City of Anchorhead

Anakin stood in the back of the room with Owen, their faces barely lit as the two observed the meeting before them. Cliegg sat around a table with 4 other figures. A Rodian named Ganuk, a human named Panaka, a Nikto who had merely been addressed as "The Blade", and a Twileik named Skurge. Each other them sported scars from slavery or their war. Ganuk was missing an arm and The Blade was more machine than man. Anakin gathered that these men were the ones of the Revolution Council that Cliegg had told him about on the ride Anchorhead. Anakin and Owen listened quietly as quiet murmuring died down.

"Gentlemen, we have taken control of the major cities of Tatooine. Our engineers and medical staff have begun removing slave chips from citizens and we have scouts watching Jabba's palace. No one has left the palace. Jabba seems to be hoarding his troops within." Cliegg briefed his allies, reading from a datapad an aide had given him. "Now we must plan a course of action."

"Blade suggest we attack Jabba. If Jabba there, we kill Jabba and not let Jabba escape. Simple" The Blade spoke, leaning back in his chair. Ganuk scoffed

"We are in no position to attack the palace. I lost men today. Good men. We need time to recruit and regroup. If we attack now then we are going to waste everything we've worked towards."

Skurge nodded her head."Too much is at stake. If we go in now, we risk losing everything."

"We've already risked it all! We've killed Hutts and now we've embarrassed Jabba on his home turf. If we hold back, he will crush us. If we kill Jabba, we can secure a victory quickly for Tatooine." Panaka snapped at the Twileik. Anakin took a hard look at the man. He looked familiar, but he couldn't tell from where.

"See? Blade right. Panaka explain Blade's plan better." Blade smiled as he looked around.

" I will not let my troops be sent to the grave because of some half-wit-"

"Enough!" Cleigg's voice rang out, silencing the group. He rubbed his temples. "If Jabba is in the castle, he must not escape the planet. Not only does killing Jabba bring closure to this planet, but it is also a sign of our power."

"I agree" Ganuk nodded "But we simply lack the bodies needed to kill Jabba, much less get through the gates. Your blitz strategy has been working, but it is also harming us almost as much as the Cartel. I'm willing to attack the palace on one condition."

Cleigg tensed as he nodded, letting Ganuk proceed."Allow us to use civilians in the assault."

Cleigg took a deep breath. He knew this was coming. He was all for accepting civilians who were willing to fight, but he knew what Ganuk was talking about. Use the civilians as cannon fodder. They would be inexperienced, untrained. "Very well," Cleigg spoke, the words making him wince as he had just signed death warrants for newly freed slaves. Ganuk grinned as he walked away with Skurge and The Blade. All that remained was Panaka and Cleigg. Panaka scowled at Cleigg.

"I can't believe you did that."

"What would you have me do Zav?" Cleigg sighed as he took out a flask.

"Innocent lives should ne-"

"Don't talk to me about innocent lives! I've sacrificed more than you ever possibly could! This planet has been in constant war, its people suffering every day from people like Jabba! They get to get revenge! They get to go down as heroes!"

"They are being used!"

"You are always free to leave Zavdrov. I won't expose you to them" Cleigg sneered. "This was never your fight. You may have been able to provide us with weapons and transports, but we made the magic happen. Once this is over, Tatooine owes nothing to your planet."

"That was our arrangement. Helping free your planet after ours was freed by Tatooine."

Anakin's eyes lit up. "You're Captain Panaka!" The two older men turned towards Anakin. "And who are you?" Panaka, asked.

"I'm Anakin Skywalker."

Panaka's eyes widened. "Cleigg, can I speak to Anakin in private?" Cleigg nodded. "Be my guest. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to prepare for an assault." Cleigg and Owen left the room and Panaka gestured for Anakin to take a seat. "So you're Anakin Skywalker, the Hero of Naboo?"

"Well I don't know about that title but I am Anakin Skywalker."

Panaka laughed. "Most of Tatooine knows you as 'The Hero of Naboo'. You're the one that blew up the droid control ship. If you didn't do that, the Gungans would have been slaughtered, the Theed palace would have been lost, and who knows what else."

"Well, I was just helping out." There was an awkward moment of silence and Anakin decided to address the elephant in the room. "Captain Panaka, why are you here on Tatooine?"

"Well officially Captain Panaka is MIA after his ship crashed on Felucia. Unofficially, the Nabooian government has sent me here to assist in freeing your planet. You see Anakin, Queen Amidala was very upset about how the Jedi sent you back here to Tatooine. At first, she tried to buy your mother to free her, but her duties as Queen kept her immensely busy, especially after the Invasion. There were attempts to free your mother and bring the two of you to Tatooine, but Watto refused to budge. He had been humiliated at losing you. We send an aide to personally talk to Watto who witnessed the brutality of the slavers here. Her report convinced the Royal Advisory Council to take action. Knowing the Queen would disprove of military intervention, an idea was created. Send someone to help organize a rebellion to free the entire planet. It seemed like the only thing we could do to make up the debt we owed you."

Anakin was shocked. Everything had happened because of him. Panaka noticed the look of guilt and shock and realized how he might have made Anakin feel."Anakin this is not your fault. The deaths are not on you. There were several other factors influencing sending me to help your father, but I cannot stress this enough. This is not your fault."

Anakin was taken back by Panaka's comment. Not that Panaka was trying to help convince him that he was not guilty for the Revolution, but that Panaka had considered Cleigg to be Anakin's father. Anakin decided to deal with the matter later. He simply nodded. "Well, its getting late. We have to prepare for the battle tomorrow. You should get some rest young one." Panaka spoke as he got out of his chair, leaving Anakin to process everything.


Jabba's Palace, Palace exterior

Two Gammorean Guards oversaw the defensives of the Palace's gates. Most of the Cartel's members were confident in their ability to defend the palace from the slaves. The palace was defended by bounty hunters, mercenaries, and the slaves had to break through the Palace's front gate. And even if they somehow managed to do that, the entrance served as an excellent funnel point to gun down the invaders. The Palace gate had Cartel members outside in front of it, some with turrets. The two Guards were confident in their ability to drive off the slaves.

A shot rang out as a blaster bolt zipped through the air and left a hole in one of the guard's forehead. Then more blaster bolts were unleashed. A series of slaves charged forward, shooting at the mercenaries. Chaos erupted as the Cartel began their defense of the palace. The slaves charged forward, using rocks and blockades as protection. So many slaves had been cut down in the beginning wave. Skurge led her troops to the new position the slaves had gained, blaster fire whipping above them.

"We're getting cut to pieces up here!" A soldier yelled across to her before he was engulfed by the flames of a grenade. The rest of the slaves scattered, trying to avoid the incoming grenades. Some tried to flee and were riddled with blots. Skurge was pinned down. She needed her troops to last out just a bit longer so that the next phase of the invasion could take place. More and more troops fell around her. She just needed to wait and hope that everything went according to plan. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a detonator bounce towards her. "Get clear!" A soldier shouted, but it was in vain as the grenade went off, sending Skurge flying through the air.

The sight of their leader being thrown through the air like a doll, and the sickening crack as she hit the rocks beneath her, shook the slaves to their core. They had been told to follow Skurge's lead, and now she was dead. More and more slaves were dying. It was a massacre. Some tried to flee. But on the edge of the cliffside, there was hope. People climbed over the rock face, more and more emerging. The Blade was with them. He drew his vibroblade, pointing it at the Palace and let up an unholy cry, charging at the Cartel. The Blade's allies followed his lead, shooting at the Cartel members who were caught off guard. The Blade made quick work of the Cartel members, his sword cleaving through his opponents. The slaves that were with Skurge were given newfound courage and pressed the attack. The Cartel members were defeated swiftly, overwhelmed on two fronts. The Blade looked around the battlefield. "Where is Skurge?" He asked, walking around the grounds expecting to find her. A soldier carried forward Skurge's body. The Blade sighed and closed his friend's eyes, taking the flare from her belt. He shot it up into the air. The second phase had begun.

Shortly after the flare had been shot, the rest of the Slave army arrived at the Palace gate. Anakin got off the skiff and struggled to compose himself after seeing the carnage. Body parts, charred corpses. Back on Naboo, Anakin had not seen many bodies during the fight, but he had never seen something as horrific as this.

"Anakin! We need you on the gate controls!" Owen shouted, snapping Anakin out of his trance. Anakin nodded and moved over to the control panel for the gate, popping it open and beginning to hack it so they could open the gate from the outside.

"Alright everyone listen up!" Cliegg yelled as Anakin tinkered away. "We had a rough start. We've lost so many people to gain such a small spot. But I promise you that they did not die in vain. They died getting us closer to Jabba. Closer to freeing more slaves, closer to freedom for Tatooine!" The crowd cheered. "When that door opens, it will be tough. We will have to give it our all. But when that door opens, it is our chance to take our freedom from that Hutt. Today, WE FREE OUR PLANET!" Cliegg cried out, roaring as the soldiers rallied around him. "Mr. Lars!" Anakin yelled out over the chaos. "It's ready!"

"Everyone, take positions!" Cliegg bellowed as soldiers took cover behind barricades, walls, rocks, anything they could find. The door slowly creaked open and blaster bolts flew back and forth as the slaves began their push into the palace. Anakin slowly moved forward, ducking from the blaster fire as he shot back with his pistol. Soldiers charged forward, the battle slowly moving into their favor. A door opened and some mercenaries poured out, eager to let themselves loose on the slaves. Anakin easily shot down three of them, while the army behind him easily took down the rest. Anakin moved into the room that the mercenaries came out of, moving quickly to avoid blaster fire. But he moved too quickly, missing the Gamorrean guard that stood next to the wall. Only after hearing it grunt did he realize his mistake. He raised his blaster, but it was knocked away but the Gamorrean. The guard raised his axe over his head, ready to strike down Anakin. Anakin raised his hands up and the unthinkable happened. The Gamorrean was pushed back with a violent force, squealing in terror as he was thrown into the volley of blaster fire, tearing him apart. Anakin looked at his hands in astonishment. He felt a power flow through him, but only for a moment. He grabbed his pistol and proceeded to follow a group of soldiers deeper into the castle.


Jabba's Palace, Throne Room

Cliegg and his squad broke through the makeshift barricade created by the Cartel, gaining access to the Throne room. They quickly shot down the guards that were there. But the throne was empty. Jabba was nowhere to be seen. And that greatly angered Cliegg. He grabbed his comlink, hoping to find some help. He turned to his squad. "Go to the prison cells and free the slaves there. Watch the hallways, there might be traps."

"Yes, sir!" The squad leader nodded and ran down the hall with the rest of the squad. Cliegg opened his comlink and access the private channel he had with the council.

"Lars to Council, has anyone seen Jabba? He's not in the throne room."

"Blade has not seen Jabba."

"This is Panaka, no sight of the Hutt."

"Ganuk here! I see em! He's trying to escape on his sail barge!"

Cliegg paled." Ganuk, do not let him escape!"

Static was all that responded to Cliegg. "Sithspit" he muttered, changing the frequency to open channel."All available forces move to the garage! Jabba is trying to escape. Do not let him escape the palace, I repeat, do not let him escape!"


Jabba's Palace, Garage

Jabba roared in anger. "Get my sail barge fixed now!"

A guard ran over to inspect the damage. A rodian has flung himself at the back of the sail barge and blew himself up after the Cartel had killed his squad. The sail barge was grounded. There was no way they could fix it in time before the slaves arrived. "Mighty Jabba, the sail barge is too damaged to operate, we can't use it." The guard nervously replied to the Hutt.

The Hutt screamed and cursed in huttese. The guard didn't know what to do. Then again, there wasn't much for him to do as a blaster bolt pierced his heart and he dropped to the floor dead. The slaves had arrived. Anakin was with Panaka and several other slaves. "Drop your weapons!" Panaka yelled, noticing a few brave souls place their hand on their blaster holster.

Jabba panicked. "I'll pay you 500,000 credits if you all kill these schuttas!" He cried out desperately to the bounty hunters near him. The bounty hunters looked at each other. Their hands remained over their holsters. Anakin tightened his grip.

"One million credits!" Jabba screamed out. The bounty hunters hands remained steady. They lifted their hands up in the air. "We'll be leaving you now." One said as they bounty hunters all piled in a skiff and left the hanger. "Noooo! You can't do this to me!" Jabba cried out to the bounty hunters. He was left to the mercy of his slaves. About a near two dozen blasters were pointed at him and he knew there was no way he could barter his way out of this one. He heard a slow clap from above and saw Cliegg Lars descending the stairs.

"My, my, my, my Jabba. Leaving so soon?" Cliegg mocked as he approached the Hutt. "You know, I have to say I'm not surprised that you tried to pay those bounty hunters into your service. But what surprises me, even more, is that they turned you down. Guess they know how to pick and choose wisely." At this point, Cliegg was right in front of Jabba and they looked each other in the eye. "You're done here Jabba." Cliegg spat in the Hutt's face.

"You think you can kill me? You're going to create a power vacuum that will unleash more crime lords on Tatooine." Jabba smirked.

Cliegg looked at his pistol and back at Jabba. "You know, you might be right." He sighed. The Hutt smiled.

"But I think the new government will be able to establish our authority in the system after killing you." Cliegg laughed and stepped back to the army and aimed his pistol at Jabba. "Light em up!"

And with that, Jabba The Hutt was gunned down in his own palace by the slave army.


Next Day, Mos Espa

Music played through the streets of the city as the people celebrated their newfound freedom. They were no longer slaves. They were free people. They were people. The ones who had died during the campaign had died for something. They died freeing their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. Tatooine was now a free planet. They finally had control of their lives. The festivities lasted for nearly three days. Three days of celebrating and mourning. Anakin had joined his friends in the celebration, partying, dancing, and sneaking a few drinks.

The next morning, Anakin woke up in his bed to Threepio.

"Master Ani, your mother requests that you come to the kitchen now."

Anakin groaned and threw a pillow at Threepio, but dragged himself out and got dressed. He walked down the stairs and saw Panaka, Cliegg, and his mother all sitting in the kitchen. Cliegg looked up at Anakin and smiled. "Morning kid, how you doing?"

"Alright. What are you all doing here?"

"Well, Captain Panaka here needs to head home. And I just wanted to talk to your mother about something."

Shmi cleared her throat. "Anakin, why don't you help the Captain grab his bags and take them to the spaceport?"

Anakin raised his eyebrows in confusion but nodded and grabbed one of Panaka's bags and the two exited the building.

Anakin turned to the older man. "So what will happen to you now?"

"Hmmm" Panaka paused as he stared into the sky. "Well, I imagine this revolution will complicate my return to Naboo. But I will find a way home." He frowned. "If I can get into a transport that is."

The two had reached the entrance to the spaceport and to say it was crowded was an understatement. Families flooded to the transport, pushing and shoving to get aboard. While some wanted to remain on Tatooine, there were others who were not native to the planet and had real homes, real lives to get back too. Or they simply hated the memories the planet brought back to them. Even in death, the slavers still plagued the dreams of some.

"Well Anakin, I think I've got to go now. I'll find a way to Naboo. Don't you worry about me." Panaka said as he took the bag Anakin carried and hoisted it over his shoulder. Anakin nodded. "It's been an honor working with you sir. Thank you for all of your help."

Panaka chuckled. "I'm just helping repay the debt we owed you Anakin." He looked around the spaceport and the city. "You know, when I first arrived here, I couldn't wait to finish the mission. Hell, there were times when I was tempted to leave and say there was nothing I could do. But the longer I stayed here, the more I felt like I had to do something. I couldn't stand by and allow people to be killed or enslaved. And when we finally killed Jabba, it felt good. Not the action of killing him, but the symbol of it. We freed people that day." He sighed and held his hand out to the young man. "Be seeing you around Skywalker."

Anakin shook his hand and nodded."Likewise Captain. Safe travels."

Panaka departed and began to move into the crowd. But before he disappeared, he heard Anakin call out to him. "Panaka!"

He looked back to Anakin. "When... when you see Padme, tell her I said hello. And thank you."

Panaka smiled and nodded, then moved into the crowd to find a transport home.