Dropped in a Fanfic

Chapter 45

Palpatine cleared out after the news broke. Bail immediately got on the phone with Tetralis, trying to reach their contacts at the Temple. He could still stand to watch the live feed of the explosion. I was holed up in my room, the image of the ominous smoke trail coming from the side of the building already etched across my eyelids. The space lanes surrounding the area had been shut down and most communication lines were closed. The Order had been swiftly cut off from the rest of the planet and we were just left to watch.

My comm sat empty of messages. I'd tried everyone, but it was useless.

I cranked up the ringer level to max volume and set it on a shelf, starting to pace. If I kept holding it I might've jammed the buttons in from a death grip. There were no details on where the explosion happened or why. The live feed proved there was still plenty of Temple that wasn't actively on fire. Maybe none of them had felt the explosion. Maybe they'd been in the thick of it. Maybe they hadn't been there at all.

"Havena?" Bail called from the door.

I whirled. "Did Tetralis hear anything–"

His somber expression was answer enough. "Nothing."

I swallowed hard. "Okay."

"I believe Master Skywalker and Ahsoka were sent off-world," he offered, trying to give some reassurance.

I dropped onto the edge of my bed, rubbing my eyes. "That's what I heard too, but their plans could've changed." Even if they did leave, there still was Obi-wan. If I met Bail's watchful eye now he'd see my fear, which was already threatening to scale the wall of composure I'd managed to scramble up.

"Are you headed out?" I continued.

"Yes. I'll call if I hear anything," he promised.

"Thanks."

He shut the door, engulfing the room in silence. I just sat there, my gaze stuck on my comm, internally screaming for it to beep. They were Jedi and infinitely better equipped to handle danger than I was. For any other situation, it'd be laughable for me to get so worked up. But the moment I saw that footage, recognition clamped down on my insides so tightly it felt like I couldn't breathe.

There was an arc from the Clone Wars that started with a bombing. If this fic was copying canon, what I had to worry about wasn't them getting hurt today. It was about what was going to happen later. But if I was wrong and the fic was creating something new, I probably needed to be terrified.

I didn't know which was worse.

The comm beeped.

I vaulted from the bed. "Hello?"

"Havena?"

"Padme." All the relief deflated from my chest like a balloon. I had to fight to keep it from entering my voice. "Are you okay?"

She didn't sound much better. "I'm fine. Have you heard?"

"The bombing is all over the holonet right now."

"Have you talked to anyone?" She continued, sounding tense. She had to be just as terrified as I was.

"No," I bit my lips, turning toward the windows. "But Anakin and Ahsoka should have been off-world when it happened."

"Okay, that's good." The relief in her voice was palpable. "What about Master Kenobi?"

His name was like a punch through my chest. I hugged an arm around myself. "Nothing yet."

He's fine. He's fine. He'll be fine.

It was difficult to focus on her voice, the words of assurance running distantly through my head. Of course Obi-wan was okay. He had to be caught up in the response measures. He wouldn't let himself get in danger so easily. I chimed in at the right moments, as if agreeing with her would be enough to keep my flimsy confidence intact. When we said our goodbyes and hung up, I was stuck standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the Coruscant skyline.