Kaivo sat in his X-14 Frot-Nine single manned cruiser and let it drift far enough away from Alderaan to remain undetected.
He waited for Broq and the Jedi to show up. Then he could return to Runei to tell Christa what he had done. About the mastery and ingenuity of his plan.
But after waiting almost an entire day, Kaivo began to worry. What was taking Broq so long? Had he managed to have his night with Christa? Was she unable to hold him off? Did he think her worth more than a queen's treasure? Kaivo couldn't be sure, but he certainly wouldn't blame him if he did.
Kaivo leaned back, propped his feet up on the control panel, and rested his hands on the back of his head. He let his eyes close. As he did, Broq's oversized ship, The Hammer, flew by. Kaivo nearly missed it as it passed off in the distance. He sat up, squinting against the sun which nearly eclipsed the ship in its great light.
If Broq thought he was going to plunder the queen's ship of its goods, he was in for a big surprise. More like a trap, Kaivo thought with some amusement. The tracking device he left on the queen's ship showed it was only a system away from Alderaan. But there wasn't going to be a treasure on it. He'd already quietly seen to that.
Kaivo thought of Christa and smiled. Getting her to do his dirty-work was easy. He'd tell her to do something, and she'd do the exact opposite. Knowing this, he made sure whatever he told her not to do, was exactly what he wanted her to do.
The end result was always beautiful. She betrayed him every time.
He sucked his teeth. Was Christa ever going to forgive him? Was she ever going to let go of that grudge of hers? The woman was relentless, and all he ever did was love her.
Two Jedi star fighters sped forward at near hyper-speed. Kaivo could see them. But the blissfully unaware pilot of the Hammer trudged forward, positioning itself for a sneak attack on the Queen's ship.
Kaivo laughed, then set the coordinates of his Frot-Nine to Runei.
CHAPTER V
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker stood on deck of Queen Breha's ship. There was a clean, sterile look to the area. Flawless stainless steel décor, few windows, like an operating room, except the floors were cage-like, allowing them to look below at the storage area, or even worse, allowing someone to fire a blaster at them through the bars. Their boots made a loud CLUNKING noise despite how softly they stepped.
Obi-Wan's plan was to meet Broq on his territory, not the queen's. But somehow, the pirate had already infiltrated her ship, leaving most of his crew aboard the Hammer. This caused a bit of a mix up.
The two Jedi had gone there first and demanded surrender and Broq's whereabouts. The crew resisted, and needless to say, the encounter didn't end peacefully. Obi-Wan hated when things got ugly and lives were lost. But saving the queen was more important, especially if the pirate's intent was to kill.
They walked across the bridge then hurriedly paced down the steps toward the storage area below. Before them was another long hall, with several doors on each side. This would lead them to another secured area.
Anakin dropped to his knee and peered around a corner. He ignited his lightsaber.
"Anakin, what are you doing? Turn that thing off," Obi-Wan demanded.
In the darkness, the lightsaber illuminated their faces, giving them a bluish glow.
"He's here, master. I saw his shadow."
"Well thanks to you, he knows where we are."
"But he knew already knew where we were, master."
Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and sighed. "I suppose you're right," he relinquished.
Anakin grinned and Obi-Wan crouched beside him.
"Where do you think she keeps the treasure?" Anakin asked.
"Oh, I suppose somewhere down here. But I don't see anything."
The master and his pupil rose above squatting position. Anakin threw his back against the wall, and slid against it. But as he turned the corner, Obi-Wan cried out.
"Watch it, Anakin!"
The padawan ducked. A green lightsaber swiped at his head and cut right into the wall. Anakin back rolled and landed on his feet. Before he could bring his lightsaber around, Obi-Wan was already swatting the attacker back with his weapon.
"You all right?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Barely," Anakin answered, taking an aggressive stance.
Broq stood before them, poised, both hands gripping the dragon designed handle of his lightsaber. Obi-Wan recognized the blade. It belonged to Jedi Master Thracia Cho-Leem. It was last seen when she expelled her former padawan from the Jedi Order.
"That lightsaber," Obi-Wan said. "Doesn't belong to you."
"You are one to talk!" Broq said, bringing his blade toward his shoulder.
Kenobi studied the pirate for a moment. And suddenly he recognized his face. He'd seen him at the temple, both were around the same age. Both padawans at the same time. They'd sparred before. But Broq never achieved the rank of Jedi Knight. Indeed, he had been kicked out when he was only a teen.
It was almost better to let Anakin engage him. But even that would be too much.
"Surrender," Obi-Wan said. "I don't wish to hurt you."
"As if you could. The treasure is mine." Broq answered. "Get out of my way."
He lowered the blade, hands dropping at his sides as he looked at Kenobi. Broq took a step forward and Anakin swiped at his head. Broq ducked, bringing his lightsaber up and both exchanged blows. Obi-Wan force-pushed the pirate back.
Broq clamored to his feet and ran. He swung around the corner and stumbled up the staircase towards the deck. The Jedi and his padawan pursued.
"I know what you want," Broq called, looking over his shoulder at Obi-Wan.
He reached the top of the staircase and brandished his lightsaber. Altitude was everything. He remembered that. He swung at Obi-Wan. Their lightsabers collided, Obi-Wan's knocking him back a step.
Anakin watched the duel, hands clasped around his lightsaber. Broq was clearly outmatched. In fact, Obi-Wan was going easy on him. Why? Anakin sensed something unusual emanating from his master… guilt?
Broq swung his lightsaber wildly but Obi-Wan met this with a swift kick to the face, disarming him. The pirate fell to the floor and scurried away from the heat of Obi-Wan's lightsaber toward his own on his backside.
"Stay away from me!" he yelled.
Suddenly everything became crystal clear. The elusive treasure, Christa, Kaivo… he'd been set up. But why was the Jedi after him? Why didn't he go after Kaivo, who probably already plundered the ship? The answer again, was very clear.
"I know what you want," Broq accused as he rolled toward the lightsaber and leapt back to his feet.
"You came here to kill the queen. For that, you will be arrested."
"I came for the treasure," Broq spat back.
He swung at Obi-Wan, his lightsaber slicing through the air at a speed that surprised them both. The Jedi caught the blade mid-air with his own and blocked, then returned the attack with one of his own. A blow that severed Broq's right arm from the shoulder down.
The pirate squealed and dropped to his knees, hugging his body with his remaining limb. Anakin located the dragon handled blade, and removed it from his still twitching fingers.
Obi-Wan pointed his lightsaber at Broq, but the pirate clamored away. His face had blanched, his forehead had broken into a sweat, and his lips had turned blue. He shivered and almost seemed to fall into a bit of dementia.
"I know what you want!" Broq said again. He slid to his feet, still backing away from the Jedi.
"You'll accompany us to Coruscant, you're under arrest. An assassination attempt against a political leader and the family members of a senator is a crime."
"So is coveting another man's wife," Broq exclaimed.
Broq broke into a slow run, prompting Obi-Wan and Anakin to give chase. "I'll never accept arrest. You'll have to kill me!"
"Master?" Anakin called.
"We may have to subdue him," Obi-Wan whispered.
"She's mine! You can't have her!" Broq said as he turned the corner and disappeared.
The entire thing had been a set up. He saw the way the Jedi looked at Christa at the festival. The want, the longing, he sensed it.
Obi-Wan and Anakin followed Broq. But when they turned the corner, he was gone.