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Chapter 1: Legends from the past
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Part 1
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Zebulon
dark space
in the vicinity of Zhar
"Tatooine!" One of the Queen's handmaidens exclaimed. "Are you mad!?"
Delkatar looked between the young woman and the Queen and raised and eyebrow. The monarch wore a thick coat of white and red pain on her face resembling a mask, however the resemblance was uncanny. Relatives? A double?
"I have to agree with the young lady." Commander Tycho nodded at the handmaiden.
"If you have a better idea, I'm all ears." Kira perked up. She wasn't too thrilled with the idea herself. If they went to Tatooine and the place was back to being as bad as it was before they liberated it, her husband was liable to go on the warpath and this wasn't the time for that. Besides, Kira was pretty sure she would be right beside him all the way. She loathed slavers with a burning passion too.
"Why Tatooine?" The Queen asked in an imperial tone.
"Various reasons, your Majesty." Delkatar began. "First, who would believe we would bring you there?" He smiled mischievously. "A Queen going to Tatooine? Unthinkable."
"Because the danger is insane!" The Commander very reasonably pointed out.
"Higher than going to a more secure port and risking an encounter with a Trade Federation warship? We aren't really in a condition to run, much less fight." Kira countered.
Honestly, if it wasn't for the expected tech disparity after thousands of years, She would have them taken their ship too, however when faced with anything modern, even a civilian conversion, it should be a death trap. While the Royal Yacht was a nice ship, it was never meant for real combat.
"Llanic, Nelvaan, Christophis..." Typho pointed out.
"At least two of those have heavy Trade Federation presence or so your pilot says. From Tatooine we'll get a lot more options to get back into Republic space. We're currently near one of the few hyperlanes we could have reached after leaving on our escape vector." Delkatar explained calmly. "From what I've seen the star-charts in the region hadn't changed much."
"Besides, Tatooine is the farthest we can safely reach and we need to put more distance between us and Naboo." Kira continued. "The farther we go, our odds of making a clean break increase as long as we stay away from areas with heavy Federation presence."
"Do you two really believe that Tatooine is our best option?" The Queen asked.
"Best? Relatively speaking. No one should look for you there and there's a lot of security in obscurity. Further, with the Hutts back in control, we should be able to make a quiet landing without checking up with any local authorities if there's such an animal there. We won't be so lucky at any civilized place. Your Majesty, while your ship is very nice piece of engineering, she isn't exactly inconspicuous." Delkatar summarized.
Amidala looked at the Jedi for a long moment before making her decision. "We chose to trust, you Master Veil. We will continue to do so."
"We won't betray your trust, your Majesty." Kira answered for them both.
"You know, I hoped one of you would have a better idea..." Delkatar massaged his forehead.
"You don't want to go to Tatooine?" Tycho frowned at him.
"Want? No. It's still the best option we have." The Jedi Master grumbled.
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Watto's shop
Mos Espa
Tatooine
The back yard of Watto's shop resembled a large junk-pile held at bay by tall stone walls. A mop of dirty blond hair could be seen bobbing up and down amidst a sea of discarded parts.
"No." A young voice grumbled. Clang. "That's not it." Another grumble.
"Boy, we don't have whole day!" A surprisingly deep voice echoed from the shop's proper followed by the buzzing of wings. A dark blue Toydarian flew through the back door and its snout twitched with annoyance when he didn't immediately saw the source of his ire.
"I know, master!" The blond hair boobed again. "It should be here!" Clang, chung.
"Then find it!" Watto flapped away. "Ugh. Humans. If he wasn't so useful..."
"How am I supposed to find it?!" The owner of the blond hair muttered. Clang. He threw another broken part away. The power converter wasn't where Anakin saw it last week. Did Watto sell it and forgot? His owner wasn't the most diligent bookkeeper...
The young boy sighed. If he didn't find it, he might get punished or worse – not get paid and that meant smaller meals and no new parts for the droid he was building!
Anakin continued to burrow through the junk. Huh. Was that a plasma torch? Wicked! He looked around and pocketed it. HK wanted some kind of close combat weapon and that might do...
Few more minutes of unsuccessful scavenging followed interrupted only by an increasingly angry demands from Watto. Anakin found an intact speeder engine he didn't remember seeing before, a shot up armour suit that might be worth salvaging but still no power converter! Sithspit!
He went to another pile and pulled away a sheet of jagged metal.
"A power-cell? Useful. Too bad I scrapped my plans for a pod-racer..." Anakin grumbled. "Perhaps HK might find it useful... If I can jury-rig him a shield generator..." Anakin beamed at the idea, then his expression drooped. He had to find the power-converter first or else!
It was too bad that his racing pod got shot up two months ago. Anakin still hadn't got over the indignity. Why did those fools playing Crusaders had to hide next to his pod?! Jabba's men shot the whole building because of them, then torched the place as an example! Hadn't they figured out that there would be no Jedi coming to free the slaves again?! It's been thousands of years now and the Republic and Jedi did nothing! The Crusader was a legend to scare little fat Hutts and nothing more!
Anakin kicked a small junk pile in frustration. Ah! "There you are! I'm getting paid!" The kid exclaimed and picked up the power-converter before sprinting into the shop. "Master, I found it!"
"It took you long enough!" Watto snapped. Humans! Bah.
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Zebulon
Dune Sea
near Mos Espa
"Beeb-dee-boop!" R2-D2 exclaimed.
"That bad?" Kira scrunched her nose.
"There, there little one." Padme, one of the Queen's handmaidens crooned. She sat besides the astromech and was busy cleaning it as a gesture of appreciation for saving them all during their run on the blockade.
"The hyperdrive motivator's busted. Shields can't go above fifteen percent if that, we lost almost all spare parts along with most of the cargo bay and the patch job of the left engine power system didn't really hold up during landing." Delkatar read from a data-pad. "Even if we find a new motivator, the last jump strained the hyperdrive something fierce. Going to lightspeed without a complete overhaul will be slow. I'm actually surprised it didn't fail before we got here. The damage is more extensive than the diagnostic implies."
"We actually need a new ship?!" The handmaiden exclaimed and dropped the rag she was using. R2 added his indignation too through a loud piercing shriek.
"Either that or we'll need a few months to crawl to Coruscant." Veil shrugged.
"This is all your fault! If we had gone elsewhere..." Padme snapped.
"We would be as stranded as we are now and we might have had to deal with Federation warships." Kira's soothing voice broke the handmaiden's angry tirade before it could really begin. "It was no coincidence we ended up here, Delkatar. Can you feel it?"
"I'm really tired being played like a fiddle by the Force, love."
"What are you two talking about?" Padme glared at the Jedi.
"We and Tatooine, let's say we have history." Kira smiled sadly.
"There's a powerful Force presence nearby and it's calling to us like a siren song. It might very well be the reason why we ended up in this time. There are no coincidence or luck. Just the Force and that's not necessary a good thing." Delkatar grumbled.
Padme looked at the Jedi and frowned. "That doesn't make much sense."
"Story of our lives, dear. You eventually get used to it or learn not to let it bother you too much." Kira patted the younger woman's shoulder.
"What are we going to do now?" The handmaiden asked.
"Go to the nearby town, see how much trouble we landed ourselves in and buy, borrow or steal a ship." Delkatar suggested.
"That doesn't sound Jedi like." Padme frowned.
"You would be surprised. I'm just more upfront than most."
Kira slapped her husband on the shoulder. "I wouldn't put it that way myself, however... In our line of work you learn to improvise. We would prefer to either buy or hire a ship instead of procuring one in more exciting ways."
"Spoilsport." Delkatar grumbled good-naturedly.
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Part 2
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Mos Espa
Tatooine
A most aptly named Dune Sea claimed most of Tatooine's surface. While there were mountains yet to be ground to dust, this world was the complete opposite to places like Manaan. The environment was enough for many to call the place a death world and that impression was reinforced by the locals. While the Javas were generally considered harmless, the Sand People were anything but. Most of the wildlife fell on the particularly dangerous and vicious side too – from krayt dragons and sarlaks, to various much smaller but often no less deadly critters.
The Hutts who took dominion of the planet ages ago only made its reputation worse and that was before they began vying for power and threw their henchmen against each other. Tatooine might not be a den of scum and villainy equal to Hutta and Nar Shaddaa, however that didn't say much. Curiously, no one tended to mention the small population of vapour farmers making a living all over the planet and surviving from the times Czerka had a mining operation on the planet, the Hutts, followed by iron-fisted Sith control, the Crusade and even bloodier Hutt restoration.
By all accounts, in the millennia since the two Jedi Master vanished from the face of the galaxy, the desert planet got even worse if that was possible.
"This is Mos Espa?" Veil stopped in his tracks and stared.
"That's what the sign says." Padme Nabeire pointed to a faded sheet of steel nailed to a metal pole that was in turn stuck in the middle of a small rocky formation.
"Bee-boop." R2-D2 confirmed.
"The last time we were here, this was a thriving city." Kira explained in a pained tone. "One of the bigger and more prosperous on the planet."
The Mos Espa they found themselves in was anything but. A generous person might call it a tiny town instead of a largish village. If they squinted hard. Most of the buildings were typical Tatooine dome-shaped construction meant to keep the sand and heat outside and all of them looked worse to wear.
Small groups of locals hurried this and that way and the only sound that could be heard came from a nearby bazaar – cries, screeches and hoots in at least a dozen languages from peddlers advertising their goods intermixed with loud haggling.
"You take me to the nicest of places, husband." Kira grimaced when the distinct smell of Mos Espa hit them.
"I personally blame the Force and I'll stick by that decision." Delkatar grimaced. They both had the misfortune to smell some truly vile things – like the toxic swamps of Hutta and the industrial scale toxic hell that were parts of Balmorra to name just a few. Still, Mos Espa somehow made itself distinctive enough in that exalted company.
"I think there's a compost pile nearby." Kira scrunched her nose in distaste. "Rotting bodies too."
"What?!" Padme exclaimed.
Delkatar's lips twitched up. He had forgotten what was to be this young and sheltered. The handmaiden, if she was actually what she portrayed herself as, was a breath of fresh air. "It's Tatooine that's ran by the Hutts. If there aren't bodies littering the streets we should count ourselves lucky."
"Beep!" R2-D2 cheerfully pointed out.
"If you keep that going on, I'll personally install a sniffer in you and then dunk you in one of Coruscant's waste processing facilities." Kira warned the astromech.
"Where to now?" Padme asked.
The Jedi looked at each other and pointed to the right.
A few minutes later they arrived in front of a shop, which had a small selection of parts and few droids displayed outside.
"Clients!" A deep voice boomed from inside, followed by flapping wings. "Welcome to Watto's! How can I help you? We have everything and I mean everything!" A smug Toydarian flew to meet them.
"A hyperdrive motivator and some other spare parts for starter. What currency floats here?" Delkatar asked.
The shop-owner looked up and down at the newcomers – two older humans, male and female, clad in well cared for armour that could be seen below their dusty cloaks, an astromech that looked brand new and a young human female wearing simple blue garb. Watto smiled. Their clothes were all from high quality fabrics, even the cloaks. Those Humans were loaded and he was going to do his best to help them unload as much of their money as he could!
"I'm sure we have what you need! Ship and hyperdrive model?" Watto asked eagerly. The nicer the ship the bigger the pay-check!
"R2, come here." The man called his astromech, which promptly rolled until he was in front of Watto and projected an image of a beautiful Nubian ship as well as details about its hyperdrive.
"Very nice ship you've got there!" Watto's eyes gleamed. This sell was going to make his day! "Boy, come here! We've got important clients! Yes, I can help you. I know we've got a motivator for that drive of yours. The other parts... I'm sure we'll think of something."
Small feet slid over the stone floor as a young boy ran up from the back of the shop.
"Master? You called?"
"Oh, my..." Kira exclaimed quietly. Her green eyes locked on the kid with wonder.
"He'll get you what you need. Now, about payment... We accept..." Watto paused. The client wasn't paying him any attention and just stared at the boy.
"Master?" The human man repeated in a distant tone. There was no sight of the warmth he spoke with just a moment earlier. What did Skywalker do this time?! If he ruined this deal... Watto turned to glare at his mechanic.
"Uh... What's up?" Anakin smiled nervously. He looked at the visitors. The man next to his master had to be a mercenary – the armour he could see under that cloak was too good for the run of the mill thugs that one could usually see around Mos Espa. The droid was very nice and shiny – not only new but well maintained... Anakin blinked when he saw the women. "Are you angels?"
The beautiful red-haired lady's musical laugher rang through the silent shop. "That's certainly a new one. Hi, there! I'm Kira. What's your name, sweetie?" She leaned forward and smiled at Anakin.
"Boy!" Watto snapped and his wings buzzed angry.
"Anakin, ma'am." Skywalker shook himself from the daze and jumped up. "Master!"
"Master..." The large human repeated. This time his voice was cold and flat.
Watto didn't like it at all and he turned to face the client. "Is that a problem, human?" He kept his tone professional. He really did. It didn't matter if the man was one of those dumb Crusader sympathisers if he had money to burn. Watto could sell him to the Hutts later for even more profit!
"Anakin here is your property, I take it?" Watto's head snapped to face the human woman. She was suddenly in front of him and had a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her face.
Why did it suddenly get cold? This was Tatooine!
"Yes?" Watto answered. That much was obvious. Was the human slow or something.
"Of course he is." She face-palmed. "Delkatar, please don't..."
Watto screeched when something grasped his wings. He didn't even see the larger human moving before armoured fingers clasped his delicate joints in a vice like grip.
"Crusader, I promise I won't tell the Hutts about you! I swear!" Watto stammered. He obviously misjudged the newcomers. They were obviously a group of rich fools who thought they could restart the Crusade or something. It was no skin of his trunk! The Hutts would sort them sooner or later.
"And here I thought you people had forgotten about us." The man's smile was back but this time it was different. The human shrugged his shoulders and his cloak fell to the ground revealing the armour beneath in all its glory. The Crusader's sigil was proudly displayed on the chest.
"Oh. It's your kind." Anakin groused. "It's all your fault!"
"I know." The Delkatar nodded.
"I... You know?" Anakin glared suspiciously at the man who held his master by the wings.
"Our attempt to eradicate slavery obviously failed." Delkatar explained. "At least our attempt is still remembered. Crusaders, eh?" He shook Watto.
"What?" Anakin frowned. What did that had to do with anything?!
"Delkatar, please keep calm and don't overreact. I'm sure that Watto here wants to be reasonable. Right?" Kira's sweet smile made the Toydarian shiver in fear.
Humans weren't supposed to have such effect on him! They couldn't even fly by themselves!
"Yes! Reasonable is nice!" Watto nodded emphatically. "I like reasonable! Love it in fact! Let us all be reasonable!"
"I don't see a slave collar." Delkatar spoke after taking a moment to examine Anakin.
"Those things?! Bah! So temperamental and easy to tamper with! He's chipped." Watto explained. Collars, really? Who used slave collars in this day and age? Well, unless they were decorative and to make a point...
"What kind of chip?" The Human shook Watto by the wings producing another pained squeal.
"The kind that makes your head go boom if you go too far out." Anakin explained and wildly gesticulated to demonstrate.
"Damn it, here we go again..." Kira sighed. "Dearie, look this way, please." The smile she gave Anakin was very nice and his eyes went her way by their own volition.
He barely paid any attention to the loud scrunch followed by piercing shriek by his Master. For some reason looking at the nice lady as she requested was more important.
"How do we remove the chip without a boom?" Delkatar asked.
Watto could only whimper and stare at one of his wings that the man held in front of his eyes.