My Unfortunate Fate

chapter 86

Pride and jealousy are doomed emotions. 

I open my eyes and realize I am inside the Invisible Hand. Anakin's plan, as outlandish as it is, worked. 

I try to land as gracefully as possible, but the speed of our approach makes that impossible. My shaking hand tries to remove my safety harness, and I get more frustrated every time the clasp slips out of reach. Finally, I get it, open my cockpit, and hop out. 

Obi-Wan and Anakin are taking care of the remaining battle droids. They look like a team. They work in tandem, and it's usual for them. They've been doing this for longer than I've known either of them. The fact that they end up back-to-back when they're done only unites them further. 

I make my way over to them, calmly, as I'm in no rush. Perhaps I should be, but I don't care enough about the Chancellor to run. 

"Artoo, locate the Chancellor," Obi-Wan orders, just as I join them. 

I lock eyes with Anakin, and he looks around, scanning the hangar. "Where's Caleb?" he asks. 

"Shit," I whisper. 

"Language," Obi-Wan says sternly. 

"I know, I know," I say, turning on my comlink. "Caleb, are you okay? Where are you? We're inside the hangar." 

"Master, I'm sorry, I had to turn back," he says. "I wasn't going to make it." 

"I understand. You shouldn't sacrifice yourself when it's unnecessary. Get back to the cruiser; Admiral Yularen will tell you what to do next." 

"Okay. Good luck, Master," Caleb tells me. 

"May the Force be with you," I correct. 

"Right. May the Force be with you, Master." 

"And also with you, Caleb." I turn off my comlink and look up. "Has Artoo found him yet?" 

Obi-Wan nods, pointing to the hologram R2-D2 projects. "The Chancellor's signal is coming from right there—the observation platform at the top of that spire." 

Odd. I thought the spire housed the bridge, which it often does on other ships. Why would a Separatist warship need an observation platform? That room is typically only found on civilian or travel starships. 

Anakin looks back, concerned, at the rest of the hangar. "I sense Count Dooku." 

"I sense a trap," Obi-Wan says. 

"Next move?" 

"Spring the trap," I answer. 

The three of us smile. It's been a while since we had a mission like this. Although the fate of the Republic is in our hands, I feel less pressure without being responsible for a squad of clone troopers. 

Artoo whistles, so we turn to him. 

"Artoo, go back," Anakin says. "I need you to stay with the ship." 

"Here." Obi-Wan tosses him a comlink. "Take this and wait for orders." 

R2-D2 whines, wanting to come with us. "I'm always the lookout," he says in binary. 

"Oh, stop being dramatic," I retort. "You'll survive."

***

Having found a viable elevator shaft, we play a game of patience: say nothing, do nothing, just wait. I'm better at this than my husband. We wait until we hear the floors being trodden on by heavy objects. 

"Destroyers," Anakin says, whipping out his lightsaber. 

Obi-Wan and I follow suit. One droideka settles in front of us, followed by a few more, rolling through the corridor. It shoots at us. We deflect. I redirect every shot toward the wall. After all, the shields make the destroyers pointless targets, and I don't care for the structural integrity of this ship. We'll escape in fifteen minutes, maximum, according to my predictions.