Chapter 16

Anakin was in a very deep sleep, when an image flashed into his mind.

“ Padme!” Anakin yelled out, as he sat up in bed and began looking around the room, but only saw darkness. He closed his eyes and began focusing on Padme’s presence.

Not feeling anything from Padme, Anakin got out of the bed and grabbed his lightsaber and headed out of his tent. He stood there, just listening for anything, but all he heard was total silence. There was no bugs, humans or even animals that are normally out foraging for food at this time of the day, and he was finding this very odd. Walking down the small pathway, until he came up to the hut that Padme was in. Raising his hand, he began knocking on the door, but Padme did not come to the door and open it up to him. Trying the door and finding it unlocked, he opened up the door and walked inside the hut and got a very huge surprise. It was empty of anyone ever being in the room.

“ Damn!” Anakin hurried out of the hut and headed for Obi-Wan tent.

“ Hold on. Anakin, do you know what time it is? Anakin, are you ok?” Obi-Wan opened the door and saw Anakin standing there in front of him and saw tears were rolling down his face.

“ She is gone Obi-Wan.” Anakin came into the tent.

“ Hold on for a moment, who is gone?” Obi-Wan looked at Anakin and noticed that he was very shaken up about something.

“ It is Padme and she is gone. I had a flash of a scene, but it ended as quickly as it started.” Anakin ran his hand through his hair, then began rubbing his eyes, as to block out some of the images that he had seen.

“ What do you mean that she is gone? Maybe she went out for a walk.” Obi-Wan, just watched the young man start pacing the room.

“ No, she did not go for a walk. Padme is gone, and I cannot feel her presence anywhere in the camp.” Anakin looked at the door, as Master Yoda walked into the hut.

“ Right, Anakin is. Padme not here, she is.” Yoda looked at Obi-Wan, before looking at Anakin and giving him a knowing nod.

“ Wait a minute, I am beginning to feel something right now. Um . . . she is in a dimly lit room . . . and I hear the sound of some kind of engines . . . damn, she is on a ship.” Anakin felt Padme’s presence again, but it was only for a brief moment.

“ Then, we too must leave. The only way we are going to find her is through Anakin.” Obi-Wan looked at the two other Jedi.

“ Right, he is. Can find her through you, we will.” Yoda looked straight at Anakin. It was then, that he knew that there was a very strong bond between the two.

Anakin just nodded, while Obi-Wan gathered up his lightsaber. The three Jedi headed out of the tent and to their ship. Once they were in space, Yoda called the Mayor of the city and told them that Padme was kidnapped and that they went after the person or persons who are involved in her kidnapping.

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Four days later, Anakin was woken up by the image of Padme . . . He knew where she was . . . and the one place he did not want to be at . . . Tatooine.

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Three hours later. . .

“ I know where Padme is . . . It is the one place that I really do not want to be . . . She is on Tatooine.” Anakin came into the lounge area, where both Obi-Wan and Yoda was sitting back and relaxing.

“ Great. You think you can tell us exactly where she is at?” Obi-Wan looked up from his cards.

“ Um . . . yes . . . She is being moved to a very crowded place . . . like a huge market place.” Anakin closed his eyes, as an image came to him.

Anakin left the two Jedi Masters, headed for the cock pit and sat down in the pilot’s chair.

“ Fly us there, you must, and with speed we must do, to save our young Jedi.” Yoda came to the Co-pilot’s chair and sat down.

“ Yes, Master . . . We should be there in about twenty minutes.” Anakin nodded to Yoda, before concentrating on Padme’s Life Force, so he can tell what is going on with her.The only thing he was getting was bits and pieces of images in his mind.

Thirty minutes later, the three Jedi were walking quickly through the crowded streets of Mos Espa, until they got to the center. In the middle was set up the Slave Market.

“ There she is. We need to find a way to get her out of here, before someone buys her.” Obi-Wan looked over to the small group of people, who were chained together and they were also standing by the action platform.

“ Ok, but how? Um . . . Obi-Wan, there is Jabba the Hutt. I just hope that he does not pick Padme.” Anakin looked at the hover wagon as Jabba’s huge slug body came over to the platform.

“ Great, that is someone that we do not need . . . Um . . . where is Master Yoda?” Obi-Wan nodded to Anakin and then he realized that Yoda was not with them.

Anakin looked over by the platform and that is where he saw the Grand Jedi Master.

“ He is over there by the platform and he is talking with someone. Um . . . Anakin, look at the end of the line of people.” Obi-Wan motioned towards the last person at the end of the line of people, who were chained together.

“ Padme. We have to get her, if not, she well be lost to us forever.” Anakin just saw Padme and noticed that she was chained to the others, just before they were to be sold as slaves.

The only thing that they could do at the moment, is just watch as the first person in the line was brought up onto the platform, and the bidding began. Obi-Wan looked away from Padme and looked down the line. That is when he realized that he had seen another person. That person was the one that they had been looking for this whole time . . . Dr. Lumbiuman. Now, the only thing they have to do, is try to get not only Padme away from the Slavers, but they now have to save Dr. Lumbiuman too.