrows in his head deepening.
Anakin didn't approve of such talk. The war had not been won yet. Even if they found out where the Separatist fleet was heading, it remained to be seen whether they could get enough Republic ships organized for a surprise attack.
Still, it was hard to concentrate on the matters at hand when Padmê was leaving. He had tried to contrive a way to say good-bye to her alone, but it would attract too much suspicion. They would have to bid farewell to each other in public. He hated that. She told him with her eyes that she hated it, too.
"Good-bye, Senator Amidala," Obi-Wan said, bowing. "Have a safe journey, and may the Force be with you."
He stood there, not moving, waiting for Anakin to say good-bye. Anakin swallowed his resentment. It wasn't his Master's fault that he did not give him privacy.
Anakin bowed. When he lifted his head, he told her with his gaze how much he would miss her. "Safe journey, Senator. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."
"I'm sure we shall." Soon, she mouthed to him.
"Taly, you have done a great service to the galaxy," Obi-Wan said.
"We are grateful," Siri said.
"I hope the war ends quickly," Taly said. "Even though it's good for business."
His eyes twinkled when he said it. Was he really as cynical as he appeared? Anakin didn't think so.
Under the cover of her robes, Padmê placed her hand in Anakin's, squeezed it for a moment, then dropped it. The touch was so quick that he barely had time to register it.
She had mentioned regrets. He had never had a chance to ask her what she meant. Now she was going and he didn't know when he'd see her again.
Padmê walked up the ramp of the cruiser. General Solomahal could not spare a pilot so Padme would guide the ship to Coruscant, with a few clone troopers accompanying her for protection. She sat close to the windscreen so that she could see Anakin. She didn't lift a hand or smile but she kept her gaze on his a
s she fired the engines. Then the silver ship lifted and streaked into the sky.
Anakin kept his eyes on it. Was this his fate, he wondered, to know that something was his, but yet never be able to truly possess it?
He heard the stamp of boots behind him, but he didn't turn. He wanted to watch the silver ship.
"We have a problem," General Solomahal's voice boomed out.
Anakin turned reluctantly.
"There was a tracer imbedded in the codebreaker," General Solomahal said.
"Helina Dow," Siri said. "She must have put them in both prototypes."
"So the Separtists might know it's here on Azure," Obi-Wan said.
"I think that's a fair assumption," General Solomahal said. "The reason you could not pinpoint the site of the Separatist attack was because there was not yet a target. Not then. They were waiting to see where the codebreaker would end up." The General paused. "The target is here. The Separatist fleet is heading to Azure spaceport."
CHAPTER 30
The Jedi rushed to the command center. Countermeasures had already been ordered. Every available ship in the Republic fleet was streaming toward Azure.
But they were hours away.
"How many battle cruisers do you have in the spaceport?" Anakin asked the general.
"Not enough," he said grimly. "A small fleet. Here." He called up the list on the datascreen. Anakin leaned over to study the specifications.
"Let's divide the fleet into two divisions," Anakin decided crisply. "Hold off the second for spaceport defense. I'll lead the first to try to draw off some of the Separatist fleet. Our strongest chance is to keep them busy until the bulk of the Republic ships arrive. I'll need your best pilots."
The general blinked his heavy-lidded eyes at Anakin, as if he needed time to process that a commander was giving orders to the general in charge. Luckily, General Solomahal was a practical sort, a soldier who did not care where the best tactical ideas came from, as long as they came.
"Lieutenant Banno," General Solomahal said, turning to a tall Bothan at his side. "Take Jedi Commander Skywalker to the fleet. He'll be in charge."
The lieutenant nodded. Anakin started away, but Obi-Wan put a hand on his arm. "Anakin, take care. May the Force be with you."
Anakin nodded, but Obi-Wan could see that his mind was already moving on to the battle ahead. They could have no better air commander than Anakin for this battle.
The lieutenant and Anakin hurried off. Obi-Wan and Siri turned to the large, circular monitor in the center of the command room. The Separatist fleet was close enough now to be tracked.
Obi-Wan could see instantly by the size of the fleet that the spaceport was extremely vulnerable. Siri frowned at the monitor.
"Here," she said, grabbing a laser pointer. "And here. That's where they are vulnerable. If Anakin can get to the rear —"
Obi-Wan nodded. "We don't have to defeat them. We just have to slow them down."
"They don't know that we have the codebreaker working, so it's possible they're expecting to launch a surprise attack," Siri said. "That could be an advantage for us. Do you see this small cloud nebula? If Anakin could get his ships to lurk there until the last possible second, when the fleet has already passed him . . ."
Obi-Wan was already pushing the comm button. He quickly gave Anakin the coordinates of the nebula. "Do you see it?"
"I've got it. There's quite a bit of atmospheric disturbance within it," Anakin said. "I might lose communication capability temporarily."
"We'll have to risk it. Then if you could manage to sneak down the side flank to the rear — that's where the big gunners are."
"Got it."
They watched as the blip that was Anakin's ship peel off, followed by the rest of the small fleet.
Obi-Wan turned to General Solomahal. "You'll have to time the countermeasure artillery attack to when Anakin attacks the rear. There will be confusion then. I'd try to hit the lead ship."
He nodded. His face was grim. "We will do our best, Commander."
"They are approaching the outer atmosphere of Azure airspace," Siri said. "There are some civilian ships heading into deep space . . ." Suddenly one blip flared and disappeared. "They're firing on civilian ships!"
A sinking feeling hit Obi-Wan. "Where are Padmê and Taly? Are they out of range?"
Siri went pale. "They're on the fleet's right flank."
Obi-Wan reached for his comlink, but suddenly Padme's voice filled the air. "Come in, General. They're firing on us. . . . We can't hold the ship. . . ."
"Evacuate!" Obi-Wan shouted at her.
"Anakin!" Padmê shouted.
The blip that was Padmê's ship flared and disappeared.
"It's gone," Siri said. "Padmes gone."
CHAPTER 31
"No," Obi-Wan said. "They got to an escape pod. Look." He pointed to the monitor. A tiny pulse was moving. It could have been space debris, but Obi-Wan knew it was Padme. He could feel it.
"She's going to land outside the spaceport. We have to help them," Siri said.
"There are starfighters fueled and waiting in the hangar," the general said. "We still have the codebreaker working on communications. Keep your comm open and I'll feed you information."
They ran to the hangar and leaped into the two starfighters at the head of the line. Nearby pilots were rushing to their ships. Anakin had burst out of the nebula and hit the fleet in the rear with his small squadron. The battle had begun.
Obi-Wan and Siri took off, flying in formation.
"I've received a distress call from the planet's surface," General Solomahal said, giving them the coordinates. "It's out where the survival systems for the planet are based — the water conduits, the fuel tanks, the fusion generators. Watch your flank — the fleet is planning to turn at eighty degrees."
Obi-Wan and Siri executed a diving turn to avoid the fleet. Obi-Wan could hear the chatter of the pilots on the comm. Anakin was flying brilliantly, taking chances that the pilots could not quite believe and inspiring them to try similar feats.
By the end of the Clone Wars, he'll be a legend, Obi-Wan thought.
The air around the ship suddenly lit up. Obi-Wan felt the thud of cannonfire.
"On your left!" Siri shouted.
He turned and went into a screaming dive. Siri followed.
"Two starfighters have been ordered to break off and follow you," General Solomahal barked. "They are ordered to shoot you down." He quickly told Obi-Wan and Siri the angle of attack.
They were able to turn at the last minute and surprise their attackers. Laser cannonfire boomed, and the ships went into spiraling, smoking ruin.
Obi-Wan and Siri peeled off and continued toward their goal. From this angle, they were far enough away to get a clear look at the battle.
His heart sank. He believed in Anakin. He believed in the strength and will of the Republic pilots. But he knew the exact time it would take for the rest of the Republic fleet to arrive. The battle was already lost.
His heart heavy, he contacted General Solomahal. "General, I suggest you give the codebreaker to your best pilot and get it off the spaceport now. We have to risk it. We can't have the codebreaker fall into Separatist hands."
"Are you insane, General Kenobi?" The general's voice boomed out. "That's our only hedge against disaster!"
"I agree with Commander Kenobi," Siri said. "It's vital that the codebreaker remain safe. We can see clearly from up here. Ultimately, we cannot win this battle. I also suggest that you stand by to evacuate the base. We need to save as many Republic soldiers and ships as we can."
"It's a little early for surrender."
"I agree. There are still blows that can be struck. But it's inevitable," Obi-Wan said. "We need to cut our losses."
"You are too cautious, Commander Kenobi. I think we can win this."
"Commander, we can see things better up here," Siri said.
"I have a monitor here, too, Commander Tachi. And I don't have time for this argum
ent. Save your Senator and your scientist and come back to fight."
Cannonfire blasted, and the controls shook in Obi-Wan's hands. He and Siri had blundered into the center of a battle between Republic starships and an attack ship they were peppering with fire and trying to disable. Obi-Wan saw cannonfire rip into his hull. Smoke poured from Siri's fighter. Quickly, they zoomed up and around the battle. When they were through the worst of the fire, they returned to their course and dived down to the planet's surface.
Obi-Wan heard his comm unit crackling. He must have sustained some damage to the circuitry when the ship was hit.
They saw the escape pod resting in an industrial area. Padme had guided it to a safe landing between gigantic fuel tanks. Obi-Wan let out a low whistle as he landed gingerly next to her. It must have taken nerves of steel to navigate between those tanks. Escape pods weren't known for their maneuverability.
Siri landed close by and they hurried over to Padmê, who was holding a blaster rifle casually at her side. Her clone trooper escort must have landed elsewhere, but the pod had had enough room for Taly to join her.
"Happy to see you," she said, though her face betrayed her. She was disappointed, too. She'd been hoping for something, Obi-Wan thought. The answer sprang instantly to mind. Anakin.
"Anakin is in command of the air battle at the moment," he told her.
She smiled briefly. "How close is the Republic fleet?"
"Still hours away," Siri said.
"Even a codebreaker can't save this battle, can it?" Taly guessed shrewdly.
Obi-Wan decided not to answer the question. No matter what his doubts, he wouldn't want to voice them except to the commanding general.
But Padmê, too, was too shrewd not to see. She glanced up at the sky. "We should get the codebreaker off planet."
"Let's escort you and Taly to safety first," Siri said. "I think one of us should pilot you out of here."
"We can return to the command post," Padmê suggested.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not safe. We'll have to get you through enemy lines and to the nearest safe port." But which of them would do it? He looked over at Siri. They both wanted to stay to fight the battle, but she knew that it would be harder for him to leave his Padawan.