Falling from Grace 14/16

by Christina, kenobijedione@yahoo.com

Rating: this chapter PG

Warnings, disclaimers, etc. in part 1

Chapter 14: Lies of the Heart

The four strode into the busy hangar, Kalyia fidgeting nervously as she walked behind Anakin.

"Calm down would you?" he hissed at her over his shoulder.

Kalyia snorted and shot a deadly glare at his back. "You try having a price on your head and see how calm you are," she snapped back.

Anakin stopped and turned, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "I only wish the price on my head had come with a stipulation that I had to be alive," he countered, raising his eyebrows at the girl.

She winced and lowered her eyes. "Fine," she grumbled.

Anakin shot a look toward his Master and urged him on. "Those guys over there," he murmured. "Two-bit smugglers. Weak minded, looking for a fast ship."

Daman followed along, tagging behind the rest of the group. "There's no way anyone's gonna buy stolen X-Wing fighters that served in the Clone Wars," he grunted.

Obi-Wan shot him a silencing look as they approached the men.

"Gentlemen," Anakin greeted them, bowing slightly as he did so. Hardly gentlemen, they heed past him, watching Kalyia hungrily. She cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably. She was used to people looking at her but these guys were leering.

Obi-Wan moved to obstruct her from their view, then presented a holo cube in his hand. He activated it and the X-Wings appeared. "We'd like to trade these X-Wings, certified hero ships of the Clone Wars," he said smoothly.

The men turned their attention to the holographic image floating in the air above Obi-Wan's hand and studied the ships. The shorter, squatter man grunted something to his counterpart, folding hairy arms over a protruding belly. After a long silence, he spoke.

"How do we know they really fought in the Clone Wars?"

The taller man, lean and rugged looking, scratched the stubble on his chin. He nodded in agreement to his friend's question, glancing suspiciously at Anakin and the Prince as well. The two Jedi bowed graciously.

"General Kenobi and Commander Skywalker," they introduced, smiling as a hint of recognition crossed the smuggler's faces.

Without waiting for comment, Obi-Wan pointed to a beautiful Nubian fighter in the corner of the hangar. "What about that Nubian over there? Even trade," he suggested.

The smugglers stared over at the Nubian for a short while, seemingly not wanting to say no to the celebrated General, then recanted. "These X-Wings are worth maybe 100,000 credits each. That Nubian is brand new, unmarked; worth double their combined value. "

Anakin shot a thought to his Master. Damn, they can add!

Obi-Wan shook his head and inconspicuously raised his hand from his side. "It is a fair trade," he commanded in a low voice. "We will take the Nubian."

The smugglers looked at each other and shrugged. "Take the Nubian," they agreed.

Daman looked at Obi-Wan, obvious shock written on his face. He seemed about to say something when Kalyia reached out and pinched his side. He looked--surprised--at the girl. She tapped the side of her head and shrugged.

Mind control.

***

The ship was amazing. As sleek inside as it was outside, it was outfitted with only the most modern decor, smooth curved furniture jutted from the walls in accents of maroon and silver. Every piece folded up to provide as much or as little room as passengers needed. Even the Queen's ship was not this nice. Kalyia was nothing short of impressed. She fought off a sudden wave of dizziness and plopped herself into the co-pilots seat, watching as Anakin fired up the hull. He looked over at her and narrowed his eyes.

"You didn't leave Obi-Wan and the deserving Prince alone together did you?" he asked candidly.

Kalyia sighed and looked down. Her head was throbbing. Ever since she'd been shoved into the X-Wing and blasted off from Courscant, she'd been getting frequent headaches and unexplained dizzy spells. She was about to tell the young Jedi about it, when she looked up and realized he was staring intently at something beyond the glass pane separating them from the outside. Following his gaze, she saw three of the same creatures that had tried to capture her two nights before. Instantly, her hand flew up to the marks on her throat, feeling those reptilian claws squeezing at her flesh--

Anakin turned swiftly, pulling her out of the co-pilots seat and dragging her to the cockpit entryway.

"Master! We've got visitors! Let's get this thing up now!"

Pushing the stunned girl into a passenger seat he immediately retraced his steps back to the controls, quickly flipping the brake switch. The plane started to roll out of it's place in line, streaming across the runway in a haphazard direction. Obi-Wan ran up and peered through the glass.

"There," he pointed slightly to the left and Anakin steered the ship toward the clear area. Engines roared and the ship rocked gently as it lifted into the air.

The Prince followed into the cockpit, taking the seat next to Kalyia's. He leaned forward, staring up into the sky above them. Four star destroyers hovered overhead, cluttering the landing sequence as well as disallowing the Nubian much maneuvering space. He pointed at them. "Four friends directly above. Guess we're going to see if we got what we paid for."

The Princess watched in silence, feeling rush after rush of heat pulse through her body. She began to shake and wondered if it was from whatever bug she'd obviously gotten, or from fear. Clicking the restraining belt across her chest, she indicated Daman to do the same as the ship rose higher and higher into the air. She swallowed hard as they got closer to the Star Destroyers.

"What are you trying to do? Hand the Princess right over?" Daman complained, his face paling as they inched toward the enemy ships.

Guns swiveled toward them and Kalyia gasped. Obi-Wan held a hand out. "They're bluffing," he muttered, hoping against hope he was right. "They want the Princess alive."

And suddenly, tractor beams began pulling them in. With a slight lurch, the Nubian stuttered, screeching softly as it was pulled in the opposite direction. Obi-Wan leaned toward the other Jedi and checked the numbers on the controls.

"Just a little more, Anakin," he muttered softly. "Easy--"

The younger Jedi breathed in deeply, steady hands gripping the controls until his knuckles were white. Just as Obi-Wan punched a nearby key pad, Anakin thrust the tackle the opposite way, turning the ship to a hard right and pulling it abruptly out of the Destroyer's tractor beam. With a subtle discharge the Nubian cleared the beam, shooting forward and darting between two hold ships, getting far enough away from the landing sequence to gain speed--

A barrage of fire erupted around them, rocking the sleek ship in her frames. "Jesus!" Kalyia gasped, gripping onto the arm rests of her chair so tightly she felt she could break them off.

Anakin slipped his thumbs over the missile triggers, Obi-Wan anchoring himself in the co-pilot's seat and doing the same. Shifting left, Anakin spun the ship around, sending a blitz of rounder fire into the space craft behind them. Kalyia could hear tiny bombs pinging off the shield deflectors, each one louder than the last.

"Thirty seconds till lightspeed," Anakin muttered to no one in particular, maneuvering the ship back around and angling it so that the missiles hit the interceptors and had no chance of disabling the deflectors.

A huge boom echoed throughout the ship and a hissing sound could be heard. The fighter tremored violently, then shuddered as stars turned into mottled lines and they launched into lightspeed. Anakin sighed and relaxed backwards, beads of sweat beading his forehead. The other Jedi relaxed as well, setting the controls for automatic pilot but not keying in any coordinates. He wanted to get as far from Tatooine as possible until they conscripted a location, preferably out of the galaxy so their coordinates could not be picked up. Prince Daman, however, did not calm.

"It sounds like the landing rudders," he announced, standing and investigating the controls, easing closer to the sound of the hiss.

Obi-Wan sighed. "It can be taken care of later," he said.

"Like when we want to land and can't?" Daman countered, sliding the paneling away from the floor of the ship so the landing gear was exposed. He stared into the cavern for a minute, then reached in. Obi-Wan seemed about to say something else when Kalyia's sudden move drew his attention away.

She stood, then swayed on her feet. Holding onto the back of the chair, the Princess blinked several times as though to focus her vision. "I'm gonna go lay down," she said softly. "I don't--"

Unable to finish her sentence, the girl sunk to the floor, her knees simply buckling beneath her. She wasn't unconscious but her temples throbbed and it hurt to keep her eyes open. Moaning softly she closed them, the sheer act of resting her head against the back of the chair sending bolts of crushing pain through her skull. Obi-Wan was the first to his feet, kneeling in front of the Princess and reaching instinctively out for her.

"Kalyia--"

He stopped, expecting a reprimand, but she was too weak to give one. Taking advantage of that, he secured one arm around her shoulders, the other under the crook of her knees and lifted her easily.

The Prince finally looked up from the panel. "What the--" he stood quickly, brushing his hands on the sides of his pants. He stared daggers at the Jedi. "What do you think you're doing?"

"She collapsed," Anakin explained, his patience for the benevolent Prince wearing thin. "Let's get her to a bed."

He ushered them out of the room, following closely as Obi-Wan found the nearest bunk and gently laid the Princess on it. She moaned again, lulling her head to the side as another rivet of pain shuddered through her. "Obi-Wan--please make it stop--"

Taking his cue, Obi-Wan looked behind him at Anakin and the Prince for only a brief moment before placing his hand on Kalyia's forehead and closing his eyes, allowing the Force to flow through him. It curled out and stretched to the girl, easing the pain in her temples. The Jedi kept his hand on her forehead longer than he supposed he needed to, and was drawing heavy breaths when he finally released the Force's hold on her.

Kalyia opened her eyes and looked at all three men staring down at her. "Thanks," she whispered, smiling softly at Obi-Wan. He smiled back, a half-cocked grin that settled easily between them. The Prince obviously didn't appreciate it.

"You need rest," he commanded, pushing forward and resting a hand possessively across her chest, just above the curve of her breasts.

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows and glanced from the corner of his eye at Anakin. He saw his young friend shrug. Taking the first step, the Jedi moved backward and stood closer to the door. Smiling triumphantly, the Prince took his luck further and leaned forward, brushing a soft kiss across her lips. The Princess had been calmed by the Force to such a degree, she was already asleep.

The second the Prince's lips touched Kalyia's, Obi-Wan felt a stab of pain thunder through his heart and he turned quickly, disappearing from the room. Anakin sighed. He dipped his head as the Prince stood and turned around, pure vindication shining in his eyes. Anakin opened his mouth, about to mention the Princess, but he restrained, resolving first to find out exactly what was going on between her and Prince Daman. Instead, he crooked his thumb and indicated the way down the corridor.

"We can check out that landing gear now," he offered.

Daman nodded, stealing one glance back at Kalyia before following the Jedi out of the small room. He found Anakin already crouched to the floor, examining a large metal piece that had come loose from the panel. The Prince joined him near the landing gear, studying the rudder Anakin held in his hand.

"I wonder if there's a welding torch on this baby," Anakin mused aloud, connecting his eyes with Daman's in question. "That's the only way we're reattaching this."

The Prince cocked his head. "And if we don't find one--I hope you can pull another neat trick out of your Jedi cloak and get us on the ground without sending this ship up in flames."

Anakin smirked at his mocking tone and turned back to the panel in the floor. He inspected the other parts, and surmised they were all more or less intact and in good working order. He sighed and pushed himself up, quickly checking their hyperspace coordinates before sinking into the pilot's chair and staring out into a star streaked sky.

"We're about a quarter of the way across the outer rim galaxy," he said, not particularly caring if Daman wanted to hear it or not. "Another couple of hours and we'll hit deep space. We can figure out where we're going from there."

Daman sat in the co-pilot's seat, looking curiously at the Jedi. "And then what?" he asked. "We're just going to keep running from planet to planet until we get captured or kill each other?"

Pushing a breath outward, Anakin was silent for a moment. He wasn't even sure he wanted to answer the Prince's sarcastic statement, but figured he'd better at least attempt to tell him something. Although he was a pain about it, the Prince was right. They needed a plan. They needed to find out who was ruling the Dark Side. Right now, it seemed the only answer.

"I hope to get Kalyia settled somewhere," Anakin began, thinking as he spoke. "Once we do, you are welcome to return to Alderaan, if you feel you'll have adequate guardianship. You can't risk someone from the Dark Side capturing you and forcing you to tell where the Princess is."

"I'm not leaving her," Daman interjected fiercely.

Anakin turned his head and looked at the Prince. He seemed to study him, then finally turned his head back and returned his gaze to the darkness beyond. "Anyway," he continued, partly dismissing the Prince to annoy him, partly because he didn't feel like going there with him right then. "Either myself or Master Obi-Wan will likely return to Courscant after the Princess is settled. We will need to find out what is being done to eliminate the Sith that want to claim her. She cannot be held captive her entire life."

Daman shook his head in agreement. "No, she cannot," he muttered. "She is a Princess with responsibilities to carry out, duties to perform."

Rolling his eyes, Anakin snorted. "How well do you know the Princess?" he asked on a whim, unable to resist.

The Prince looked at him incredulously, a hint of disbelief in his eyes. He scoffed and answered, "I have known Princess Kalyia my entire 23 years."

Anakin nodded. "Then you realize that her title doesn't mean as much to her as yours seems to mean to you," he said matter of factly.

Daman looked at him for a long while, seemingly trying to figure out what the Jedi was getting at. Anakin simply stared back, unwilling to budge. Finally, the Prince of Alderaan spoke. "Kalyia is young, carefree. She will step up to the throne and assume her role as Queen in just a matter of time," he stated confidently.

Anakin furrowed his brow. "Really, because I was under the impression that while she admires her mother and her mother's work, she does not desire to take it over when she is required to, and often thinks of appointing a predecessor to the throne other than herself."

The Prince snorted. "So she can do what, exactly?" he asked.

"I don't know. Fall in love, get married, raise a family, be a mother--" Anakin shrugged as his words trailed off.

An uncomfortable silence permeated the room as the Prince seemed to take this in. He didn't know what to do with it, and was baffled by the Jedi's remarks. Obviously Kalyia would bear children, but it was the assumption that they'd be royal children, the heirs to a dynasty.

"The girl is in love," Daman tried, wondering if the Jedi would see through his betrayal.

Anakin simply nodded in agreement. "Yes. With my Master."

A smirk covered Daman's face and he chuckled softly. "That is the past, young Jedi. The Princess was never in love with Kenobi, simply enamored with his powers. Her destiny lies along a different path now."

It was Anakin's turn to laugh. "Kalyia was never enamored with Master Obi-Wan's powers," he relayed. "In fact, she sometimes detested them. She loved--loves--Obi-Wan the man, not Obi-Wan the Jedi."

"How can you be so sure that is the course of her feelings still?" Daman asked.

"How can you be so sure it's not?" Anakin countered.

Daman's mind raced. He wondered what the consequences would be for a betrayal regarding the Princess' intentions. Marriage had never been talked about amongst themselves, but the Queen and King surely planned for him to be their daughter's chosen one. Pausing only one more moment, Daman finally plunged. "I suspected when the Princess agreed to be my wife, she did not love another man," he said, eyeing the Jedi carefully to gauge his reaction.

What he got was clearly surprise. "I wasn't aware Kalyia was engaged to you," he said, watching the Prince suspiciously. Probing his emotions, Anakin read the sense of confidence, triumph and certitude. He frowned. Perhaps it is true.

"It hasn't been made official yet," Daman said hastily, sure that the Queen would have invited the Jedi to any sort of engagement celebration for the Princess. "It's just something that--" he backed further into his web of lies-- "the Princess and I have talked about."

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "So the Princess decided--this wasn't an arrangement?"

Daman grinned. The Jedi had fallen for it. He would tell his precious Master and perhaps Kenobi would back off for good. And the lie would eventually come true--without the Jedi plaguing Kalyia's thoughts, she would surely agree to marry him.

"Of course not," Daman said surely. "Kalyia and I are in love. That much should be obvious."

Well it isn't, Anakin thought, a sour mood befalling his shoulders. He did not want to have to tell his Master of this discovery. But, Anakin surmised, the sooner he did, the better. Eventually, his Master would have to move on with his life.