Where Intrigue is Unveiled
Obi-Wan put a hand on his Padawan's shoulder before they disembarked. Anakin looked up, an eyebrow raised in question.
"Anakin," he said quietly. "You are biased against the Hutts with good reason. I don't particularly care for them either. But you must put that aside and listen openly. We have things to learn here, and we won't learn them if we shut our eyes and plug our ears simply because we are speaking with a creature we don't like."
Anakin scowled, but nodded.
"Now," Obi-Wan continued, "if you happen to discover something while exploring the facility, well I have an inquisitive Padawan who likes to look around."
At this, Anakin's scowl disappeared behind a large grin.
"Just make sure to contact me before you try and do anything. We don't want the Hutts to suddenly decide that we'd be better off working in the mines."
Anakin continued to smile brightly. "Of course, Master."
Obi-Wan nodded, squeezing Anakin's shoulder again. He'd wanted Anakin to simply observe how a Jedi does a negotiation, but given his Padawan's active nature, Anakin exploring was probably a better choice. At least he'd know that his Padawan was out and wandering around, and with permission, as opposed to the frequent times when he'd return to their apartment at the Temple to realize he'd snuck out again. Now if Anakin found something, Obi-Wan hoped he'd do the sensible thing and contact him. But this was Anakin. Obi-Wan let out a brief internal sigh. We'll see.
Their guide turned out to be a towering Imbat, who merely snorted upon seeing them and gestured for them to follow.
Pleasant creature, Obi-Wan sent through the bond.
Gee, you think? was Anakin's retort. Obi-Wan was pleased with the progress his Padawan had made at utilizing the bond.
Obi-Wan gave a small chuckle. Keep an eye on the bond, Padawan. And stay in contact as you explore. I'd like to know what trouble you get into at some point before the last minute.
Anakin gave a small huff. Who said I was going to get in trouble?
Just a feeling.
His Padawan snorted, but nevertheless started looking around with the appropriate wide-eyed stare and dropped jaw of a youngling who'd never seen such a place before. The Imbat growled at any questions Anakin asked about the mining, and Obi-Wan called Anakin back to his side once as he started down another hallway. No doubt the Hutts were watching and suspicious, but Anakin did an excellent job of presenting himself as a child on some sort of field trip. Obi-Wan sent a pulse of pride and Anakin gave a small grin.
The Imbat took them deeper into the facility where the wind and waves didn't roar quite so loud until they reached a small audience chamber, lavishly decorated. Settled on a dais was a massive Hutt, easily several hundred years old, sipping from a golden goblet. In front of the Hutt was a smaller one, clearly much younger, darker in color with arms crossed. Beside the smaller Hutt was an amethyst protocol droid, no doubt for translating.
A Twi'lek male, bare-chested and in a pair of shorts that barely covered anything bowed and led Obi-Wan and Anakin into the room. He offered the two Jedi drinks, which Anakin politely refused and Obi-Wan took, but did not sip.
"Greetings," Obi-Wan bowed to the large Hutt on the dais. "I am Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my inquisitive Padawan Anakin Skywalker.
The largest Hutt answered, her voice a light tenor that could be either male or female with the androgynous species, in Huttese.
Master, I think this will be good practice for you.
Obi-Wan sent a smile. Indeed, he understood Huttese quite well, given his young Padawan and his ability to cuss when angry. But there was no need for the Hutts to know that he understood them. He politely waited for the protocol droid to translate, only without the insults.
"The great and honorable Issulla welcomes you to her humble mining operations and is grateful that you are here to clear up the misunderstandings that have broken out between the great Issulla's operations and the Home Planet."
Obi-Wan smiled and started to speak when Anakin tugged on his sleeve, looking up with curiosity.
"Ah, I beg your pardon, milady," Anakin sent a mental snort, "but this is my Padawan's first mission. He has never seen mining facilities before. Do you have someone available to give him a tour?" And there was no missing Obi-Wan's underlying tone of "Please, let him go explore so we can get to business."
Issulla gave a throaty laugh, turning to the smaller Hutt. "You will take the brat for the tour," she said calmly in Huttese.
"I will not," the darker Hutt, Grondo no doubt, replied. "You're not getting rid of me for this meeting."
"I am still in charge."
"Not for long."
"Watch your tongue before it is cut out."
Grondo just grinned. "I run this operation in all but name. I will-"
Issulla cut him off, turning to the protocol droid and growling again in Huttese.
"The honorable Issulla will have the Imbat who brought you here guide your young Padawan around the facility, but warns you that mining is a dangerous profession."
Obi-Wan turned. "Anakin, stay with your guide and don't stray." And make sure to keep him busy.
"Of course, Master," Anakin bowed with a wide grin. I'll find the stolen goods, Master, you squish the Hutts.
Padawan!
But the male Twi'lek escorted Anakin to the Imbat who stood outside the door before scurrying back to his mistress's side. His Padawan smiled and waved, before launching into questions about power-consumption and renewable energy with the tall Imbat, who looked down at him dumbly as they proceeded down the hall.
"I thank you, milady."
Issulla started to respond before the smaller Hutt demanded for the protocol droid to introduce him.
"The esteemed Grondo, also welcomes you to the facility. He is the great Issulla's indispensable aide and wise council."
Obi-Wan would have had to be blind to miss that Issulla clearly did not like Grondo and didn't consider him either "indispensable" or "wise".
Interesting.
Issulla started to speak, but Grondo cut her off again. "The esteemed Grondo wishes to know what proof the Home Planet has for the thefts of which, we are accused."
Obi-Wan started to speak, but small Hutt interrupted again.
"And the esteemed Grondo wishes to know what reassurances you can provide that you, as a Human, Jedi or not, will not automatically side with his fellow Humans."
Obi-Wan waited a moment, wishing to know he'd have a chance to speak without interruptions. This really does bring back memories. Just like the transport to Bandomeer. "I am merely here to be a neutral party. I have no opinion one way or the other on accusations of theft, until I have investigated it. I am a Jedi, and will not allow any personal feelings cloud my role as mediator and investigator. My only goal is to restore Bandomeer to the peaceful settlement that has existed for over a decade."
Issulla gave a small nod, but Grondo scowled.
The small Hutt growled a long line of insults, and the protocol droid translated, "The esteemed Grondo states that you offer no assurances at all."
Obi-Wan started to speak, but the large Issulla interrupted this time. "Grondo, you idiot. He's Jedi. He will keep to his word if you don't provoke him."
The protocol droid said, "The great and honorable Issulla trusts in your assurances as a Jedi and apologizes for Grondo's youthful haste."
Grondo scowled darkly at Issulla.
Obi-Wan merely nodded, observing. The power struggle between the two was indeed informative.
Issulla spoke again. "The honorable Issulla also wishes to return to the peaceful agreement that has lasted so long and will allow you to-"
Grondo cut off whatever the protocol droid was going to say. "He will not investigate here and you will not allow him. You will do as I say-"
"I'm not dead yet," Issulla growled back.
"He's Jedi, who knows what he'll-"
The argument was interrupted by a beeping communicator.
Master? I've found some interesting things.
"What is it?" Grondo growled.
An Imbat grunted over the communicator and the protocol droid translated, "Master Jedi, it would appear that your young companion has gotten lost from his guide."
Obi-Wan didn't need to fake the long-suffering sigh. "I must apologize. My Padawan is a handful. He has the most insatiable curiosity. I remember when he was exploring the vents and wiring in the Temple and wound up falling through some ductwork until he was outside and in the lower levels of Coruscant."
And, as Obi-Wan predicted, Grondo paled and started shouting orders into the communicator, slithering his bulk out the door.
Issulla laughed once the smaller Hutt was gone. Turning to the protocol droid, she growled, "Shut down." It did without a word. She turned and raised a brow, studying the Jedi. "You understand Huttese, Jedi."
Obi-Wan grinned. "You display keen insight and wisdom, milady," he replied, also in Huttese.
She laughed again, her bulk quivering. "A charmer as well as a Jedi. I haven't been so amused in decades."
"You give me far too much credit and are much too kind," he replied with a bow.
"Ha. I have dealt with you Jedi many times. I know how to handle them, despite what that idiot Grondo thinks. You can never fool a Jedi for long, so I do not wish to."
"But Grondo's impulsiveness gets in the way."
"Impulsive. Now that's not the word I would use." The large Hutt leaned back, sipping her drink. "You will find that Grondo is trying to take over. He wishes to acquire some 'cheap' goods from a particular store he knows of."
The male Twi'lek stepped forward, offering a small datachip that Obi-Wan hid within his sleeves.
"I thank you, milady."
Issulla laughed again. "I don't do this for you, Jedi. Grondo has been a thorn in my side since he arrived. He doesn't understand that the best way to make profits is to not draw attention. I have honored that silly agreement with Home Planet because I can do things my way as long as they don't look. And by ignoring the mines on the land, they don't look."
Obi-Wan bowed. "And I am merely here to make sure that agreement is held to." Though Issulla had all but stated that what she did would probably make his stomach turn, he could not right all the wrongs he came across. It was the one great frustration that many Jedi came across. There were trillions upon trillions of beings across the galaxy, and only a few thousand Jedi.
"I am not stupid, Jedi," Issulla sipped again from her drink. "You have had to come here. I'm going to have to cut into my profits to clean up a few things, else you'll keep looking until you can take something to the Senate and upset my operations here."
"Milady," Obi-Wan said with a grin, "Do I sense a bit of distrust?"
She laughed again. "Oh no. Just pragmatism. You Jedi are far too idealistic for the real world. But when you're around, everyone must hold to those ideals."
Obi-Wan smiled openly. "Ah, but that just improves things wherever we go."
"... and the planet I came from didn't have any mining at all and obviously neither does the Temple so I've never seen a structure like this and where do those pipes lead and why are the lights here all florescent when you can use other types that use up much less energy and how come the hallways are so narrow, huh?" Anakin paused in his diatribe of observations to eye the Imbat. The hulking creature just plodded on, apparently oblivious to the many things he had been saying. Sighing, the Padawan decided that there was no particular need for subterfuge if the person he was duping was really as dumb as he appeared to be. "You don't talk much, do you?" he asked in a plaintive tone.
The Imbat said nothing as it walked through the narrow hallways.
Not to be put off, Anakin tried again. "So, where are we going on this tour?"
"Rounds," the two-meter tall creature ground out.
It took several minutes for Anakin to realize the gift that he had just been given. Imbats were not known for their intelligence, and without a clear idea on where to take the kid on a "tour" and seemed to translate it as "rounds." Those stupid Hutts had given him a handout - the Imbat would likely take Anakin through all the parts of the complex they didn't want him to go. For the moment he was perfectly content to follow the guy, eyeing the power cables strung out over their heads and other mechanical and engineering oddities to file away for "points of interest" when he reported back to his master.
During their "tour," the Imbat took him to a quartermaster hangar - a location Anakin quickly tried to memorize as where he'd be spending much more time later when the Imbat's tour became boring. He also spied two major lifts, likely where the workers were funneled at the beginning and end of each shift. The main hanger, interestingly, was not the one he and Obi-Wan had flown into, but one several levels down and very, very, busy. It was about this time Anakin slowly fell behind the Imbat increasing the distance until he just turned and walked away; his tour guide didn't even notice.
The Padawan quickly started examining the cargo that was waiting to be loaded on the transports; most of the labels were in Huttese, and growing up on Tatooine he knew that what was said was not necessarily what was in the boxes. He instead looked at the stamped weights and fragility levels. If a box was labeled Ionite, for example, it would weigh just that much, yes; and the fragility given it's neutrality would be high... yes, just like that. Anakin stood, frowning. He had expected the numbers not to match the label's needs, but they did; meaning this was most likely a legitimate shipment. He looked around and saw that many of the cargo boxes were legitimate. That meant there was nothing interesting here.
Pouting, Anakin started to back track, thinking. If he were a Hutt and knew that Jedi were coming, the best thing to do would be to hide the loot where they likely wouldn't go. In a facility like this, that would most likely mean underwater in the mines. Anakin remembered his briefing material, the Great Sea was several miles deep, and he would likely need some kind of pressure suit in order to explore down there. So, his first stop had to be the quartermaster hangar.
While making his way back there, he passed the lifts when he heard their hydraulics whirring to life. He quickly ducked over a catwalk and hung underneath it. The last thing he needed now was to be caught snooping around. He wanted to finish the mission quickly, both for Obi-Wan's sake so nothing would happen to him, and so he could get back to Coruscant and learn everything he could about his master's Padawanship with Qui-Gon. He was surprised to hear cries of pain when the lift doors opened.
"Uaagh! I can't feel my legs! I can't feel my legs! Help me, please!"
Anakin risked peaking his head up to see a giant Imbat dragging a Meerian, her legs bent at unnatural angles, her white hair turned black with soot and dirt. The Imbat was not gentle; he only held a wrist and literally dragged her over the catwalks and hallways, giving no heed to her shrieks of pain and cries for help. Unable to turn away, Anakin waited until they had turned a corner before silently leaping back up to the catwalk and following. He couldn't ignore a cry for help, let alone someone obviously in pain, and besides, he rationalized to himself, the medical center might have some more interesting things to uncover. He still hadn't found the stolen mining supplies, and a Jedi wouldn't be expected to go to a medical center.
Right?
That was what he told himself as he tread on silent feet after the screams of agony.
The med-center was marked with a tiny door with grimy lettering, clearly an unused part of the mine. Though unsurprising, Anakin's stomach still churned at the thought. He had very vague memories of Gardulla, but they were enough to make him shudder at the thought of what the poor Meerian could expect in terms of treatment. Stepping in, Anakin immediately found himself face to face with the Imbat who brought the injured girl in. Flushed with adrenaline, Anakin had to think very quickly on his feet as the hulking creature demanded why he was here. Calling on the Force, he brought up his hand and concentrated on the Imbat's thick, gravely mind. "You need to go back to work," he said with all the authority he could muster.
"... I need to go back to work," the Imbat replied in dull tones. Anakin quickly stepped away and let the creature go before breathing a sigh of relief.
"Too close," he muttered to himself before turning to see what might be of interest. Stepping down the narrow entry hall, the center opened up to what would be a modest hanger if not for the fact that over half of it was used for storage space. Lighting was poor, only a dozen energy-eating bulbs across the entire hangar. Weary of more guards, Anakin hopped onto a respectable pile of crates to assess the room. He saw and felt no other minds, and slowly he climbed back down the crates and packages to a back corner where he could hear the moaning of the injured worker. She looked as though she had been haplessly thrown on an under-cushioned gurney and left there. Her legs weren't set, nothing about her had been cleaned, and nothing resembling IVs or sedatives were set up around her. Appalled, Anakin stepped forward, putting a finger to his lips in the universal sign of silence when the Meerian caught sight of him.
She moaned again, swallowing a lump in her throat and whispered, "Please... help me..."
"I will," Anakin said softly, assessing the damage. One leg was utterly shattered, the other didn't look as bad. "What happened?" he asked, looking around the hangar for anything that would do for a splint.
"Ionite... wiped out the sensors... had a collapse... they said I was the only one they could 'salvage'..."
Anakin pulled at a crate, the metal box groaned against him but held true. Frowning, Anakin looked for a hinge or a lock, but it seemed to be hermetically sealed. He moved to a different crate, but it seemed to be made of the same stuff. Perturbed, he pulled out his lightsaber and cut the damn box, taking one side and cutting it to strips for a splint.
"You... you're a Jedi...?"
Anakin turned around to give a cocky grin, clipping his lightsaber back to his belt. The Meerian moaned and struggled to sit up. "Geh... Get me out.. please... get..." She slumped back to the bed.
It was only then that Anakin realized that life had just gotten complicated. How could he get this injured being out while still looking for evidence of the Hutt's treachery at the same time?
Then he looked inside the boxes he's just sliced open.
During the hours of hyperspace travel, both he and Obi-Wan had spent the time pouring over data pads in preparation for the mission: dossiers on current government and capital heads, net incomes and worth of major companies, photo studies of several major mines and the Enrichment Zones (that Anakin had at the time ignored, thinking them boring. He regretted that now...), and an inventory of common tools used for underground and undersea mining. So, when explosion sticks and drills and sensor monitors that had Basic instead of Huttese lettering on it had fallen out of the box, Anakin knew immediately what he was looking at.
He decided that this might be a good time to contact his master.
Master, I've found some interesting things. He felt the query to his comment, but the Meerian started moaning and groaning again, and he knew that he needed to shift his priorities. Pulling the strips of metal up with him, he put them on either side of the shattered leg. He looked at the Meerian with sympathy. "I have to set your leg," he said gently. It was the only warning she had before he grabbed the ankle and started rearranging the leg to what it was supposed to be. The resulting shriek of pain pierced his ears, making him wince. He looked around quickly but could find nothing to tie the brace, and so he quickly tugged off his robe and ripped it to strips. Mentally, Anakin made a note to take more first aid courses. Would all missions be like this?
With her leg set, he grabbed a stolen mining sensor, the only thing small enough for him to carry, and stuffed it into his utility belt. From the belt, he pulled out fistful of bacta patches and applied them to some of the open cuts on the Meerian that he could see. Asking if she could walk was a joke, so he didn't even bother, instead coaxing her to grab his neck and hoisting her to his back. The movement seemed to cause her nothing but pain, and her grip fisted, moans and tears burning into his back. Anakin gave the worker a moment to get (remotely) comfortable, and then started navigating the boxes to the door, palming it open and looking out to the narrow hallways.
Sneaking her out was laughable; she was in too much pain to be quiet and Anakin hadn't even started learning about stealth in any of his classes. The Force wasn't exactly talking to him either, he didn't know how to use it for this kind of... operation.
He sighed, realizing he would have to bluff his way out of here, mind-tricking anyone he came across to go away so that he could make it to the transport and stow her away.
He had no idea if he even could mind trick the entire facility, of course, but what choice did he have?
Anakin took a deep breath and released it slowly, stepping quietly out to the hallway and backtracking the way he had come. Once the Meerian was on the transport, Anakin planned, he could go back to his master and show him the stolen sensor; then they could arrest the Hutts and they would resist - but that was okay because they were Jedi and they had lightsabers and Anakin could protect his master and show off how well he'd been learning the forms. It was all planned out very neatly in his head. He could already taste the victory.
Then the smaller Hutt, Grondo, slithered down the hallway with an impressive force of Imbats.
What was that saying about best-laid plans?
Anakin brought up his will, trying to focus the Force through his adrenaline; the mind was slippery, slimy like the Hutt he was, and Anakin couldn't get a firm hold on it.
Grondo laughed. "Ho, ho, ho, ho; little Jedi thinks he can mind trick me?" he said in Huttese. With a flick of a stubby hand the Imbats pushed forward, their thick tree-like legs eating up distance.
Anakin spun around and ran. A number of curses flew into his mind to describe the situation, but he didn't have time to voice them as he realized his legs were much, much shorter than that of the guards. Calling on the Force, he tried to increase his speed, but the injured Meerian's moans and groans kept interrupting his concentration. Frowning, he raced along a catwalk and saw another one directly above him. He stopped for a brief moment, concentrated, and leapt up - higher than he'd ever managed to do before - and grab the catwalk with a hand. Swinging wildly, he tried to haul himself up, but quickly discovered that was harder than he'd initially thought. One hand was useless, holding onto the Meerian and keeping her from falling into the waiting arms of her captors, and he didn't have the strength to pull up the extra weight. Anakin frowned at the trouble he'd put on himself, but he refused to stop his rescue of the woman and stubbornly started swinging his legs, trying to build up enough momentum to flip them over the rails and dash to safety.
The Padawan knew he was cornered when he saw Imbat guards filing through the catwalk above him. Blasters were trained on him, ready to fire.
"Anakin! What are you doing?"
He turned relieved eyes to his master, happy that he was here, until he saw the blank, neutral face of the bearded man as he and Issulla came up the walk below him. Obi-Wan stood directly below him and crossed his arms over his chest, radiating disapproval. Worse, he turned to the larger Hutt.
"I did say my Padawan has a rather insatiable curiosity, did I not?" he said in calm genial tones, even smiling.
"Master!" he called down. "Any time you want to jump in and save us?"
"Oh, no," Obi-Wan countered, looking up. "You seem to have set things up so nicely, why would I want to interfere?"
"Oh, I don't know," Anakin retorted, "Maybe because these stupid guards are about to kill us?"
Obi-Wan turned to Issulla. "Now, surely," he drawled, a finger tracing his beard, "no such atrocity was about to be committed, am I correct?"
"On my facility?" Issulla said in Basic, "I would never allow it." She threw a meaningful glare to Grondo, and the smaller Hutt started sputtering in his native tongue. She turned to the Imbat guards, "Lower your weapons!" she bellowed in Huttese. They complied, of course, and she quickly gave another order for them to leave.
Obi-Wan looked up, his mouth hidden behind his hand. "Was there anything else you needed?" he called up to Anakin.
"How did you do that?" the boy demanded in response, still clinging to the catwalk and keeping the Meerian safe at the same time. His master offered up his arms, and Anakin took a moment to concentrate on his landing before leaping back down. The injured worker groaned pitifully at the landing, but Anakin refused to let her go in case they needed to run again. A hand went to his belt, ready to grab his lightsaber as he eyed the enemy Hutts.
Obi-Wan firmly put a hand on his shoulder. Stay silent, the command came across the bond. To the Hutts, he said, "I must apologize for my Padawan," he said in placating tones, "he has an unprecedented knack for letting his curiosity get the better of him. I hope that his transgressions do not reflect ill on us and our goal for a peaceful resolution."
Grondo growled in Huttese. "I want my worker back!"
"You can't have her!" Anakin retorted. "After the collapse she was the only one you could 'salvage!' She was dragged to a med-center that doubled as a storage center and left there!"
Grondo gaped. "He knows Huttese!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the boy. Obi-Wan was rubbing his beard. His initial glance of disapproval quickly shifted over to Issulla.
Anakin continued: "And I have proof now that you're the ones behind the thefts!" He quickly reached into his utility belt and thrust the mining sensor out for the other three to see. "This was in a box in the med-center!" He leveled a cocky grin at the Hutts. "Did you think that no one would think to look there?" he demanded. "You should have picked a better hiding place."
Quiet.
Anakin startled, looking up at his master. Obi-Wan's hand was still gripping his shoulder, and his face was hidden from view both by the lower angle of Anakin's line of sight and by the hand that was rubbing his chin. Soft the thought may have been, but the gravity of it, the firmness of it drilled all the way down his spine, grinding him to a halt.
"My lady Issulla," Obi-Wan said, turning to the larger Hutt. "These are tactics that I hardly approve of."
"I'm offended!" she said, making a motion that clutched one of her hearts. "I am but a simple Hutt of business. Mining is such a dangerous profession, collapses could happen all the time! How could I know that there would be injuries, I was with you, Jedi, the whole time. And any 'stolen goods,'" she swiveled her head the few inches necessary to look at her partner, "Are certainly nothing that I know about."
Grondo snorted. "Nor I," he said. "For all we know, the little Jedi planted it there."
Anakin balked. "I'm not-"
Quiet.
His mouth closed against his will, Obi-Wan having shut it with the Force. His master was speaking again. "I can only offer my assurances, again, of our neutrality in this conflict, and that we would have nothing to gain by planting such evidence. Instead, I have an offer for you: let us take the injured worker off your hands; she is clearly in need of immediate medical attention, and if the med-center is as poorly equipped as my curious young Padawan implies it would be much simpler for us to take her off your hands. In exchange, we will say nothing of the alleged stolen property that my Padawan found."
Alleged?
His mouth shut with the Force before he even had a chance to open it.
"You make good deals, Jedi," Issulla said, giving a deep chuckle. She clapped her hands against her massive bulk, amused. "It is a deal."
Both Anakin and Grondo sputtered. "But-!"
The looks Issulla and Obi-Wan gave them both brooked no room for argument, Anakin because of the sudden overpowering presence of his master in the Force, Grondo because the Twi'lek companion of Issulla leveled a blaster at him.
"Come, Padawan," Obi-Wan said softly, his grip finally releasing slightly, "Let us get your friend some help."
Obi-Wan deliberately kept silent on the transport back, his eyes closed against the persistent stare of his Padawan. Their first concern was the injured Meerian, she was only semi-conscious now, Anakin's adventure having driven her almost to shock. Obi-Wan used the Force to scan her, showing his Padawan how to do it - assuming he was focused enough to pay attention, and saw that there was more than her leg that was severely injured. If there had been a collapse, Obi-Wan sincerely would have doubted this poor being would have been considered "salvageable," leading yet more credence to his initial conjecture.
Once the transport landed on Bandor, Obi-Wan immediately commed for medical assistance, and it was only when he knew that the Meerian would be well cared for did he look at his Padawan.
"We have much to discuss," he said finally.
Anakin nodded; the boy was seething with emotions, projecting them at full volume: confusion, frustration, anger born of embarrassment, fear of reprisal from his master. Obi-Wan wanted to deal with this, but the Meerian had been the top priority.
"Then let us go to-"
"Obi-Wan!"
The two looked up to see Clat'Ha jogging up to them. "I just heard about the call for a medical assist! What happened? Don't tell me those stupid Hutts tried to ambush you!"
Not now... Obi-Wan fingered his beard in frustration of his own, and when he glanced at his Padawan he saw the boy respond to his feelings, having picked something up through the bond. He cleared his throat and stepped forward, silently bidding his Padawan watch and learn how to deal with people. "Nothing of the sort happened," the Jedi said smoothly, raising a placating hand. "We came across and injured worker while Anakin was taken on a tour of the facility, and their medical center is currently... under-equipped... to handle it. I offered that we take her off their hands and they accepted."
Anakin started to open his mouth but Obi-Wan snapped it shut with a pulse through the Force. Clat'Ha was the last person on the planet who needed to hear of Anakin's adventure, halfway through and she would be taking her blaster and setting off. Already, she was shouting disapproval.
"They can't be trusted! If they willingly let someone go there had to be a reason for it; did the transport check her before hauling her off? She's not wired with anything was she? You can't trust those conniving slugs to-"
"You never did tell me whom you lost," Obi-Wan said softly, lowering his hand from his beard and leveling her a kindly gaze. The redhead flushed, her green eyes flashing as they so often did. "Even after all these years you still can't let that person go; you hold onto the pain and channel it to your hatred of the Hutts. It's not healthy."
She shuddered and looked away. "I'll check on the Meerian for you," she said quickly, striding away as fast as she could.
He nodded in acknowledgment though she did not see it, and gestured that his Padawan follow before there were more interruptions. It was only when they were both safely squared away in their room, the door palmed shut and tea made for them both, that Obi-Wan sat on the floor and gestured Anakin to join him.
"First things first," he said, "What did you learn. Every detail."
Anakin launched into explanation, his tone similar to the one he would take when having a particularly frustrating day. His ire did not affect his detail, however, as the boy dived into explanation of power cables and structural weaknesses and other points he thought would be tactically advantageous. Obi-Wan internally groaned; where did the boy get the idea that they would be storming the facility? The primary hangar was interesting but not essential, and Obi-Wan learned something from his Padawan about how Hutts handled shipments. The entire story bout the Meerian only further shored up his thoughts, and he nodded as Anakin finished, thinking.
"This clarifies a few things," he said, "And in some ways it muddles things."
"How? Anakin demanded.
Did he have to spell it out for the boy?
"Anakin, there are two powers at war here."
"Yeah! Us and them!"
"No, Anakin, Grondo and Issulla. There is a power struggle on the Great Sea. Issulla knows how to work the system and is frankly happy to keep things as they are. It's the newcomer, Grondo, who is upsetting the balance. For whatever reason he was sent here, his goal is clear: to usurp Issulla's position and retake the planet."
"They're Hutts! What difference does it make?" Anakin demanded.
Obi-Wan stared at him, before his vision narrowed. "You're letting your emotions, your anger, cloud your senses."
Anakin glared in response.
"And now we're going to meditate."
"... What?"
An hour later, Obi-Wan had helped his Padawan clear his mind, release his emotions, and think more clearly.
"Picture this," Obi-Wan said, still meditation. "Grondo comes to Bandomeer intent on taking over the planet the way it was fifteen years ago. Issulla, happy to keep things as they are because of the freedom it grants her, opposes his ideas. Grondo supercedes here and begins planning his hostile takeover; massing arms and weaponry - as you suspect - in the mines underwater. Issulla can't do anything about him, but she can draw attention to him. Whether she or Grondo stole the mining materials is immaterial, instead she hears of our coming and deliberately plants them in the medical wing; and everything after that is mere setup."
He felt Anakin blink, falling out of the calming meditation as the implications of Obi-Wan's theory struck home. "You mean, she deliberately caused the collapse of the mine and picked a random worker to throw into the med-center just so the stolen goods could be found? That's... That's..."
"Calm your mind, Anakin," Obi-Wan reproached, still in his meditative state. "It was a calculated risk she took; she was willing to jail herself in order to get Grondo off of her facility. And you're assuming there actually was a collapse. Regardless, it was guaranteed to get that miner out of the facility."
"And why didn't we jail her?" Anakin demanded, gesturing wildly.
"Because there is no proof that events occurred as I described," Obi-Wan explained, finally exiting out of his trance. He took a deep breath and rubbed his beard. "She would have covered her tracks far too carefully for there to be proof. Besides, how the Hutts treat their workers is not the reason we are here."
"How can you say that!"
Obi-Wan could not get a word in edgewise after that, and it was another twenty minutes before his Padawan's passionate reprisal finally blew itself out. He could hear Qui-Gon in those words, and Obi-Wan found he couldn't stop Anakin as he shouted and yelled at the injustice of it all. He remembered his own words to similar affect; shocked on the way to Bandomeer to learn of how workers were treated. Ah, to be that naïve again, he thought, remembering his indignation and his frustration that Qui-Gon willingly ignored, even allowed, such injustice to continue.
When silence lasted more than twenty seconds, Obi-Wan shook off his memories and leveled a meaningful look at his Padawan. "Are you done?" he asked, hoping not to weather another storm.
"... Yes," Anakin said in morose tones. He plopped back onto the floor, his head low and emanating feelings of helplessness and dejected disgust.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan started softly, hoping his voice would sound understanding. "The sad fact of the matter is that there are trillions of people in the galaxy, and only a few thousand Jedi. We cannot right every wrong in the galaxy; my own master told me this. You will burn yourself out trying."
"... Yes, Master," came in dull tones. Obi-Wan sighed and hoped that it would be enough.
"We were able to save the one Meerian, and because Jedi have visited the facilities, Issulla will improve the working environment for a few years at least. We cannot use the stolen goods you uncovered because we don't know which of them stole the goods, and besides which it was part of the deal to get the Meerian woman to safety. Though that makes proof difficult at this stage it is not impossible. The bigger problem is Grondo, and on that score at least Issulla has been an unprecedented help."
This made his Padawan look up. "What do you mean?"
Obi-Wan held up the data chip the male Twi'lek had given him. "Let us find out, shall we?"
Author's Note: Well, at least this drabble matches the title a bit better. We thought it amusing that you always see female Twi'lek slaves in skimpy clothes, but never male Twi'leks. Hence Issulla's little companion. This one's very plot-moving, but we see some of the themes we wanted in our Bandomeer drabble with Obi-Wan spacing out and remembering how things were the first time around. Note that his and Qui-Gon's positions are quite reversed. He's the calm master taking things slowly and dealing with them subtlely while Anakin is the impassioned one who wants to right every wrong he comes across and impulsively investigating on his own. Nice little trade. So how is it to walk in your master's boots, Obi-Wan? ^_^
Next week: The end of Obi-Wan and Anakin's mission to Bandomeer. What would it be without a shoot-out? And, since it will be the end of this first "arc", there will be a break before we start posting the Clone Wars arc.