Chapter 12

R2-D2 was watching the party from the balcony. The lights on his control panel were blinking contently as he swiveled his dome to try and take it all in. All of a sudden, he heard a pop in the distance, followed by a louder and more resounding one. The small droid thought them to be fireworks, but then he saw the ceiling of the banquet hall caving in and he heard people screaming. He let out a loud squeal in alarm and sped backwards towards the door. He extended a mechanical arm and hurriedly began working at the lock on the door. Anakin and Obi-Wan were in trouble, and the faithful droid knew that he had to try and help in anyway that he could.

* * *

Explosion was far too simple of a word to apply to the banquet hall. It was as if gravity had forgotten its rules, throwing things in places where they shouldn't be. The massive stone pillars supporting the ceiling crumpled together as if on cue. The windows shattered, sending shrapnel flying in every direction. The ceiling and walls began to almost disintegrate before the guests' eyes as people ran for their lives, screaming in a vain attempt to scare away this nightmare.

Anakin never made it to Obi-Wan. The sound of the explosion was so near to him that it was deafening and he could not hear Obi-Wan shouting for him. The blast flung Anakin against a far wall. Some small people landed near him, and he recognized them as the children that he had seen dancing outside. As white dots danced in front of his eyes, he motioned for them to follow him. They all found refuge under a buffet table that had been shoved in a corner. He tried not to let them see the panic that was beginning to surface on his face. Another blast sounded much too close to Anakin's haven. He dimly heard one of the children cry out before he slipped into darkness.

* * *

"Look out!" Obi-Wan screamed when the blast sounded. He pushed Cort to the ground and dove for cover as a large piece of the ceiling collapsed nearby.

Cort looked up from the ground to Obi-Wan. The Jedi Knight's eyes were frantically scanning the screaming crowd and flying debris for Anakin. Another explosion sounded, and Cort covered his head as more debris rained down. He, Obi-Wan, and all of the remaining guests were now entombed in the shattered banquet hall as timed sequential explosions continued to ignite around them.

"Ben!" he shouted. "Where's Anakin? I can't sense him!" He was worried about the boy, too, but the despair on his friend's face was growing by the second.

"I don't know! I can't feel him at all! He's either unconscious or . . . " Obi-Wan shook his head, not wanting to finish the sentence. "I have to go find him!"

"Ben, wait!" Cort said, rising to his knees and scrambling to follow his friend. There was another deafening explosion, and shrapnel from part of the skylight came winging down towards him. Cort dove again, rolling to his side, but a piece speared his cape to the floor, bringing him to a choking halt on his back. He looked up at the ceiling, which had an extremely fast growing fissure. He scrambled at the clasp at his neck while dust and marble fragments from above rained down, turning his hair gray. Cort just managed to unhook the clasp and slide to cover before the ceiling broke off.

Obi-Wan turned around when he heard Cort's shout of surprise with the explosion. He started towards him, but suddenly sensed danger above and dove to his left. A large portion of the ceiling collapsed inches from his face, choking him with dust and smoke. He rose to his feet coughing and managed to see that Cort had scrambled to safety. Muffled shouts from what was left of a wall called his attention away, and he went to help whoever was trapped inside the stones.

"Just hold on," he said into a small opening in the pile. He unhooked his lightsaber and began cutting away at the larger rocks and then using either muscle or the Force to move them.

"Please hurry!" a small voice said. "It's so dark in here!"

"I'm coming," he grunted between clenched teeth as he moved another rock. It was an arduous task, and sweat was rapidly forming on his brow. His lightsaber sliced through another piece and the rock lifted in the air to be hefted to the side. He swung the saber down again and cut through a table that was shattered and intertwined with the debris. Another smaller explosion went off, catching Obi-Wan off guard. A piece of shrapnel flew into his left shoulder and the Jedi let out a cry of surprise. The voices under the rock started to cry upon hearing his shout, so he shoved the flash of pain aside and immersed himself into the task at hand. Just as he was moving the last rocks, he felt the stirrings of a familiar mind.

"Anakin!" he yelled. "Anakin, are you in there?" Confusion floated from the disoriented mind inside the rocks, and a small moan soon followed.

Obi-Wan did not hesitate. He reached into the tunnel he had carved out of the debris and helped the children out. Their clothes were torn and their faces were dirty, save for where tears had streaked them clean.

"There's still another kid trapped down there," one boy said, pointing to the tunnel. "He saved us!"

"Thanks," Obi-Wan said and crawled inside the small cavern.

* * *

I hope Ben's having better luck than I am, Cort thought. He was simultaneously trying to comfort the scared people, help those who were injured, and find an exit. It was not an easy task, even for someone who had Force training. Currently, he was attempting to move aside a large piece of the ceiling that was trapping an elderly couple. Even with the Force, he couldn't get it to move, and the muscles in his arms and shoulders were beginning to quiver with fatigue.

"Just hang in there," he said to the old woman that was looking at him with pleading eyes. Cort got a strong grip on the piece of stone, and with a heavy grunt finally managed to move it to the side just enough for the couple to crawl out from underneath. Just as they were to safety, a sharp pain in Cort's shoulder caused him to cry out in pain. The stone slab came crashing to the floor, kicking up clouds of dust.

Cort slumped to the floor with a sigh, holding onto his left shoulder. How many people are trapped in here? he thought, wiping the sweat and dirt from his eyes as he looked around the ruins. His shoulder was aching, and he tried to collect his thoughts to see if he could heal the painful muscle sprain. When he opened his eyes, the shoulder was a little numb to the pain, but still sore. I'll have to practice my healing techniques later. He stood up and eased his arm into a circle, trying to work out the soreness. A hand on his back caused him to turn around.

"Thank you, your highness," the elderly man said with a bow. His wife followed with a curtsy. "You saved our lives."

"Don't worry about it," Cort said, completely dismissing all formalities with a wave of his hand.

"Is there anything I can do to be of service?" the man wanted to know.

"Actually, there is," Cort replied, focusing his full attention on the old man. "I recognize you. You're General Loran, aren't you?"

The man straightened up proudly. "At your service, my prince."

"Do you think it would be possibly for you to organize any able-bodied men into searching for survivors?"

"I would be glad to. We'll start right away." The old man turned on his heels to go assemble his rescue team.

"Mrs. Loran," Cort said, addressing the general's wife. "If memory serves me correctly, you are familiar with medical knowledge."

"Yes, sir, I am. I was a medic nurse for ten years before I met Reve," she answered, offering a smile.

"Would you mind attending to the injured?"

"Not at all, your highness."

"Thank you," Cort answered, nodding his head in gratitude. He then left her to go search the perimeter for an exit.

He climbed over the debris that was thrown around the room. He searched for several minutes, and he did not encounter Obi-Wan once, although he could feel his friend's presence. Cort was about to give up and return to the group of people, when something caught his eye. He clambered up the slick surface of a large marble slab. Once he reached the top, he was left staring at the cracked portion of the ceiling that still remained. He pushed against the fragile structure, and it quickly gave way, rewarding him with fresh air and the silvery light of the moon, beckoning the bomb survivors to freedom.