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“And you originally opposed the Military Creation Act,” he barked. “What do you say now?”

There was really no answer. Besides, she had been on the receiving end of similar reproofs since the start of the war. Typically voiced by those who failed to grasp that her concern was for the Constitution, not for the ultimate fate of the free trade zones.

She heard her name called, and turned to see Bail Organa and Mon Mothma angling toward where she and C-3PO were momentarily hampered. With them were two female Jedi—Masters Shaak Ti and Stass Allie.

“Have you seen the Chancellor?” Bail asked when he could.

She shook her head. “He’s probably in the holding office.”

“We were just there,” Shaak Ti said. “The office is empty. Even his guards are gone.”

“They must have escorted him to the shelters,” Padmé said.

Bail glanced at something over her shoulder and raised his hand over his head to call attention to himself. “Mas Amedda,” he explained for Padmé’s benefit. “He’ll know where to find the Chancellor.”

The tall, horned, gray-complected Chagrian fairly shouldered his way through the crowd.

“The Supreme Chancellor had no meetings scheduled until later today,” he said in answer to Bail’s question. “I assume he is in his residence.”

“Five Hundred Republica,” Shaak Ti muttered to herself in seeming frustration. “I was just there.”

Amedda gazed down at her in sudden concern. “And the Chancellor wasn’t?”

“I wasn’t looking for him then,” the Jedi started to say, then allowed her words to trail off. “Master Allie and I will check the Senate Office Building and Republica.” She glanced at Padmé, Bail, and the others. “Where are you going?”

“Wherever we’re directed to go,” Bail said.

“The turbolifts to the shelters are overwhelmed,” Stass Allie said. “It’ll be hours before the Senate is evacuated. My skimmer is at the plaza’s northwest landing platform. You can pilot that directly to the shelters.”

“Won’t you and Shaak Ti need it?” Padme asked.

“We’ll use the speeder bike I arrived on,” Shaak Ti said.

“We appreciate the gesture,” Bail said. “But I heard that the front plaza is cordoned off.”

Stass Allie took his arm. “We’ll escort you.”

Troopers stationed in the corridor opened a path for the group, and before long they reached the doorways to the main plaza. There, however, a commando blocked their path.

“You can’t exit this way,” the commando told Bail.

“They’re with us,” Shaak Ti said.

Waving signals to several of his white-armored comrades, the commando stood aside and allowed Padmé’s group to pass. The sky above the statue-studded plaza was crowded with gunships and personnel carriers. AT-TEs and other mobile artillery pieces had already been deployed.

The Jedi led Padmé, C-3PO, Bail, and Mon Mothma to the open-roofed skimmer. The speeder bike was parked alongside. Shaak Ti swung one leg over the seat and started the engine. Stass Allie settled in behind her.

“Good luck,” she said.

The Senators and the droid watched the two Jedi race off in the direction of the Senate Office Building; then, with Bail piloting, they boarded the oval-shaped Flash skimmer and dropped down into the wide canyon below the plaza.

Free-travel traffic was thick even there, but Bail’s skill got them through the worst of it and on course for the shelter entrances, which were just below the main skydocks of the Senate Medcenter.

Without warning, two beams of scarlet light stabbed at them from somewhere above the dome of the Senate.

“Vulture droids!” Bail said.

Padmé clutched on to C-3PO as Bail veered away from the plasma bolts. The pod-winged droid fighter that had fired was one of several that were strafing vehicles, landing platforms, and buildings in the canyon. Republic gunships were in close pursuit, unleashing with powerful wingtip cannons.

Padmé’s mouth fell open in astonishment. This was something she had never expected to witness on Coruscant.

Bail was doing everything he could to keep clear of blaster bolts, plasma, and flak, but so was every other