Saying goodbye to Padmé was becoming increasingly difficult for Anakin. He just wanted to stay by her side and never be separated from her again, but he had a responsibility to the Republic, and they had to fight these battles.
"Come on, smarty pants, they're waiting for us," Anakin said, piloting his ship to the Jedi cruiser. Ahsoka was doing the same, and Obi-Wan was already waiting with the squadrons on the cruiser.
"What's the overall mission?" Rex asked, catching up.
"You still don't know the mission?" Anakin asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you spend a lot of time at the clone bar?" Anakin joked.
"No, I already know the mission. I just wanted to make sure you knew it," Rex joked. "And that you didn't forget it while you were busy," Rex teased, and Anakin smiled. Rex was one of his best friends, his partner in battle, and one of the few who knew his secret.
"Very funny, Rex. Come on, we have a battle to win and a Sith Lord to capture."
"I have a bad feeling," Obi-Wan sighed, signaling to Ahsoka to take this opportunity to contact Padmé.
Ahsoka ran to a secluded part of the ship and activated the private communication line she would use to contact Padmé.
"Padmé, have you left yet?" Ahsoka asked, worried.
"Yes, we're behind you at a safe distance," Padmé replied. She could see the cruiser from her position, but she was concerned they might be noticed or mistaken for a Separatist ship.
"Are you using Republic identification?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yes, I don't want them to attack us if they discover us," Padmé replied.
"Good, I programmed R2 to conceal your presence, but Padmé, please be careful," Ahsoka pleaded.
"We will," Padmé smiled. "Oh, Ahsoka, I almost forgot. Is there any way to intercept Anakin's communication channel with the Senate?"
"Are you talking about duplicating his transmission?"
"I want to know everything the Chancellor says to him in private. It's important."
"He'll kill me if he finds out, but of course, it's very easy to do," Ahsoka said.
"Thank you, we owe you one," Padmé said.
"We love you, Ahsoka," Luke joked as Ahsoka swore under her breath. Without a doubt, Luke was a worthy son of his master.
"Don't pay any attention to his jokes, Ahsoka. He's a complete idiot," Leia said, and Padmé cut the transmission.
The twins and Padmé were on Padmé's Nubian ship. Luke hadn't stopped admiring the vessel the entire journey.
"I promise I'll get you one like this someday," Padmé promised, and Luke blushed.
"It's not necessary, Mother," he began.
"Oh, of course it is," Padmé said. "Let me do this for you. Leia, do you want one too?"
"I love you, too."
"I love you, Leia." "It's not necessary, Mother," Leia began, but Padmé looked apprehensive. "Perhaps she'd be very happy with a speeder."
"So be it then. As soon as we return to Coruscant, I'll make sure you have the ship and a speeder."
"Thank you, Mother," they said in unison, and Padmé's heart felt full.
"I don't need to be like that." "Mom, keep your distance," Luke warned. "The Jedi cruiser has stopped."
"Padmé, we've stopped. Keep your distance," Obi-Wan said over the communicator.
"Just in time," Padmé whispered, coming to a stop.
"Luke, it's all yours," Padmé said. She only ever let Anakin pilot her ship when they were in space, but Luke was her son, and she was sure he was a much better pilot than she was.
"Keep an eye on everything that happens with the cruiser," Luke said as he began to pilot the ship.
"Does this have an attack mechanism?" Leia asked.
"I had one installed. We're prepared," Padmé smiled.
"If we have to fight, I'll fire," Leia said, and Padmé nodded.
"I'll fire if we have to." "Let's hope that's not soon."
The Jedi cruiser was stopped for several long minutes. Padmé understood little about the routes they were taking, but there were numerous Separatist blockades that the Jedi would want to avoid. Their mission was secret, so they would avoid the blockades, and there were only two ways to do so: take the long way, stopping at Dantooine, or stop at Corellia. Padmé was certain they would stop at Corellia.
"Padmé, Anakin is close. I can barely give you this information," Obi-Wan said, speaking very quietly. "We'll be stopping in Corellia. We have to re-plot our route. There's an Imperial blockade we don't want to run into," Obi-Wan said and cut the transmission.
"I knew you'd be stopping in Corellia," Padmé smiled, but Leia's face changed completely.
"What's wrong?" Padmé asked.
"Han used to live in Corellia."
"Han? Your boyfriend?" Padmé asked, remembering what she had seen in Leia's memories.
"How do you know he's my boyfriend?" Leia asked, blushing.
"I saw him the other day while we were meditating. I'm sorry," Padmé said, but she wanted to know about her daughter.
"Yes, he was orphaned when he was very young. He lived in Corellia until he joined the Imperials to escape."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Leia. He must have had a difficult life."
"I know I can't do anything for him, I can't intervene, but I'm afraid of finding him here, seeing him suffer, and not knowing what to do," Leia explained.
"Leia, I don't think we'll find Han, and if we do, we must focus on our mission: saving the future," Luke commented.
"I know," Leia sighed, and Luke began to descend after several ships left the Jedi cruiser bound for Corellia.
"Dad, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan are on that ship," Leia said, pointing to the ship on the left.
"How do you know?" Padmé asked.
"I can sense them with the Force," Leia explained, still getting used to the Force.
"I can feel them with the Force." "I'll fly at a moderate speed, Mother. Are you sure they'll let us through?" Luke asked.
"Corellia has no restrictions, and even if it did, they'd let us through. I have a Senate code."
"It's strange to fly without restrictions," Luke commented. "In his time, the Empire ruled everything. All ships flew with restrictions, and those that didn't were hunted down."
"I can't imagine a future without freedom," Padmé murmured worriedly. If they didn't stop the Empire, that would be the future they would all face.
"I couldn't imagine anything different, but now I see it with my own eyes," Luke said hopefully.
"Entering Corellian's atmosphere," Padmé said after they entered the planet. "Let's wait for the coordinates. We don't want to land somewhere that would give us away."
"Padmé, these are the coordinates. Land at the nearby camp. I'll keep my master away from there," Ahsoka instructed and cut the transmission.
"I can't imagine a future without freedom," she said. "And there are our coordinates," Padmé smiled, and Luke landed at an abandoned Corellian camp.
"This isn't a planet, this is a sewer," Leia complained about the smell.
"It's more like a swamp," Padmé grumbled.
"It smells better than a Hutt," Luke remarked.
"You've got a point there," Padmé and Leia said.
They hid the ship in a nearby cave so no one could see it if they passed by. They needed to get close to the Jedi camp, keep track of their movements, and pay attention to the routes and treaties they made. The Chancellor often forged alliances by leveraging the Jedi's influence on missions. Obi-Wan and Anakin were known for cultivating good relationships; Anakin was known as the fearless hero for a reason. It was these good relationships that the Chancellor exploited, but she could stop him.
"How do you plan to do it?" Luke asked, confused. He didn't understand politics.
"Acting as a messenger," Leia replied.
"But Mom's a Galactic Senator, everyone knows her. How will she do it? You can't just take her place, you look too much alike."
"A little camouflage," Padmé smiled, and Leia nodded. All they needed to do was change their usual attire and maybe change their hair a bit. Bail Organa had gotten them fake IDs that said they were messengers for the Galactic Senate. For all intents and purposes, no one would know who they worked for, and very few would ask.
"I don't understand women," Luke sighed.
"You should change a bit too. You still look too much like Dad."
"Fine," Luke said resignedly.
They dressed him in a robe similar to a Jedi's and left the camp.
"Padmé, where are you?" Ahsoka asked over the communicator. "I've had a moment to step out. I'm heading back to the camp."
"Ahsoka, let's meet north," Padmé instructed, and the trogut headed that way.
"Has anyone seen Ahsoka?" Anakin asked, needing to give her some directions.
"She said she had to make a call from her ship," Obi-Wan lied.
"If you see her, tell her I need to speak with her," Anakin said with a sigh.
"I think it's a good disguise," Ahsoka smiled, observing Padmé. "If my master sees you, he'll recognize you immediately, but no one else would, I hope."
"Any information?" Padmé asked.
"A Separatist blockade near Onderon. It's gigantic. We don't have the necessary firepower to bypass it," Ahsoka said.
"Which route will they take then?"
"Which route will they take?" "We can't go near Onderon. We only have two options: stop over at Hosnian Prime or Nal Hutta," Ahsoka explained.
"Nal Hutta is hostile territory, mostly inhabited by criminals," Padmé said. "The best option you could take would be Hosnian Prime."
"That's what I'll suggest. I think they'll listen to me. Anakin usually hates Nal Hutta," Ahsoka said, trying to figure out how to convince her master and Obi-Wan.
"However, I'll go to Nal Hutta," Padmé said thoughtfully.
"You?" the three almost shouted.
"They're looking for a Sith. Obi-Wan explained to me that Anakin is sure it's Count Dooku, but Obi-Wan doesn't believe that. Nal Hutta is the breeding ground for powerful criminals. I'll pay for information and I could find good allies for our cause," Padmé explained.
"Get bandits and smugglers?" Ahsoka asked. Incredulous
"Smugglers aren't all bad, are they, Leia?" Padmé asked, and the girl smiled.
"Not all of them are bad," Leia said. "What Mom says is a good idea. We must save the Republic. A Separatist blockade of Onderon was too convenient. It was as if they wanted to drag the Jedi cruisers to the Core Worlds, away from the Outer Rim. However, Padmé thought no one would expect a Republic senator to visit a place like Nal Hutta. She might also discover if there was a plot against the Jedi."
"Even so, Padmé, if Anakin finds out I let you go to Nal Hutta alone, I'm sure he'll suggest I be expelled from the Jedi Code, especially if he finds out that his two sons, whom he doesn't know are his, were there too."
" "Ahsoka," Padmé smiled tenderly, "I've been involved in many conflicts before, though I wish to go alone," Padmé said, looking at her children.
"Absolutely not," Luke said, and Leia agreed. "If you're going to put yourself at risk, so are we."
"But I don't want to risk them," Padmé said worriedly.
"We're going, and that's final."
"It's a fair deal, Padmé," Ahsoka said. "I don't even agree."
"We'll be fine. How long will it take to refuel all the ships?"
"We'll leave tonight. I'll let you know the destination as soon as I know," Ahsoka said, and Padmé nodded.
"Good. I must head to the heart of Corellia first. I need to speak with a representative," Padmé explained.
"You won't get there on foot. Take two speeders from the ship that's farthest away. I'll distract them so you can get them," Ahsoka suggested, and walked with the group toward the camp.
Padmé and her sons stole the speeders without being noticed by absolutely anyone.
"Oh, the Force! I just stole a speeder from the camp of the famous General Skywalker," Padmé smiled. "This will be a historic day."
"Is my father's precognition that good?" Luke asked.
"It's legendary," Padmé said, secretly feeling vain for having managed to circumvent Anakin's legendary precognition.
They arrived in the capital of Corellia, a far cry from the swampy area where they had landed. Padmé hoped to speak with a ruler who might ally themselves to their cause, but she was quite surprised when she saw two representatives of the chancellor in Corellia. She had a bad feeling about it and instructed her sons to proceed with caution; they should follow them.
They followed them through numerous streets until they reached a gigantic building. Padmé knew it was a shipyard; it didn't look abandoned at all. Corellia was famous for its ships and pilots, but it wasn't part of the Galactic Senate; it was merely a potential neutral trading partner.
Somehow, they managed to infiltrate enough to overhear a conversation between the Chancellor's representatives. Padmé was greatly surprised when the one who appeared in the hologram wasn't the Chancellor as they always saw him, but Sidious.
"Everything is proceeding according to my lord's orders," the representative said.
"Excellent," said Sidious's sinister voice. "In a few months, we'll have indestructible ships."
"Are you recording that?" Padmé asked Leia, who nodded. But suddenly, another of the Chancellor's representatives appeared.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" he demanded, and Padmé and Leia fired before he could alert the others, but the sound of the gunfire gave them away.
"Idiots, don't let them escape," Sidious said, not recognizing them.
"Run!" Padmé told her children. They reached the speeders.
"Which way?" Luke asked.
"To the Jedi camp!" Padmé shouted.
"The Chancellor will have us captured, and they'll recognize us."
"He won't. He can't involve the Jedi in this. I'm sure they're not aware of any trade agreement for ship manufacturing, and the Senate definitely isn't," Padmé stated.
"They're coming too close," Luke said, firing his weapon. The disintegrator. If he used his lightsaber, he could defeat them, but they would mistake him for a Jedi, and that would be too suspicious.
"We're close," Padmé said, although that wasn't entirely true; there were still many minutes before they could return to camp.
They managed to escape after 40 minutes. Once the first Jedi ships were sighted, the Chancellor's representatives withdrew; they couldn't compromise themselves.
"Obi-Wan," Padmé said, calling into the communicator. "Obi-Wan, answer me."
"Padmé?" "Why do you have a private communication channel with Obi-Wan?" asked Anakin's voice from the other end of the communicator.
"Anakin?" asked Leia. Luckily, her voice sounded very similar. "It's Leia Starkiller."
"Sorry, Leia, I mistook you for someone else," said Anakin, quite confused. "Why do you have a private communication channel with Obi-Wan?" he asked.
"He has it because I asked him to," said Obi-Wan, appearing on the scene. He had forgotten the communicator, and unfortunately for him, Anakin had found it. "We also had one for you, but I got out first and didn't get a chance to give it to you." Obi-Wan smiled, tossing a communicator to Anakin.
"I still don't understand its purpose," said Anakin, looking at the communicator.
"We want to change the future, Anakin," said Leia. "It's important that we're in communication with most of those who know our origins." Leia lied.
"What was happening anyway, Leia?" asked Obi-Wan.
"-" "I was just testing if this communicator was working. Luke hit it with his lightsaber while training," Leia said, and Luke's muffled groan could be heard.
"Anakin blew up a ship when he was trying to control the Force," Obi-Wan joked, and Anakin groaned.
"Sorry to interrupt. If there's anything important to say, I'll contact you," Leia said, ending the transmission.
"That was close," Padmé said, her heart in her throat.
"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan instructed, "go and see what happened." Ahsoka did as he was told. "Also, tell the squadrons the new route. We'll explain later."
"Where are you going this time, Ahsoka?" Anakin asked.
"I asked her to tell our squadrons the route so it will be easier to explain the journey at nightfall." Anakin nodded, pleased with the answer. Hiding this from him would be really difficult, Obi-Wan thought.
"Ahsoka, go and see what happened." Ahsoka ran as fast as she could toward the camp where Padmé and her children were.
"I don't have much time. What has happened?" she asked.
"Keep this recording. Only you and Bail Organa will have it," Padmé explained. "Sidious is in it. It's irrefutable proof that the chancellor is Sidious. Those seen in the image are the chancellor's assistants."
"Are they building ships here on Corellia?" Ahsoka almost shouted. "We must report this. That would explain the military power you discovered in the future."
"This certainly explains it," Luke said. "But it's not yet time to betray the chancellor."
"How will we stop the weapons being built if we can't alert anyone?" Ahsoka asked.
"I'll go to Nal Hutta. Now is an excellent time to deal with criminals and smugglers."
"Are you planning to sabotage the construction?"
"I'll go to Nal Hutta. Now is an excellent time to deal with criminals and smugglers."
"Are you planning to sabotage the construction?" "Exactly," Padmé smiled, hoping no one was hurt.
"Padmé, please be careful," Ahsoka said, taking the recording and saying goodbye.
After giving Ahsoka a copy of the recording, Padmé called Bail Organa and sent it to him.
"Padmé, I know you have enough money to deal with smugglers, but please accept my help," Bail Organa said.
"Thank you, Bail," Padmé replied, accepting his offer. They would need a lot of money if they wanted to deal with smugglers.