Wow! Look at the responses this story's getting already! Fantastic, hi everybody! At the bottom of the page, I am replying to reviews. Please continue; it's exciting to see what y'all have to say! Enjoy the next chapter,
~Marina
Chapter 2
It was dark. His head was extended toward the ceiling—what was up there? –Dirt? Oh, he was upside-down, that was it. What he was looking at was the ground. He was strapped to a frame of poles. The dark silhouette of the guard who'd hit him was pacing up and down in front of him. "Where am I?" he groaned.
The guard spoke in a deep, crackly voice. "You are guest of the Hutts," he said unceremoniously. "If you do not answer my questions about your two partners—"
He zapped Obi-Wan with the tip of its electrostaff, and electricity shot through him painfully. Obi-Wan groaned.
"—we will not be so hospitable."
He stabbed him again, then held up a strange contraption with a wire end, swinging it around and preparing to strike.
"Wait!" Obi-Wan gasped out, just in time. "Torture won't be necessary!" he strained to get out of the frame, but it held strong. "My partners double-crossed me but—I put a tracking device on their ship. L—Let me down, and I'll tell you the frequency."
The guard thought for a moment, then signaled to another who had control of the frame's binding. The Gamorrean hit a lever and Obi-Wan plummeted headfirst to the ground. "Ow…"
"Now," the head guard said menacingly, coming closer to him, "tell us the tracking frequency…"
By the next hour, Obi-Wan found himself back up on the frame after having been questioned further about Bane and Moralo Eval. He hadn't had much to tell, but he told what he knew.
The harder the Hutts assailed the bounty hunters, the more he could help them, and earn their trust.
A comlink suddenly went off, and the head guard answered it. A strained voice came over the speakers. "Their ship will crash soon on Nal-Hutta. Be there to capture the fugitives."
The guard eyed him, knowing for certain now that he had been telling the truth about the tracking frequency. Then the two guards turned to leave.
"There's the ship, like I said," Obi-Wan called after them. "The deal was you let me go now!"
"The deal has changed," the head guard snickered, heading toward the Hutt palace.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and reached up to examine the binders around his legs. Carefully, he loosened them with the Force and jumped softly, landing on his feet. Summoning the Force, he reached out as the guard was examining his Mandalorian helmet and a long pole flew into his hand. He struck the ground with it, causing the guard to turn around. The pole went flying toward the guard's head with a loud thwack, effectively knocking him unconscious. The bony figure fell to the ground with a soft thump.
Obi-Wan quietly picked up his helmet, put it on, and snuck out.
There were several guards standing by the entrance to the Hutt palace. He watched for the right moment, and sprinted behind them, climbing onto a small building on the other side of the street.
While safely hidden behind the roof, he pulled out his comlink to contact the Jedi. "This is Ben. I apologize for being out of communication but the situation is rather—tenuous. Although—" looking overhead, he saw the bounty hunters' ship smoking across the sky, being chased by the Hutt ships— the sun was beginning to rise. "—it does appear things may be on track soon. Here's what we need. I need the bounty on us removed. If I can win over Cad Bane, I can learn more about Eval's plot. But—there can be no more complications. So, no matter what you hear, do not contact me or send help.
"Oh, and—one more thing—I should need enough credits to buy a new ship."
"Why are you removing the bounty on the three fugitives?" Chancellor Palpatine asked suspiciously, as he sat in his office, talking with Mace Windu via hologram.
Mace's jaw was set. "If they're free to move, they could lead us back to Eval's operation," he explained.
"Very well," Palpatine barely smiled, "Keep me appraised."
He shut off the comm. and turned toward his visitor, who sat across from him. "You look troubled, Anakin," he observed.
Anakin did indeed look troubled; actually, he looked downright enraged. "How can they expect me to just sit here, and do nothing, with Obi-Wan's murderer on the loose!?" he demanded to no one in particular, getting up from his seat and beginning to pace angrily in front of the Palpatine's desk.
Palpatine watched him closely. "It is possible—they do not trust you to control your feelings," he suggested, his tone smooth as butter.
"Hardin killed my master. My best friend!" Anakin cried. "He's escaping with Cad Bane, and Moralo Eval, and the Jedi Council won't do anything about it!"
"I have it from a reliable source that the fugitives were last headed towards—Nal-Hutta," he said casually, walking over to his large window to stand next to Anakin. "You cannot deny your feelings, Anakin. They are—what make you special."
Anakin rubbed a hand across his face wearily. "I know that by now, Chancellor," he replied. "But the Jedi Council is sometimes trustworthy, as much as I hate to admit it. But whether I should trust them now—I—I just can't tell. If Obi-Wan was alive and with those bounty hunters, I would know what to do. But he's not!" his voice broke on the last sentiment.
Palpatine put a hand on his shoulder. "The Jedi have failed to avenge your master, and they have also failed to stop this plot against me." He looked the Jedi squarely in the eye. "If you believe you can accomplish these things, I trust you."
"Thank you, Chancellor," Anakin replied, his brow furrowed. "You won't regret this. But—no offense, I can't go as your private send-off. If anyone asks, I'm doing this of my own free will."
Palpatine nodded, eyebrows raised. "Whatever you say."
Replies to Reviewers:
starflyergirl: Thank you! So far it's pretty consistent with the episode, but that's about to change. So glad to have you as a reader!
NaLuForever789: Thank you also! Please let me know what you think of my adaption and writing style—I've been wondering lately if I need to up the quality of my work. Any ideas would be awesome (=
Mo Angel: Awesome. I know I loved this story arc and I've written about three or four different versions of what happened afterward lol! So glad that you like it too! The other version that I have published is The End of the Clone Wars, which is a much bigger story that I'm still working on. Check it out if you feel so inclined (-=
Stilwater Rundeepo: Yes, I agree, there was no change in the last chapter. This is where the diversion starts, just a little here at the end, and in the next chapter it totally changes. Glad you like it!