Of all the things Jupiter had ever done for the purpose of a mission, this was by far the most uncomfortable situation she had ever found herself in. Before Padme and Jupiter had begun their plan, they had made preparations with the utmost care. First they had contacted the Jedi Order directly, going to see the masters in the council to inform them of what was happening and to ensure that they knew to be mindful of their situation, that should anything go wrong that they knew to send help.
Next Jupiter had enlisted the help of her most trusted second Keyes as another pair of eyes. He had jumped at the chance to go undercover and also be of use to Jupiter, as sitting around at the barracks had begun to drive him insane. They both knew that his face, although distinguishable because of the millions of copies there were of him, would not be entirely unexpected in the club that Jupiter and Padme were infiltrating since some troopers frequented it on their down time.
Of course, this meant Keyes had to discard his armour and trade it for civilian clothing and this only made him feel extremely odd. He very rarely took off his armour. It almost did not feel right not to wear it but for the sake of the mission, he simple made do. Padme was also in civilian clothing, her hair loose and wavy down her back, clad in an exotic gown of ebony black threaded with the finest jewels to make it glitter as she walked. She looked beautiful and seductive, the perfect bait.
Jupiter, on the other hand, felt monstrously out of character. Her role was to serve as the lookout, keeping watch over Padme however to do this, she also had to look like she belonged in the underground nightclub where only the richest of criminals and most sophisticated of people were allowed to enter, unless you tipped the guard outside. It was meant for the upper class, however as Jupiter walked forwards through the heavy cloud of smoke from various assortments of smoking utensils, her eyes flickered towards the bright neon letters headlining the stage. Relentless. A curious name for a club.
Since high society was the norm within the club, Jupiter had to abandon her Jedi apparel and exchange it for something that Padme had picked out from her wardrobe. She felt like she did not know herself in her own skin. A beautiful deep purple sweep of fabric fell from her left shoulder, the wrap of fabric covering the scarring of her arm with the single shoulder style, the dress shaping her form yet flowing gracefully as she walked, the gold patterns running across the hem and neckline, drawing the attention of numerous eyes in the club.
Her hair was styled so that it was twisted back from her neck, held securely by pins and a beautiful ornamental hair accessory. Two golden combs with pearl droplets hanging on fine chains were tucked into her hair behind each ear, the combs slid neatly into her hair so that they were almost concealed away except another four or five rows of chains connected them together, dangling elegantly at the back of Jupiter's head.
She almost could not wait to take off this dress and return to her usual clothes. Shaking her head, Jupiter quickly got the better of herself. Now was not the time to be considering her fashion, there was a task at hand and Jupiter must focus. Her hand drifted to her side, however with such a gown it was impossible to wear her lightsaber. Jupiter had passed it into the care Keyes in the knowledge that he would keep it safe for her. Right now she danced upon the stage, moving like a sultry siren against her pole, mimicking what she saw the other girls were doing, though Jupiter knew very well how to please people. For of course, she had once upon a time been a slave to a master who used all of his slaves for all types of skills. If they did not have the talents that he required they would either learn them quickly or be sold off. Jupiter had learned to dance there, though as she grew older and became more useful for heavy labour, she was not required to entertain her master. Thinking back upon the memory, Jupiter shuddered.
Sitting at the bar with his eyes glued to the resplendent woman that glided before him. Keyes could not take his eyes away from the general. She looked so different from how he always saw her, bruised, scraped, dusty and rampaging across a battlefield. Here she was a queen, more an empress, with all the air of someone who was naturally superior but held a hint of humility about her, the way she averted her gaze or minutely stepped aside to allow someone pass. Keyes was spellbound. One thing he knew. The men would never believe him if he told them he'd seen the general in a dress.
Casting out her senses, Jupiter tried to pinpoint a definite target however everything was so compact and the abundance of noises made it difficult for her to distinguish one voice from another. Eyes flitting back towards Padme, Jupiter noticed that a particular gentleman had struck up a conversation with her. He seemed to be extremely interested in the sultry young woman who sat alone at the bar, leaning close towards her and even bought her a new drink. Jupiter moved closer and heard him insist that Padme try one of his favourite cocktails so Padme accepted without question.
The smoke made Jupiter's eyes sting and she felt a little woozy, making it difficult for her to try and read this man's personality. Deciding very quickly, Jupiter loathed this place. Everywhere she looked there were more gruesome things to observe. Men leering at women, women leering at men, clothes being torn off in public and general drunken behaviour which made Jupiter feel completely uncomfortable.
As she found a vacant seat with the perfect view of the bar, Jupiter accepted a drink but did not drink a sip, watching Padme out of the corner of her eye. The stranger was still talking to her, a fresh drink in her hand however Jupiter noticed that Padme was acting rather strangely. Her eyes were heavily lidded and her smile was more sloping, as if she was too tired to function properly. Something was wrong, she was making the exact same expression that Jupiter had seen in her vision. The club, the smoke, the people, Padme…it was all real, and it was all now.
The stranger, pulled Padme to her feet who walked forwards in a daze, allowing herself to be led away from the bar and Jupiter wanted nothing more than to go after them, to break them up and take Padme away from here however she was now uncertain of how to proceed. The two began to dance on the centre stage together and Jupiter knew that if Anakin were here, he would be furious and most likely already be tearing this place apart.
Only having danced a few minutes, the stranger began to tug Padme towards the door, her rambunctious laughter catching Jupiter's ears. No, she had to follow Padme. It could be possible that she was now a victim, however she could not leave the club unattended in case she was wrong. Rising to her feet, Jupiter glided forwards, moving her way through the crowds before using her Jedi abilities to completely conceal herself, drifting past Keyes and took back her lightsaber, concealing it under the fabric that hid her entire left arm.
"I shall follow Padme, you stay here Keyes and report if anything suspicious happens." She whispered, making Keyes jump slightly however when he looked behind him, Jupiter was nowhere to be seen. She had not spoken in the earpiece, he could have sworn she had been right behind him, however Keyes did not have time to ponder. He ordered another drink and nursed it slowly before taking to observing, just as his general had commanded him. Jupiter very quickly caught up to Padme and the stranger, tailing them slowly until they moved down a darkened street. Before Jupiter caught up to them, there was silence. Then came the scream.
Instantly Jupiter bolted forwards, keeping herself hidden in the shadows as she dove into the alleyway to find Padme being held by two more accomplices, the stranger that had led her way attempting to gag and blindfold her whilst the other two restrained her wrists with secure locks. Making a quick decision, Jupiter flung back the material that covered her arm over her shoulder to keep it out of the way, igniting her orange blade. "If you value your lives, you will release her at once." Coldness haunted her tone, slowly stepping forwards as the orange gleam radiated in her eyes, making them burn intensely like wildfire and all three kidnappers stopped, staring in horror.
"A Jedi…hurry!" They tried to make a break for it however Jupiter quickly held out a hand, making them all freeze in place before ripping them backwards and pinning them to the ground.
"Leaving so soon? How rude to leave two women unattended at this time of night." Jupiter tusked her tongue as she went over to Padme who was mumbling in confusion, her pupils heavily dilated and unfocused. Drugged. "It's alright now Padme, you are safe." Jupiter cooed, pulling Padme close to keep her under her strict protection before turning to the three men. They were all human, however Jupiter had a strong sense that they were only pawns on a scale much larger than they were aware. "Keyes. Come and find us. You will locate us in the alley closest to the Relentless, simply turn left." Jupiter instructed, touching the hidden earpiece in her ear as Padme finally fainted, the drug overcoming her. They must have spiked her drink in order to dull her senses and lead her into a trap. It was an easy method to lure girls, however this only made Jupiter all the more unforgiving.
Keyes came racing around the corner not a minute later, hurrying forwards when he saw the senator collapsed in Jupiter's arms however the Jedi very easily supported the slight woman's frame. "General! Are you alright? What happened."
"She has been drugged, please escort her home and instruct Threepio to give her plenty of fluids. Remain with her until she awakes and also contact the Jedi Council to let them know that I will be going after the person who orchestrated this entire operation." She listed off and Keyes hesitated, wanting to argue and insist upon going with her, however Keyes knew that to argue would be fruitless and the senator desperately needed to be returned home to where she was safe.
"Right away general." He nodded, taking Padme carefully into his arms then slowly began to walk away with her back to a speeder. Waiting until they were gone, Jupiter then turned upon the three that remained trapped with their backs to the floor.
"Now, I have a little proposition for you all." Jupiter began, stepping closer with lithe footsteps, her black strappy heels clicking sharply which then echoed off the walls. "You are going to tell me exactly where you were planning on taking my dear friend and also everything you know about this kidnapping operation." The three of them looked worriedly at one another, however one decided to be defiant.
"We won't tell you anything, Jedi who-!" Before his vulgar words could leave his mouth, Jupiter concentrated her focus on him and he suddenly flew up into the air and slammed against the wall, sliding higher and higher until he was suspended at the top of the tower building. "AGH! Get me down from here, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"As I was saying, you will tell me what I wish to know, otherwise I shall be forced to use Jedi mind tricks on you all." Jupiter explained, a sadistic smirk touching her lips. "If you are weak minded, you will tell me everything without question and I shall leave you all in peace. If, however, you prove stubborn and strong willed, this mind interrogation will hurt you like nothing else you could possibly imagine." Their faces paled and they looked with genuine fear as Jupiter flicked out her wrist and ignited her lightsaber, the orange glow returning to her eyes as she pointed the blade tip under a chin. "So…who will talk first?"
"I will! I'll talk! Just please, don't mess with my brain." The one with the blade under his chin wailed, begging with tears in his eyes so Jupiter nodded her head, stepping back a little. "We were only paid to lure girls away and take them to this hotel room, all we had to do was drop them off and we'd get paid! Of course, they had to be pretty, the prettier the better and Relentless is always full of beautiful women, it was easy money for us!" He garbled quickly, hands held up in surrender. "Please don't kill us!"
"What hotel room?" Jupiter pressed, listening closely as she also brought down the other man, standing them all up to face her.
"Room three double zero one." The second kidnapper quickly supplied, turning head as far away as he could from the lightsaber. "Hotel Lexus. Not far from here, only a few blocks." Observing them quietly, Jupiter finally nodded, signalling that she accepted that they were telling the truth. All three of them visibly relaxed, however the moment they did so Jupiter quickly thrust out her hand, sending them all sailing out into the open where they yelled, landing almost directly in front of a peace keeper droid who looked down in alarm.
"Secure these men, they are affiliated with the recent kidnappings in this sector." Jupiter ordered the patrol droids and instantly they were surrounded, the three men wailing in confusion as Jupiter approached them once more, dress fluttering in the breeze as she lifted her hand out towards them and waved it across their faces. "You will not resist arrest. You will go quietly and confess all that you know before then reflecting on how to become better citizens of Coruscant, dedicating your prison sentence to planning better futures for yourselves." She incited them, making them all go dreamy eyed and they swayed slightly.
"We will not resist arrest. We will go quietly and confess all that we know before then reflecting on how to become better citizens of Coruscant, dedicating our prison sentence to planning better futures for ourselves." They chanted back. Satisfied, Jupiter spun on her heel and began to call in reinforcements. She would need more of the police droids to help make any more arrests and the council needed to know where she would be.
Jupiter failed to get through to them, however, so she left a message before running all the way to the hotel, cursing her shoes and almost discarded them, however she quickly remembered that they were Padme's and it would be very discourteous to throw away her good friend's shoes, so she kept them on, instead attempting to persuade herself it would be a good type of training. It was certainly good for balance.
The hotel itself was very nondescript, decrepit in some places and lacking several windows, however Jupiter paid no attention and walked inside, concealing herself from view and no one even bat an eyelid as she went for the lift and took herself up to the floor which held the room she sought. Her mind was much clearer now and she knew to expect several men awaiting her, however it was the mastermind she sought, not the minions. He was here someone, she could sense it.
What caused her to frown in confusion, however, was the sense that there were many other life forms in this hotel also that were calling out to her, a silent pleading for help. It made Jupiter's stomach twist and she steeled her nerves as she stepped out of the elevator and decided to open one of the doors where she could sense someone hailing her inside, the Force guiding her towards it. Her hand reached out and pushed open the door, easily using the Force to twist the locks open before pushing her hand against it.
Immediately her face darkened, seeing a young Twi'lek girl tied to the bed in a degrading state of dress with an aged and withered man beginning to crawl over her sobbing frame. Jupiter did not feel a rush of anger, however she hurriedly reacted by flinging out a hand and the man flew from the bed, slamming down into a chair where Jupiter then disengaged the wrist restraints, sending them flying over to her captive to lock him down to the chair by the wrists and ankles. "How dare you torture an innocent this way? People like you sicken me."
Looking across to the sobbing girl, Jupiter longed to comfort her however she had to move quickly. "Be not afraid anymore, little one." Jupiter murmured to her softly, touching her head and softly tried to smooth away her fears. "You are safe now, just stay here until someone comes to take you home, it will be dangerous for you to leave right now until I have secured this building."
"Alright. I'll stay…" She whispered, wiping her eyes dry so Jupiter gave one last smile before striding forwards. Now she was even more determined than before. Her feet carried her directly to the room where she had been told that Padme was to be brought and without hesitation, kicked it down. It shattered upon impact, flying off its hinges and she stepped inside, smoothing out her dress with the one hand as her other hid her lightsaber away underneath the mantle of fabric.
"What the…? What's going on?" Startled voices quickly stirred from within the dark room and Jupiter saw shadows all around her. "Where's Beck, Grus and Typho? Who are you?!"
"The one who has come to ensure all of you pay dearly for what you have done." Jupiter announced, her eyes narrowing. "Now, tell me where your superior is hiding. Either drag him out or I shall do it gladly myself." Her tone was deeply terrifying, making all men step back out of caution, however one spoke with calmness yet had a snide chill to his tone.
"I am right here Jedi filth. Welcome to my humble abode." He sneered, standing up and flicking on the lights so that Jupiter could see him. He was a Zygerrian with greying brown fir and intense silver eyes thick with greed and voracity. "I am Darts D'Nar. A displeasure to make your acquaintance."
"Believe me, the feeling is mutual." She promised him before extending her blade. "Surrender, you will very soon be overrun by Republican police, Jedi Knights and clone troopers. There is no way for you to escape." Jupiter informed, lifting her blade as everyone else in the room responded by raising their blasters, nervously shifting as D'Nar's canine smirk only grew deeper.
"How wrong you are." He growled before pointing directly at Jupiter. "The one to bring me this Jedi's head will receive a very handsome reward. Enough to live out the rest of his days in wealth and plenty." He announced and instantly, an excited hum ran through the room. Everyone immediately turned on Jupiter, forcing her to leap backwards and begin deflecting bolts, slicing them away from her body as D'Nar made his escape through the door.
"You will not escape!" Jupiter declared after him, gritting her teeth before shooting forwards. She disengaged her lightsaber, not wanting to take any lives today as they were simple lackeys, not enemy droids. Her foot glided upwards as she spun a horizontal circle, slamming her foot directly into one of the mercenary's faces before she quickly started to punch, strike and kick with all the power she possessed until finally they were all knocked unconscious. It had taken a little longer than she would have liked due to the sheer number of them. "Keyes this is Jupiter, target is a Zygerrian male with brown fur. Do not let him escape, his race are known slavers and if they have started to reclaim their slave empire we must find out about it."
"Understood general!" Hurrying after D'Nar, Jupiter frantically searched however even by reaching out with her senses she could not locate him. He was already gone. Following his trail she found a hatch on the bottom floor which he had used to escape. She cursed inwardly, pressing her eyes shut as Keyes and a few other troops came rushing towards her as the police began to arrest everyone in the building for questioning whilst the women were released from their bonds and brought out to be hospitalised.
"Shall we go after him, sir?"
"He is already gone Keyes, I can sense it. We have lost him this time, however I can also sense that we will very soon catch up to him. Patience is the key, my friend. We have achieved our mission by saving these women. No more needs to be done." Jupiter announced, turning around however when she did so, she saw none other than Anakin pushing his way through the crowds, craning his neck before their eyes met. "Annie?"
"Jupe! I heard what happened to Padme so I went to see her but she insisted I come to find you. Are you hurt?" Anakin questioned, not stopping until he was directly in front of his adopted sister, however when he saw her wearing one of the most elegant dress he had ever seen in his life, he stopped and stared at her as Artoo gave a whir and a whistle, almost like a catcall. "You said it buddy. Wow…Jupe…you look…"
"Absolutely ridiculous." Jupiter pouted, flinging out her skirts as Keyes smirked to himself. "I can see you Keyes, don't think I do not see you smirking over there." She warned him, giving him a quick glare as some of her troopers almost tripped over themselves to see her looking so ladylike. She began to blush with embarrassment, clutching her arm against her and biting down on her lower lip.
"Well, now I can say that I've seen everything. I never thought I'd ever see you in a dress, Jupe." Anakin laughed, reaching out and patting her head. "It suits you, maybe you should dress up more often." He teased her however Jupiter immediately caught his wrist and turned over with a snap, twisting it into a lock and Anakin immediately yelped, falling onto one knee as he struggled beneath his sister's cool glare.
"Remember little brother, I am still older than you. Do not patronise me." She instructed him before smirking and letting him go, reaching out to ruffle his hair before fussing over his wrist, making sure she had not got carried away and injured him even though he protested, insisting that he was fine. Jupiter smiled, gazing up at Anakin lovingly as he rolled his eyes, trying to hide his smile though she saw it perfectly well. She reached out, brushing a lock of his hair aside and Anakin exhaled, caving in to finally sweep Jupiter off her feet, making her squeal with a chuckle as he swung her around, arms wrapped around her waist.
"Thank you for looking after Padme." He whispered in a voice so low that only Jupiter could hear, holding her close being a ploy so that they did not have to whisper where everyone could see.
"I know that you care for her deeply, Anakin." Jupiter murmured back, holding onto him closely, her arms wrapping around his neck to embrace him tight. "In fact, I can sense your love for her. Also, I know that something happened to you both after Geonosis." Anakin was so stunned that he almost dropped her, however Jupiter maintained her grip on his shoulders as he accidentally let her slide down, staring in disbelief but before he could try to stammer out a protest, Jupiter touched a finger to her lips to silence him, giving a quick wink that no one else would see. "Our little secret, I will not tell, Annie, do not worry. Remember that I love you too, more than words can say. No code or vow will ever keep me from loving my dearest little racer of a brother." At first Anakin was still in a panic, fearful that Jupiter knew about him being married to Padme, however as her words soothed his mind, he felt a powerful wave of love for his sister stir his heart, making him reach down and kiss her forehead.
"You're the best, Jupe." He murmured to her before he turned and offered her an arm. "May have the honour of escorting you, madam?"
"Well, it makes a nice change to being called sir." She said loudly, giving a teasing smile over to Keyes who saluted. "Thank you for everything Keyes, I knew I could count on you. Please, enjoy the rest of your recreation period, it will be over before you even realise." With that the two left the hotel to return to Padme, unaware that Artoo had made a recording of Jupiter wearing the dress, committing it to his memory data in order to never lose such an important and drastic event. Jupiter in a dress. Before you know it, the sky will begin to fall!