"Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs. No assassin would try that way"
Obi-Wan had been absent to count just how many men the Captain had stationed outside of the Senator's quarters, to ensure the route towards the room was completely covered in the event any assassin might try to pass by them in some way shape or form.
He entered from the elevator he previous exited from, taking off his cloak and throwing it onto one of the couches as he walked. He definitely looked better out of the overgrown cloak than in it, Lyra thought, especially with the white undershirt poking out from his collar and sleeves. Lyra was glad he didn't catch her stare, it would be hard to explain exactly as to why she suddenly imagined Obi-Wan taking much more off than just his cloak.
She chided herself for the brazen thought, one she thought she had managed to overcome by now and had been lying forgotten in the back of her mind.
"Any activity up here?" The older Jedi enquired.
"Nothing" Lyra replied glancing at Anakin at her side as the two wandered towards Obi-Wan.
"Quiet as a tomb" The Padawan added. A little distasteful way of phrasing it.
"I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her"
Obi-Wan was checking the com device he'd retrieved from inside his of his cream coloured robes, it beeped in his hand loudly.
"What's going on?"
"Ah, she covered the cameras" Anakin clarified to his Master turning to glance towards the door down the small corridor "I don't think she liked us watching her"
"Liked you watching her, young Skywalker" Lyra corrected with a raised eyebrow at the taller man who merely gave a silent huff under his breath. Padme had felt no discomfort passed in Lyra's direction when she spoke of covering her cameras, then again she hadn't felt much hesitation with Anakin watching either. It was completely different reason as to why she'd requested the action in the first place, one that ran much deeper than unneeded bashfulness.
"What is she thinking?" Obi-Wan walked towards the distant door with a frown, it was a risky move to do, Lyra would agree but regardless if the Senator required privacy, then who were they to deny it. She clearly knew what she was doing.
Lyra suspected it a trap, bait for the assassin.
"She programmed R2 to warn us if there's an intruder" Anakin explained.
"There are many other ways to kill a senator" Obi-Wan mumbled back worryingly.
"I know" the Padawan agreed "but we also want to catch this assassin, don't we, Master?".
"You should have more trust in her, Master Kenobi" Lyra hummed, though she could understand where his hesitation derived from. It was harder to keep an eye on somebody when you couldn't physically see them.
"You're using her as bait?" The elder Jedi turned towards the pair who had walked up behind him, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It was her idea" Anakin defended himself nervously shuffling on his feet.
"Senator Amidala wouldn't take no for an answer, even while we advised against her plan" She felt the needed to clarify, seeing as Obi-Wan was clearly still in doubt of this revelation.
"Don't worry. No harm will come to her I can sense everything going on in that room" Anakin said, "Trust me".
He really didn't have the best inclination at how unrefined he worded his sentences.
They all turned to look at the corridor in thought, Obi-Wan being the first to speak up "It's too risky. Besides, your senses aren't that attuned, my young apprentice". That alone gave her a glimpse of the missing trust Obi-Wan had yet to bestow on his padawan, she could tell the words had offended the young learner by the way his face hardened and his shoulders squared.
"And yours are, Kenobi?" Lyra challenged him cutting Anakin off who had opened his mouth to reply only to fall silent with a surprised look. She knew she had always had a greater perception to the Force, to the emotions and intent others gave off, out of all of them standing here she was most qualified to counter such a cocky idea.
Obi-Wan took several long seconds to turn his head slowly towards her smaller form, arms still firmly crossed and eyebrows raising curiously, "Possibly" he said and she could see amusement flicker in his eyes. It felt like they were Padawan's again for just a moment.
Meditation seemed the best option while they remained waiting. Waiting for the enviable arrival of the storm that hovered just behind the calm that had settled over the living space the Senator occupied. Lyra seated herself comfortably in a cross legged position on the couch, her eyes shutting and nerves evening out to a serene calm she'd missed since her arrival on Coruscant. It had been a non stop motion of action ever since her ship had settled down on the landing pad at the Jedi temple, she had been greeted, received, shown to her quarters and subsequently called to a high council meeting within the space of three hours. It felt good now, to just sit and let the Force take her.
"You look tired" Obi-Wan was addressing Anakin who had been pacing the balcony for the last hour, restless and on edge. It might've been distracting if she hadn't learned to block it out by now.
"I don't sleep well anymore" The young padawan confessed.
"Because of your mother?" His Master enquired, Lyra was tempted to peak one of her eyes open to watch the exchange but felt it rude to intrude any further than she already was by simply listening. The topic of their birth parents had always been a rather sensitive topic for most Jedi, Anakin was no different in that regard.
"I don't know why I keep dreaming about her"
She wandered what those dreams might entail, but let the thought pass in her mind.
"Dreams pass in time" Obi-Wan replied, his voice drawing further away from the blond Jedi knight, presumably he was approaching his young apprentice and joining him on the balcony.
"I'd much rather dream about Padme. Just being around her again is...intoxicating"
He definitely hadn't learned the way he phrased such a forbidden idea from his Master, if ever, Obi-Wan never once confessed such a thing to anyone so boldly. None of the Jedi she'd met ever had, at least besides herself that was. Love was a hard emotion to handle after all.
"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin. They betray you"
"Your emotions even more so" Lyra added to his Master's warning, opening her eyes slowly to look at the young Padawan who shot her glance of doubt.
"You've made a commitment to the Jedi Order, a commitment not easily broken".
Oh, but the Jedi code was the easiest thing to break, if you knew where to look. One small misstep, a slip up of thought or intent, and all the progress one Jedi has made in their lifetime could be undone for as long as it would take to even think of such a thing. The code had become the most alluringly breakable thing ever since she'd began learning every piece of it, some parts being such a contradiction to others that she had debated many times as to why the Jedi followed it so blindly. Qui-Gon had agreed in her youth on some aspects, but he had been the first and last person she had been able to discuss it openly with. It didn't matter much now, she'd fallen faithfully into line like they all had, even if many, including Obi-Wan, skirted around the fine line more often than not.
"And don't forget, she's a politician, and they're not to be trusted" Right then, with those words, Kenobi had become the biggest hypocrite in the Galaxy. Even if Anakin didn't know it yet, if he hadn't been told the secret his Master had held onto from his youth as a padawan under Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan had seen his fair share of politicians. And he'd definitely trusted one of them more than he should have allowed himself to. Lyra knew that with the frown on her face, and Obi-Wan knew it too when he shot her a look of warning that kept her mouth shut.
She'd made a promise after all, one she wouldn't break for the world.
"She's not like the others in the senate, Master" Anakin said.
"It is in my experience that senators focus only on pleasing those who fund their campaigns, and they're in no means scared of forgetting the niceties of democracy in order to get those funds" Obi-Wan went on to explain, though his words held some truth Lyra wouldn't agree completely and rose to her feet to join the pair in her discussion. No use in trying to meditate with the heat of this argument and the testosterone radiating through the space they shared.
"You forget, Master Kenobi, that not all politicians are alike. And that on some occasions, perhaps whichever campaigns require funding, also need a little more than niceties to drive them to actualisation" She offered adjusting her heavy cloak back over her shoulders as she halted beside the older Jedi who barely held back a roll of his eyes.
"Not another lecture. At least not on the economics of politics" Anakin all but sighed, running a hand over his forehead in frustration. He hadn't meant to jumpstart this kind of discussion again, he knew his Master loved to give his opinion on the matter whenever the occasion arose.
"And besides, you're generalising. The chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt" Anakin went on after Obi-Wan had circled the room in thought.
"Palpatine is a politician. I have observed that his is very clever in following the passions and the prejudices of the senators" She couldn't argue with Obi-Wan's words, especially since Lyra had only met the man once, and that was before he had become the chancellor. He seemed a silently intimidating sort of man, one that wouldn't fall short in his forced niceties even if he ever ended up in the need of the uglier side of politics. A man like that was hard to pick apart.
"I think he's a good man. My-"
The air shifted, a pressure, a dangerous intent flowing out from the room in which Padme was sleeping in. Lyra felt it raise the hairs on the back of her neck as she watched Anakin turn his head abruptly towards the corridor together with Obi-Wan.
Whatever had changed, Padme Amidala was now in immediate danger.
"I sense it too" Obi-Wan all but muttered under his breath before the three Jedi bounded towards and into the room the Senator was currently sleeping in.
Anakin was the first there, igniting his saber and slashing to pieces several large worm centipede like creatures which had crawled their way up Padme's bed and were heading towards her upper body. She had to admit young Skywalker was skilled with the blade, his precision was one to be admired.
Just as soon as Padme could react, the bugs were dead and Obi-Wan's head snapped towards the small hole in the windowpane in which they must've entered. A small hovering craft was backing up from the window, clearly ready to make its escape from the crime scene. It was the only lead they had as to who had just attempted to end the life of Senator Amidala, which meant they couldn't let it get away.
The older Jedi at her side shared the idea, she could practically see the wheels turning in his head, his body tensing ready to jump into action and knowing him like she liked to believe she did, Lyra knew what would come next. She wasn't just going to stand helplessly by and let Kenobi throw his life into danger, not when she'd only just been part of it again even if it was just in a small insignificant way.
Calling upon he Force as she saw the plan clear in his mind as soon as is flashed in his thoughts, Lyra pushed the Jedi Knight aside before rushing by him and throwing herself against and subsequently out of the window and onto the flying droid craft. It held her weight remarkably well as she gripped onto its sides for dear life swinging back and forth in the air. For such a small thing it was fast too, in next to no time it was weaving its way through passing speeders and shuttles, trying to throw her off several times with violent unplanned jerks and skims that resulted in her colliding with the sides of buildings.
Obi-Wan would definitely be complaining and lecture her about this if she survived. She could only hope he might go easy and take pity on her if she was covered in enough bruises and cuts. He always did have a soft spot for the injured, he'd found her beaten up enough times for her to form an opinion on the matter, Lyra suspected it was because he took pride in his role as Jedi guardian and peacekeeper. It was endearing, in a way.
Another hit to her side from the edge of a passing speeder made her wince, temporarily letting go with one hand before quickly taking hold of it again. Every time the headlight of an oncoming craft skidded past them she had to squint not to be blinded by it's intensity.
A shot rang out above her head affectively ending the struggle she had been battling with flying through the Coruscant air. The craft was shot into rubble right from under her hands sending her spiralling downward with a startled gasp.
Free falling somehow felt more peaceful than she had imagined it might. With the wind rushing past her face, blowing her hood from her head which resulted in her long pale hair falling loose and the city lights sprawled out below her like a river of endless light, Lyra wasn't scared as it closed in on her. A certain kind of calm overcame her senses even while the loud beeping of ship horns filled her ears, passing speeders struggling to avoid her.
If this was what the Force had in store for her, then she would accept the embrace of death however fast it would come for her. Lyra Din-So had accepted the fate that had been handed from her since the joined the Jedi, that she would most likely die in any day, amongst a dispute, or away on an assignment to keep the peace, everyday since then was simply an unexpected luxury she was thankful for.
Of course it had to be a two seated Speeder that Anakin and Obi-Wan had chosen to rescue her in, the yellow craft stood out when her sights came across it. Just long enough to register it was her companions who were piloting it before she landed on the windshield with a thud, air knocked from her lungs.
"You certainly took your time" She breathed out towards Skywalker who shrugged back at her, gripping onto the edges of the small window.
"Oh you know, I couldn't find a speeder that I really liked"
Lyra found the joke amusing even while Obi-Wan rolled his eyes from beside his Padawan and reached a hand forward to pull her forward and quite unfortunately, into his lap. A rather compromising position.
"Couldn't have picked a bigger one?" She muttered under her breath, adjusting herself in the older Jedi's lap uncomfortably. She wasn't used to close contact like this, even amongst friends and it unnerved her to feel Obi-Wan suddenly so close against her body where she could turn no where to hide. It had been so long since she had even touched somebody beyond a firm handshake, the contact of another body felt almost alien to her senses. The warmth the Jedi knight emitted made her more nervous than the liked to admit, avoiding his face and keeping her gaze ahead to try to dismiss any further spiralling thoughts of what Obi-Wan might feel like in her arms, pressed to her body in a space shared that was more soft, private and intimate.
"There was no time, I do apologise for the unfortunate seating arrangements" Obi-Wan flashed Anakin an irritated look that told her it hadn't been his first choice either, and tried to at least secure her with one arm around her waist, refraining from coming into contact with her any further out of respect.
"There he is" Kenobi called over her shoulder, pointing his free hand forward towards the speeder in which the person that had shot down the droid craft had disappeared into.
"With the open cockpit and the right speed capabilities" Anakin was leading them downward at a rapid pace as he pursued the speeder up ahead.
"If you spent as much time practicing your saber techniques as you do your wit, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman" Obi-Wan remarked bracing himself and subsequently Lyra back against the seat as his apprentice tipped the ship sharply down at a dangerous angle.
"I would love to see him try" Lyra breathed, the back of her head pushing up against Obi-Wan's shoulder blade causing her to catch a hint of his natural scent that made her heart skip a beat. She'd forgotten just how good the bearded Jedi smelled, an odd thought to linger on really but she couldn't help herself. All those years training in close proximity to him had gotten her accustomed, attached almost, to the presence of it.
"I thought I already did" Anakin retorted cockily, Lyra had half the mind to challenge him on that if they weren't currently in an intense pursuit of an assassin.
"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice"
It turned out, Skywalker flew like a mad man. Even with all the skill he possessed, it felt like every move made was meant to shove them around their seats violently. The speeder curved, flipped, and summersaulted through the air recklessly, she'd never seen someone fly like this in all her years aboard ships or piloting herself. Obi-Wan wasn't fairing any better than she was from how pale the colour of his face had suddenly gotten, gripping tighter with both hands onto her hip and the side of the speeder. Lyra had half the mind to point out his distress if she weren't in the exact same boat, or ship in this case.
"Less bickering more flying please. I would prefer coming out of this alive and in one piece, young Skywalker" She barely managed to breathe the words from her lungs with how hard the force of wind was pushing up against her face.