Desperate Measures (3/?)
This fic is rated: PG
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters/Pairing: Mace Windu, ofc, Chancellor Palpatine
Timeline: during RotS
Summary: the escape continues ... but Mace is still feeling the effects of the Force Lightning
Word Count: 1,399
Feedback: yes, please! Concrit welcomed.
Distribution: archiving, linking or remixing ok, just credit me and drop me a line!
Cross-Posted were_lemur, skywalker_days
My FanFic Masterlist
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars. I own a 22-year-old pickup truck. I hope that Mr. Lucas will accept this story as the tribute to his genius it is, and not sue me for what little I have. No infringement is intended, no profit is being made.
The Story So Far ...
As the light swept across the warehouse floor, Padawan Givera Mayak wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her lightsaber. But Master Windu put his hand on her wrist, shook his head.
She barely dared to breathe; their pursuers might have listening devices too. Might have a whole squadron of troopers up there looking for them. Might be waiting to drop in a flash-bang or something deadlier -- p for plenty, Kaver had told her once.
She wondered if Kaver -- or Toll or Ramic or Carud or any of the dozens of troopers she'd fought beside -- had been at the Temple. If one of them had killed Master Temmik.
There is no passion, there is serenity. She let out her breath and with it her grief, her anger, her thirst for revenge. Emptied of everything but the Force, she waited as the light swept past the door, and then re-angled. After a long moment, it disappeared altogether. She listened as the craft (the detached part of her mind recognized it as a larty) moved on.
For now.
"They'll be back," Master Windu said what she'd been thinking.
"Where do we go?"
"Down," he said. "We need to make it to street level." He closed his eyes for a long moment, swaying on his feet.
Givera tightened her grip around his waist, tugged at him until he took a step. "Then what?"
"Lie low." His voice sounded like it came from far away. "Find a way off-planet."
"All right," she said. She helped Master Windu limp along the corridor to the lift-tube. But when she touched the plate, there was no response. The power was down.
They'd have to find the stairs.
In the dim light, Givera saw Master Windu's eyes defocus for a moment. Then he pointed back the way they had come. "That way," he said.
She tightened her grip on his belt, taking as much of his weight as she could, and they ventured into the dark bowels of the abandoned building.
*
"Chancellor."
Palpatine looked up at the white-armored trooper expectantly. But the clone's words were not at all the reassuring confirmation he had been expecting.
"We were unable to locate Master Windu's remains."
Cold fear flashed through him. "I gave you the location," he snarled.
The trooper took an involuntary half-step back. "We will redouble our efforts, Chancellor."
Palpatine dismissed the trooper from his office and his mind, filled with the cold certainly that they would not find what they were looking for. Instead, he called up his head of security.
Minutes scraped by and turned to hours as the security analysts compiled scraps of information, sought connections. And finally, found a possibility ...
*
In the utter dark of the stairs, Givera had lost track of time. She'd fallen into a rhythm -- step down with her left foot, wait for Master Windu to get his left foot and then, carefully, his right foot down, and once he was steady, put her own right foot down.
She didn't even realize that it was getting lighter until she saw that one of the lights in the stairwell was flickering.
"Do you think that the lift tube will work on this level?"
"Go and check," Master Windu said. His voice was weak. "I'll wait here."
She frowned at him, unsure. "Master ... "
"I just need to rest for a few minutes."
"All right," Givera said reluctantly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
She sprinted off into the semi-darkness
*
"Chancellor, we received a report of an airspeeder loitering in a restricted area near Master Windu's projected trajectory. It evaded the security droids and escaped. A similar vehicle was reported as being shot down near the Jedi Temple; it has not been recovered.
Palpatine felt the cold knot around his malformed body. Intellectually, he knew that the Force Lightning had been enough to kill Windu -- but he had not accomplished the downfall of the Jedi by leaving anything to chance. He reached out into the Force -- and found it full of the echoes of dying Jedi.
If Windu was alive, he was insignificant against the clamor.
For a moment, he considered sending Vader in search of the mysterious speeder, but dismissed the idea. His young apprentice was still too fragile. Having him kill Windu for a second time that night might be too much.
He needed to get him off-planet, out of the way, for a few days.
Besides, even if Windu was alive, he would be weak. This was a job that could be delegated. Palpatine looked at his head of security. "I want that speeder found, and the remains of all occupants brought to me."
"If there are survivors -- "
"I don't want survivors," he snarled. "Consider them armed and extremely dangerous."
*
Even at this level, most of the lift tubes were down. Finally, at the far side of the building, miles away, Givera found a cargo tube that came to her summons. She started the long jog back to Master Windu.
She was halfway back, when a black cloak of terror passed over her. She was being hunted, she had to hide --
As quickly as it had come, it was gone. But it left a lingering fear behind. She had to get to Master Windu.
It seemed to take forever to reach the stairwell, and she was certain that Master Windu would be dead. But he opened his eyes when he heard her approach, and pulled himself to his feet. "He's looking for me."
"Then we have to go." She slid herself into position, and they began the long walk.
Though Master Windu had regained some strength, it didn't last long. By the time they'd been walking half an hour, she was taking as much of his weight as before; halfway there, she was supporting him almost completely as he stumbled along, his head down, all his strength going to the effort of putting one foot in front of the other. He was sweating as if he'd run the whole way.
Givera started playing games with herself -- telling herself she just had to reach the next light fixture or door. And then the next one, and the next, and she had to keep going because the sense of being hunted was still with her.
She could just make out the lift-tube that was her goal in the distance, when Master Windu staggered as if he'd taken a body-blow. He dropped to his knees; only Givera's grip on his belt kept him from collapsing completely.
"Master Windu, what's -- "
"Depa ... " The name was nearly a moan.
Givera remembered hearing that Master Billaba had been injured on a mission and was incapacitated. She'd been in the Healers' wing -- and once the Temple was secure, the troopers would have gone there and started executing the helpless patients.
Master Windu must have felt her death.
Givera tightened her hold on his belt and drew on the Force for strength. If he couldn't walk, she'd have to carry him. But as she shifted to get him into position, the knowledge came to her -- he'd suffocate under his own weight.
She froze, realizing for the first time what had been done to him. How the lightning she'd seen fading when he fell had stolen his strength, his will, his fighting spirit. He'd been calling on the Force to keep moving.
But now, Master Billaba's death had broken him.
Givera let out a sob. If he died, everything was lost. And she could feel his life ebbing away with every shallow breath. "Please, please stay with me!"
His only response was to sag lower.
She could think of only one thing that might wake him. Except ... could she be that cruel?
She could.
She straightened and dragged Master Windu up onto his knees. "If you die, the order dies. Is that what you want?" She grabbed his chin and tilted it up. "Is that what Master Billaba would want?"
He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. Got one foot under him. Givera pulled him to his feet. But even as she got him moving again, she knew that she had to find someplace to hide -- and soon. Even calling on the Force, it was only a matter of time before he collapsed.
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters/Pairing: Mace Windu, ofc, Chancellor Palpatine
Timeline: during RotS
Summary: the escape continues ... but Mace is still feeling the effects of the Force Lightning
Word Count: 1,399
Feedback: yes, please! Concrit welcomed.
Distribution: archiving, linking or remixing ok, just credit me and drop me a line!
Cross-Posted were_lemur, skywalker_days
My FanFic Masterlist
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars. I own a 22-year-old pickup truck. I hope that Mr. Lucas will accept this story as the tribute to his genius it is, and not sue me for what little I have. No infringement is intended, no profit is being made.
The Story So Far ...
As the light swept across the warehouse floor, Padawan Givera Mayak wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her lightsaber. But Master Windu put his hand on her wrist, shook his head.
She barely dared to breathe; their pursuers might have listening devices too. Might have a whole squadron of troopers up there looking for them. Might be waiting to drop in a flash-bang or something deadlier -- p for plenty, Kaver had told her once.
She wondered if Kaver -- or Toll or Ramic or Carud or any of the dozens of troopers she'd fought beside -- had been at the Temple. If one of them had killed Master Temmik.
There is no passion, there is serenity. She let out her breath and with it her grief, her anger, her thirst for revenge. Emptied of everything but the Force, she waited as the light swept past the door, and then re-angled. After a long moment, it disappeared altogether. She listened as the craft (the detached part of her mind recognized it as a larty) moved on.
For now.
"They'll be back," Master Windu said what she'd been thinking.
"Where do we go?"
"Down," he said. "We need to make it to street level." He closed his eyes for a long moment, swaying on his feet.
Givera tightened her grip around his waist, tugged at him until he took a step. "Then what?"
"Lie low." His voice sounded like it came from far away. "Find a way off-planet."
"All right," she said. She helped Master Windu limp along the corridor to the lift-tube. But when she touched the plate, there was no response. The power was down.
They'd have to find the stairs.
In the dim light, Givera saw Master Windu's eyes defocus for a moment. Then he pointed back the way they had come. "That way," he said.
She tightened her grip on his belt, taking as much of his weight as she could, and they ventured into the dark bowels of the abandoned building.
*
"Chancellor."
Palpatine looked up at the white-armored trooper expectantly. But the clone's words were not at all the reassuring confirmation he had been expecting.
"We were unable to locate Master Windu's remains."
Cold fear flashed through him. "I gave you the location," he snarled.
The trooper took an involuntary half-step back. "We will redouble our efforts, Chancellor."
Palpatine dismissed the trooper from his office and his mind, filled with the cold certainly that they would not find what they were looking for. Instead, he called up his head of security.
Minutes scraped by and turned to hours as the security analysts compiled scraps of information, sought connections. And finally, found a possibility ...
*
In the utter dark of the stairs, Givera had lost track of time. She'd fallen into a rhythm -- step down with her left foot, wait for Master Windu to get his left foot and then, carefully, his right foot down, and once he was steady, put her own right foot down.
She didn't even realize that it was getting lighter until she saw that one of the lights in the stairwell was flickering.
"Do you think that the lift tube will work on this level?"
"Go and check," Master Windu said. His voice was weak. "I'll wait here."
She frowned at him, unsure. "Master ... "
"I just need to rest for a few minutes."
"All right," Givera said reluctantly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
She sprinted off into the semi-darkness
*
"Chancellor, we received a report of an airspeeder loitering in a restricted area near Master Windu's projected trajectory. It evaded the security droids and escaped. A similar vehicle was reported as being shot down near the Jedi Temple; it has not been recovered.
Palpatine felt the cold knot around his malformed body. Intellectually, he knew that the Force Lightning had been enough to kill Windu -- but he had not accomplished the downfall of the Jedi by leaving anything to chance. He reached out into the Force -- and found it full of the echoes of dying Jedi.
If Windu was alive, he was insignificant against the clamor.
For a moment, he considered sending Vader in search of the mysterious speeder, but dismissed the idea. His young apprentice was still too fragile. Having him kill Windu for a second time that night might be too much.
He needed to get him off-planet, out of the way, for a few days.
Besides, even if Windu was alive, he would be weak. This was a job that could be delegated. Palpatine looked at his head of security. "I want that speeder found, and the remains of all occupants brought to me."
"If there are survivors -- "
"I don't want survivors," he snarled. "Consider them armed and extremely dangerous."
*
Even at this level, most of the lift tubes were down. Finally, at the far side of the building, miles away, Givera found a cargo tube that came to her summons. She started the long jog back to Master Windu.
She was halfway back, when a black cloak of terror passed over her. She was being hunted, she had to hide --
As quickly as it had come, it was gone. But it left a lingering fear behind. She had to get to Master Windu.
It seemed to take forever to reach the stairwell, and she was certain that Master Windu would be dead. But he opened his eyes when he heard her approach, and pulled himself to his feet. "He's looking for me."
"Then we have to go." She slid herself into position, and they began the long walk.
Though Master Windu had regained some strength, it didn't last long. By the time they'd been walking half an hour, she was taking as much of his weight as before; halfway there, she was supporting him almost completely as he stumbled along, his head down, all his strength going to the effort of putting one foot in front of the other. He was sweating as if he'd run the whole way.
Givera started playing games with herself -- telling herself she just had to reach the next light fixture or door. And then the next one, and the next, and she had to keep going because the sense of being hunted was still with her.
She could just make out the lift-tube that was her goal in the distance, when Master Windu staggered as if he'd taken a body-blow. He dropped to his knees; only Givera's grip on his belt kept him from collapsing completely.
"Master Windu, what's -- "
"Depa ... " The name was nearly a moan.
Givera remembered hearing that Master Billaba had been injured on a mission and was incapacitated. She'd been in the Healers' wing -- and once the Temple was secure, the troopers would have gone there and started executing the helpless patients.
Master Windu must have felt her death.
Givera tightened her hold on his belt and drew on the Force for strength. If he couldn't walk, she'd have to carry him. But as she shifted to get him into position, the knowledge came to her -- he'd suffocate under his own weight.
She froze, realizing for the first time what had been done to him. How the lightning she'd seen fading when he fell had stolen his strength, his will, his fighting spirit. He'd been calling on the Force to keep moving.
But now, Master Billaba's death had broken him.
Givera let out a sob. If he died, everything was lost. And she could feel his life ebbing away with every shallow breath. "Please, please stay with me!"
His only response was to sag lower.
She could think of only one thing that might wake him. Except ... could she be that cruel?
She could.
She straightened and dragged Master Windu up onto his knees. "If you die, the order dies. Is that what you want?" She grabbed his chin and tilted it up. "Is that what Master Billaba would want?"
He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. Got one foot under him. Givera pulled him to his feet. But even as she got him moving again, she knew that she had to find someplace to hide -- and soon. Even calling on the Force, it was only a matter of time before he collapsed.