Saga Racing Through the Stars (A/P, Obi-wan, Mace) - SEQUEL to DWTSW - Complete!

KELIA ? Aw, I?m so glad you liked it! Thank you so much!

Gina ? Your enthusiasm made me smile!

Lady_Jade ? Well, they have to escape first!

MasterEnder ? Loved the happy dance! Very enthusiastic!

ChewbacaRocks ? I?m thrilled you enjoyed it!

HandmaidenVeme ? When faced with a power like that, evil is in trouble!

Luna_Nightshade ? In my opinion, Padmé isn?t one to take things lying down ? that?s why I got so aggravated over her limited role in ROTS.

Mrs_Anakin_Skywalker ? You?re about to see Jarrick?s Plan B. It?s not too impressive.

FitJedi ? Another chapter, coming right up!

VaderLVR64 ? We still have a little bit to go, but thgat doesn't mean that everything will be resolved? After all, we have another story after this one.

Jaira ? Aw, thank you for the kind words!

ALL ? I meant to post this yesterday, but RL got in the way! I plan to post another update tomorrow, but it may not be until Tuesday. Thanks for reading!

---

"I'm afraid the tables have turned, Jarrick," Mace growled. "You are under arrest. I hope for your sake that you will come willingly."

Padmé as watched the three Jedi raised their hands, summoning their light sabers from the folds of the dark lord's cloak. Anakin gripped his tightly, his mechanical fingers barely stopping short of bending the hilt. She sent him a wave of reassurance through their bond, noting the way he immediately relaxed.

"Your victory is fleeting, Master Jedi," Jarrick snarled, the honorable title spinning off his tongue maliciously. "We will triumph in the end. You are only postponing the inevitable."

"I don't think so," Mace murmured.

The three Jedi started forward cautiously, holding their weapons in a defensive position. They had only taken a few steps when a large blast rattled the building from within.

"I believe your stay has been extended after all? [i]indefinitely[/i] by the looks of it," Jarrick gloated. Cracks appeared in the ceiling above them, revealing the fact that the building's structure was already beginning to crumble.

Knowing time was not on their side, Mace reached for their captor. His hand had nearly made contact when a blinding flash of light sent him reeling. By the time the room returned to its normal state, the spot where Jarrick had been standing was empty.

"Blast!" Obi-wan muttered.

Any further regrets were put on hold as their precarious situation became more obvious.

"How do we get out of here?" Anakin asked, his voice straining to be heard over the din of the collapsing building. He put a protective arm over Padmé, trying to shield her from some of the flying debris.

"Artoo!" she gasped. Ducking under Anakin's embrace, she hurried to her cloak and grabbed her com-link, praying that it was still functional.

"Come in Artoo!" she cried. "We need to find a way out of here."

There was a moment of silence and her heart began to sink to the floor that was now shaking violently beneath her feet. She hoped the fierce little droid hadn't gotten captured; he did have a tendency to rush into situations without much caution.

[i]Of course, I'm not much better,[/i] she admitted ruefully.

Her patience was rewarded as an urgent series of beeps and whistles crackled across the device. Within seconds, her datapad chimed, indicating that it was receiving information. Her fingers slid across the floor, trying to locate it underneath the growing pile of dust and building fragments.

Anakin rushed over to help her and she nearly wept with gratitude when he pulled it free. Glancing over his shoulder, she saw that the screen was filled with a map of the complex, depicting all of the various exits with a bold highlight.

"Good job Artoo!" she called into the com-link. He responded with a shrill scream, indicating his discomfort with the rapidly deteriorating situation.

"Don't worry,

 

OH COME ON,, you left it there!!! Evil Evil Cliffie!
Great chapter... I hope they make it out.

 

Whoa - talk about upping the suspense!

I certainly hope the Jedi are fast swimmers.

Great update

 

Anakin sighed deeply, his blue eyes traveling morosely over their worried faces.

"The hatches are operated automatically by the main control system," he murmured quietly. "Once the system goes offline, it's over. The hatches will freeze in place...

And we could be trapped until our lungs run out of air."



Whoops! Swim Jedi, swim!
I hope they have long breaths, or else.....

 

How could you leave it ther, of all places you had to leave it there!!!!
What about there little breather devices?

That was another great post.

Thanx for the pm, and please post soon

 

I always smile when I open my PM box and I see one from you letting me know you've updated! Sometimes it's the happiest PM I get!

Another great update, though ANOTHER evil cliffie! I can see someone has been teaching you about leaving your readers hanging!

 

Oh noes! Strangely reminds me of another time... in another trash depository...

Great cliffie! Good job! Do they happen to have those nifty Jedi breathers on them? Of course, then Padme wouldn't have one... hmm...

 

That was one crazy exciting update! I'm with everyone else, hopefully the Jedi have their breathing devices on them (I think they're called rebreathers?). Unless she was given one at the start of the mission, Anakin can always share his with Padme. Still a tough situation to be in, talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place!

 

Uh-oh!

You left us hanging on another cliffie?!?

Nice nod to the OT, having them plunge into a trash chute.

I, too, hope they have breathing devices, but for some reason, I have the feeling you're not going to let them out of this situation without torturing us a little more.

As always, a wonderful post!

 

We're having mood swings again. It's all happy, love wins yay! Then suddenly, Oh no! They're all gonna die anyway! Will you make up your mind!

Just Kidding, I'm just a sucker for cliffies. Can't wait to see what happens!

 

What is it with Skywalkers and the trash chutes???




another evil cliffie!!!! You know, you're quite good at those....

 

A CLIFFHANGER?!?!?! How could you?

 

Fit Jedi ? Sorry about that! Bad, cliffie, bad!

KELIA ? I?m glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Thanks!

Mrs_Anakin_Skywalker ? This chapter would officially be my worst nightmare if it ever happened to me! Yikes!

ChewbacaRocks ? Unfortunately, they don?t have their utility belts with them ? Jarrick took those when he took their light sabers.

VaderLVR64 ? Aw, that is so sweet to hear! Thank you ? that totally made my day!

Luna_Nightshade ? They would have those breather things if stupid Jarrick hadn?t taken their utility belts away!

HandmaidenVeme ? Definitely a rock and hard place ? also known as ?VA_Parky?s worst nightmare.?

Gina ? Hee! You know me too well, so as you guessed - they do not have their utility belts... Glad you liked the nod to the OT w/ the trash chute. Thanks!

MasterEnder ? Isn?t it a woman?s prerogative to change her mind? Hee! Thanks for your continued support!

Lady_Jade ? The Skywalkers are drawn to them like magnets, what can I say?

Jaira ? At least I don?t leave you hanging for too long, right?

ALL ? Sorry I didn?t update before today ? real life has been so busy lately! See you on Friday!

---

"Well then," Obi-wan finally managed. "We can only hope the computer system stays online for a bit longer." He smiled casually before swimming over to Mace, where they hurriedly began the arduous task of strategizing.

Padmé turned back to Anakin, her heart sinking at the sight of worry and concern in his eyes. She reached out slowly and ran a gentle hand down the side of his face. Turning into her palm, he kissed her fingertips, sweetly ignoring the flakes of debris that were clinging to her skin.

"We'll make it through this," he promised firmly.

She curled a strand of his hair around her pinky, noting how the texture remained silky despite all he had been through. "I know," she replied.

Anakin opened his mouth to say something else, but was halted by the screeching sound of gears as they engaged. It could only mean one thing - the final cycle was about to begin.

"Anakin, you are to go first," Obi-wan instructed. "Padmé, you?ll follow; Master Windu and I will be right behind you."

"May the Force be with us," Mace added quietly.

Anakin nodded respectfully before drawing in a deep breath. With a kick of his booted feet, he dove beneath the surface, sending ripples across the dirty water. Padmé followed a split second later, slicing cleanly through the water.

[i]Pretend you?re swimming in a lake, that's all,[/i] she commanded herself. [i]Just like you have hundreds of times before.[/i]

She reached the bottom and her comforting illusion vanished instantly. The water had turned dark and cold, making her wish she could bob right back up to the surface. Nevertheless, she entered the narrow opening, swimming forward until she came up against a barrier - the second hatch.

Reaching blindly, her fingers brushed against someone?s tunic and she grabbed hold of it, happy for the contact. Although the sound was considerably muffled, she still managed to hear the first opening slam shut? the two-minute waiting time had started.

[i]Well done, Padmé!

Yes, Senator - you are quite adventurous. It seems Skywalker has found a perfect match.[/i]

Master Windu's unexpected compliment pleased her and she found herself blushing. Unfortunately, the peaceful feeling didn't last long, as her lungs started burning in a persistent demand for air. Anakin sensed her distress like a knife to his heart and squeezed her shoulders supportively.

[i]How much longer?[/i] she silently pleaded.

[i]Less than one minute,[/i] he replied. [i]Stay with me, angel.[/i]

She tried to heed his comforting words, but the instinct to breathe was reaching an unbearable level. She made a small sound in the back of her throa

 

Yea - the droids save the day!



I loved Tx-306's "Drowning is unacceptable" comment.

I think we would all agree with that!

Wonderful update

 

Ugh... just reading that made my lungs hurt. I was a swimmer for many years and the though of holding your breath like that makes me want to throw up.


Poor R2, I thought for the first time in his life, he wasn't going to complete his mission! But with a little droid bonding, his friend helped him out.

This is still a cliffhanger, but I'm not that worried. They'll be okay, they always are. Just not after scaring us thoroughly!

 

Yes, Senator - you are quite adventurous. It seems Skywalker has found a perfect match


I'm running out of breath here too, the idea alone!

R2 is fantastic, as always...

 

you know.....you had me there for a second.


Yay for R2!!!! (and the other droid of course)

 

Artoo! Another wonderful update. I'd marry Artoo if I could!

 

Jees, I was running out of breath just reading that!!

All I can say is that they better be okay!

Great update as always.

Thanx for the pm, and please post soon

 

I was looking forward to this chapter but I was a little apprehensive. I guess it's because for me drowning would be one of the worst ways to go. In spite of all that I did try to hold my breath while I read. Pretty weird, but I have a feeling I wasn't the only one to do so .

R2 is so deserving of an oil bath, you just gotta love him! I hope he was able to get out okay.

 

OH I'm on pins and needles. I hope they make it out alive.

 

and for Artoo! Poor thing needs a good hug... if he likes that sort of thing.

Good job!

 

Artoo saves the day!!! Like always....

 

KELIA ? Hee! Yes, TX-306 has a tendency to state the obvious.

MasterEnder ? I know, I can?t imagine having to hold my breath for that long ? no thank you! If I did happen to survive, I?d end up with swimmer?s ear ? I always manage to come down with that.

Mrs_Anakin_Skywalker ? Aw, yeah ? Artoo is a favorite of mine!

Lady_Jade ? Padmé is a smart cookie, she knows that you should always keep that little droid around in case of a crisis.

VaderLVR64 ? I?m so glad you liked it, thank you! Three cheers for Artoo!

ChewbacaRocks ? The good news is that you don?t have long to wait to find out how they fared!

HandmaidenVeme ? Aw, your comment made my day. To think that you were holding your breath as you went along ? that means that the chapter managed to come across as suspenseful!

FitJedi ? Read on to find out, although I?m sure you can guess their fate.

Luna_Nightshade ? I think Artoo?s favorite reward would be some tinkering from Anakin ? a few upgrades, you know?

Jaira ? That little droid really doesn?t get enough credit, does he?

ALL ? Well, I am happy to say that we made it to Friday! And would you believe that we only have ONE more chapter after this? However, this is only the second story in my ?Reality Triology? so we?ll be back in the thick of it before too long. Have a great weekend ? see you on Monday with the conclusion to ?Racing Through the Stars!?

---

Padmé broke the surface of the T'olp Reservoir with a loud gasp, giving in to the coughing fit that followed. Treading water, she watched Anakin, Obi-wan and Mace pop up one-by-one, each jedi grinning widely in relief.

They all made their way to shore, temporarily giving in to their exhaustion. Instinctively, she reached out for Anakin's hand, relaxing slightly as it curled into hers. The sounds of Jarrick's fortress crumbling could be heard in the distance, and soon a large plume of smoke spiraled above the tree tops.

The Divided Systems headquarters had been destroyed.

She sat up slowly, wiping her face and crinkling her nose at the dark green ooze that came away on her fingertips. [i]How lovely![/i] She rolled her shoulders gingerly, wincing as she felt the pull of the jagged scrapes across her back. Without even looking, she sensed Anakin taking in the sight of her injuries ? the rush of anger that spread through their bond was red hot in intensity.

"I'm okay, Ani," she whispered.

Her voice grew louder as she directed her next comments to the Jedi Masters. "I just hope I don't have to slide down any drainage pipes in the near future - at least, not while wearing an evening gown. I'm beginning to believe you Jedi don't know how to repay a kind gesture."

Anakin began to smile at her lighthearted words, his initial rage draining away. Getting to his feet, he extended his hand and she accepted it gratefully, standing just as Obi-wan and Mace walked over.

"Senator, you do raise a good point. Why did you feel the need to dress so formally for your rescue mission?" Obi-wan teased.

"Well, public figures must strive to look their best, no matter what the occasion," she retorted. Affectionately, she wiped a trail of slime from the front of Obi-wan's cloak. "This just brings back such fond memories of the babops, right?" Her sarcasm was rewarded by a burst of laughter from the two Jedi Masters.

His manner once again turning serious, Mace bowed and said, "We are so relieved you are safe, Milady."

"Thank you, Master Windu. The feeling is mutual," she assured him. "I only wish we could have detained our captor. I fear it is only a matter of time before Jarrick strikes again."

"He is dangerous indeed," Obi-wan agreed, his tone somber. "He seems to have an easy control over the Dark side - a talent that even the most knowledgeable Force-user couldn't begin to master on his

 

Whew! OK the crisis is over, let's get back to the race! I can't wait to see who wins. Wouldn't it be sad if neither of them did. Well, let's not think about that. Great Update!