Chapter Thirty-seven:

Han was cursing himself for distracting Anakin, though he had been trying to help. Now the Jedi was being hassled by four of the Corellian hounds. Han recognized the animals now, and also that though they were aggressive, the pack didn't truly seem to want to harm their group. Their behavior wasn't one of wild animals on the hunt, but rather that of trained beasts on a job.

But Han couldn't figure out who had sent them and why. No one was missing that Han could see, though with all the craziness, he couldn't make everyone out. Tiring of the chaos, Han stood and began shooting in a disorderly fashion meant to scare off the animals.

It didn't do much except make them scatter, though they did pause almost as one and seem to listen to something. Han took the opportunity to shoot one in the head, taking another one out.

The hound beside the dead one snarled viciously at Han and charged... but it never made it. Chewbacca appeared from nowhere and tackled the animal to the ground, a sight that made Han blink in shock.

Chewie wrestled the strong hound for several minutes, with Han attempting to help but unable to take proper aim without harming his friend. The beast managed to bite Chewie on the arm, though that merely made the Wookiee mad. Growling loudly, Chewbacca took maneuvered into a different position with considerable effort and gave a mighty twist of his powerful forearms, which snapped the animal's neck. Once dead, the Wookiee released the hound's lifeless body and stood, coming to Han's side and baring his fangs at any other creature that dared mess with the human.

Han nodded his acceptance and thanks and readied his blaster once again. "Come on!" he challenged the pack.

Obi Wan and Anakin merged and began to systematically take out their four-legged entourage, working so in sync that Han couldn't look away. But it was the worried look Anakin wore that made Han frown.

If Anakin was concerned about something, then Han wanted to know what it was, because it took a lot to rattle the man. Something niggled at Han's gut, telling him that not everything was as it seemed, and he looked around, attempting to figure out what his instinct was trying to tell him.

Anakin finally gave up with swordplay: he motioned with an arm, and the remaining hounds went flying into the walls and such with a sudden crash. The animals yelped in pain and finally began to back off, though not until a signal was given by one more distant hound.

With a speed that was a little frightening, the remainder of the pack disappeared about as swiftly as they had materialized.

As soon as the coast was clear, Anakin sheathed his blade and looked about anxiously. "Luke?"

Han straightened, resuming his surveying of the situation. He began a head-count as everyone came out of hiding, even as his gut sank with the realization that one of their members was missing.

Anakin already knew this apparently, because he sprang into action, following a trail Han could only assume was in the Force. Anakin ran up the street, and only when Han followed with his eyes did he see the object of Anakin's attention.

A staircase several meters down the boulevard lay in ruins and Han just knew Luke had been there. He sprinted to catch up with Anakin, as did the others of their group, except for Obi Wan, who was inspecting the animals more closely; no doubt trying to gather information on where they'd come from.

Han now knew who'd sent them; the only question was why. He kicked himself and attempted not to lose focus. Luke had known, had tried to tell them... and now Luke was gone... again.

Han caught up with Anakin, who was ruffling through the remains of the wooden staircase. Han helped, and thus he was the first to spot some crimson droplets on the ground.

"He's injured!" Han exclaimed, pointing the blood out to Anakin.

Anakin swore in Huttese and knelt to inspect the life-fluids from his son. He stood, following what they could both now see was a trail leading to another street. Anakin jogged to the mouth of the street, which they saw was actually an alleyway with no way out.

Han saw the scuffles from the feet of two hounds, though they ended at the wall. Han inspected the wall in confusion, not understanding what had happened. He turned to Anakin. "Where'd he go?"

"He was taken." Anakin's voice was pained. "I'm such an idiot!" Anakin picked up a sac of trash in the Force and hurled it into a wall, simultaneously shouting in frustration. "Luke tried to warn me, but I didn't take him seriously!"

Han cringed at the mess that resulted in the aftermath of the bag exploding, and was relieved when Obi Wan's voice emerged from the mouth of the alley. "You made a mistake, Anakin. But Luke isn't really gone."

Anakin ran a hand through his hair. "I failed to protect him!"

Obi Wan placed a hand on his friend's shoulder when he caught up. "No. You were separated by animals trained for this very thing. The man set us up, that much is apparent. But we are not helpless, Anakin."

Anakin closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, nodding once he was calmer. "You're right. I will find my son... and then I will have a conversation with this informant."

That declaration sent chills down Han's spine, and all he could hear in that moment was Darth Vader.

Apparently Obi Wan was also concerned, for he stepped forward, frowning. "Anakin..."

The taller man held up a hand. "Not Vader's type of conversation. I'm not going Dark again." He glanced at the Wookiees, who were now joining them. "But now I know this man was our quarry. He knows where Leia is, and now he has Luke."

Dewlanna mourned their loss, and bent to inspect the ground where the wall began. She paused, sniffing with her powerful nose. Then she stood and sidled closer to the wall, studying it intently.

She turned to the others, gesturing. [Luke's scent goes beyond this wall.]

Anakin turned to her, saw her gesture and began looking at the wall himself... then he stepped forward, one hand extended. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a time as if searching for something, and everyone waited. Finally Anakin placed his hand to a point on the wall and a panel opened to reveal a small passageway.

"There's where he was taken." Anakin stated, already entering with lightsaber at the ready. "Let's see where this leads."

00000

Luke was aware of a headache first and foremost as he came-to, and he groaned at the pain in his skull. He tried to ignore it in favor of becoming more aware of his surroundings, opening his eyes and taking in his situation.

His first realization brought him to a terrifying thought: he was strapped to a chair. Flashbacks instantly plagued him and before he could help it, Luke squirmed in his chair, instinctively waiting for whatever the insane Yu Stadd was going to do to him now.

Luke tried to remind himself that he'd been rescued, but all he could think of in that instant was that somehow Stadd had arranged Luke's kidnapping and now the youth was back in his evil clutches.

Luke tried valiantly to calm his rapidly beating heart, though it took several minutes to do so. He forced himself to focus, not wanting to have a meltdown.

Luke took a good look around, actually studying his surroundings this time. His first discovery was that this room was nothing like those of Yu Stadd's. Stadd may have been many things, but a slob wasn't one of them. His rooms had always been meticulously clean and organized.

This place was nothing short of a pigsty. Luke wrinkled his nose in disgust, wondering how anyone could live like this. His next big find was that there was a small droid hovering in the corner, though it wasn't a model Luke had seen before.

Luke finished his observations and began to work at his restraints, testing how tight they were. Luke grimaced when his wrists signaled to him they were in fact tightly bound behind his back. His ankles were likewise strapped to the legs of the chair, preventing Luke from moving much.

Luke sighed, fighting the residual fear of waking in an unknown place while strapped to his seat. It was only when the droid sprang to life that Luke's eyes were drawn to a pallet in the far corner, something he hadn't seen before because of the gloom.

Somehow Luke knew who that bed belonged to, and he straightened. The girl in his visions lived here... or at least she had. But judging from the lack of a comfortable room, Luke assumed she hadn't been a guest here.

The door opened then, and a man Luke recognized strolled through. It was indeed the man from the cantina, and he looked smugly down at Luke.

"Well now, I guess you're not as clever as you thought you were?" He boasted. "I outsmarted you in the end."

Luke didn't deign to answer that, refusing to rise to his bait. Instead he motioned to the bed in the corner. "That's where the girl lived, right?"

The man's brow lifted, and he followed Luke's line of sight. Once he realized what Luke was looking at, he nodded. "She did, yes. But no longer."

"What did you do to her?" Luke demanded to know.

Saez waved a hand. "That doesn't matter. Now, hold still, I need my droid to examine you."

Luke shied away from the droid when it approached with a scanner. "What do you want with me?"

Saez snorted. "You will replace the girl. You look like a fit young man who can carry on her duties here."

Luke frowned. "Her duties?"

Saez nodded. "Yes. She became too disobedient, so I had to dispose of her."

Luke glared, recalling a dream he'd seen that he hadn't shared with Anakin yet. "You mean when you tried to force her into your chambers?"

Saez's head snapped around. "What did you say?"

Luke glared daggers at him, ignoring the droid's probing lights in his face. "You are a sick pervert! Why don't you aim for adult women instead of little girls you have enslaved?"

Saez's lip curled up and he slammed a fist across Luke's face, causing the boy to see stars. When his head cleared, Luke spit out blood, making sure to aim for Saez's feet. The man must have seen that coming, for he merely shifted to the left.

"You will need a memory wipe I see," he stated casually. "That can be arranged, but first my droid will let me know if I should waste my money on you."

Luke frowned. "Waste it on what, exactly?"

Saez smirked knowingly. "It is not cheap to get the chip for a slave, boy. And a memory wipe for a human is even more expensive, but worth it in a slave."

True fear touched Luke's heart then: fear of losing himself irreversibly. He reacted by lashing out. "You will never own me."

Saez chuckled. "That's what she said too you know. And I'd say she was wrong on that one just as you will be."

The droid finished examining Luke and turned to Saez. When it spoke, the voice was dull and monotone. "Specimen not recommended for slave duties. His body is in poor health, and I deduce the expenses will outweigh the boy's usefulness."

Saez frowned deeply, taking a datapad the droid handed him. "What's wrong with him? He looks healthy enough."

The droid listed things off, and Luke cringed as he did so. "Recent malnutrition is evident, as is the scars left behind by multiple surgeries. His muscles are not in the best condition, and they seem pretty weak for his age. I guess this youth has underlying health issues that will prevent him from performing his duties for any length of time. May I also remind you that he was shaking when you brought him to me?"

Saez ran a hand over his chin. "I assumed that was leftover fear from the situation."

"Not entirely," the droid said. "His body is weak, for reasons unknown to me. But it is my opinion that the boy is not fit for duties as a slave. He would not be a good candidate."

The man glowered at the information. "Run the tests again. I lost half my animals to his group: I will not take that lightly."

The droid obeyed.

00000

It soon became apparent that their tunnel merely led into a labyrinth of old streets: there seemed to be no true rhyme or reason to the layout, as though people had merely put down roots wherever they could find space to do so. Apparently there had been a large draw decades ago when some fellow had struck it rich by finding a rare item in the garbage outside. That item had earned the man several thousands of credits, and so others seeking to make it big flocked to the planet.

Anakin had seen it before as he'd travelled the galaxy: mining towns popped up at random and then faded into obscurity when the excitement and resources dried up.

The maze was so intense that Anakin had to give up trying to navigate it on his own. He drew on the Force to lead him and his party from the old streets and back to the newer ones.

Han was the first to speak, of course, and Anakin tried to remain patient. "What do we do now? We can't track him in that mess."

"We find someone who can tell us more about Saez," Anakin answered, sighing heavily. They'd been in the rundown portion of the neighborhood for half a standard hour, and Anakin could still smell the garbage from the forgotten realm in his robes.

"Back to the cantinas then?" Han stated. "Fine."

"Actually, I think we may already know who to ask." Obi Wan stepped forward. "Do you remember the woman we spoke to with the dark hair?"

Han frowned, trying to recall. "Yeah, what about her? She didn't seem all that friendly if I recall right."

"She was very talkative about an old boyfriend, though." Obi Wan began walking, and everyone followed. "I think she could tell us where to find Saez."

Han grinned. "Hell hath no fury like that of an angry ex."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "And you would know, Han?"

Han patted his chest. "I'm not naive now, thank you very much. I may be a teenager, but I've been around enough 'couples'" Han made air quotes with his fingers, "to spot trouble when I see it."

Anakin shook his head. "Just walk." He said, though there was a note of humor in his tone that made Han's grin widen briefly.

00000

Luke was forced to endure a wealth of probing and the like as Saez ordered more and more tests. Each became more and more invasive until Luke was weeping from the pain that was now being inflicted as Saez instructed the droid to do this or that.

"This pain is for my hounds." Saez informed Luke at one point, acting as though he was holding a regular conversation. "They were not cheap animals, and they took forever to train that way. You will pay for each one I lost."

Luke glared at the man in defiance. "And when my father catches up to you, he will not be happy with what you've done to me."

Saez lifted a brow. "I'm terrified."

Luke cried out when a probe from the droid zapped him sharply, and Saez grinned happily. He pulled up a chair and took a seat, lounging with his hands behind his back as if he were at the beach. "This is rather entertaining."

He motioned to the droid. "Continue."

The droid started to do just that when something on his datapad beeped at him. Saez looked at it, and straightened, a flash of consternation moving across his face. "On second thought, it's time to remove the evidence."

He rose, picked something up that Luke couldn't see and then flung a bag over Luke's head. In a series of maneuvers that Luke couldn't follow without his eyes, the adult unstrapped Luke, and then rebound him so he could carry the youth.

Then he was walking with Luke flung over his shoulder. The pace at which the man moved indicated that he was troubled, and Luke counted that as a victory even though he didn't know the cause of Saez's distress.

"Where are you taking me?" Luke demanded to know through the cloth over his face.

"You will see." Was the cryptic response.

"Where did you put the girl?" Luke asked again, fishing for information while he could.

"Would you like me to show you?" Saez asked in a tone that gave Luke chills.

"Just tell me." Luke tried to remain calm, even as suspicion rose. He thought he knew now where Saez was taking him, and it frightened the youth.

"Ah, but it would be so much more fun to show you!" Saez chuckled. "And you have been asking me to take you to her. Who am I to object?"

Luke began to squirm in the hopes of getting free, but Saez held him fast until they stopped. "Help me!" Luke yelled, but the man chuckled.

"No one will hear you, Lad. Nobody comes here anymore." Saez dumped Luke unceremoniously to the ground, removed his hood and cut the boy's bonds while Luke struggled with disorientation. "Now, allow me to answer your questions regarding the girl."

He turned to a cumbersome door and input a code... and it opened to allow a literal bubble of putrid air inside. Saez turned green for a heartbeat before he turned to Luke.

Luke's eyes widened when the man grabbed for Luke. "Stop!"

"I caught you to make you my slave!" Saez snapped, no longer playful. "Thanks to you I lost several of my hounds, and it turned out to be a waste. You're not worth anyone's time, runt. But I'm still furious about my loss, so you will not go free. You will be sentenced to the same fate as the girl."

He grabbed a shank of Luke's tunic and pulled the boy toward the open doorway, through which the ground was nowhere to be seen.

Luke struggled, fear giving him a surge of strength with which he balked out if the man's grasp. Sheer surprise allowed Luke to break free, but he hadn't gone more than three steps when the man grabbed him again and yanked so hard Luke fell to the floor. His chin hit durasteel pavers and he saw stars, tasting blood.

Luke scrabbled at the ground as Saez pulled him back toward the door to the outside world. Luke kicked Saez as hard as he could, and the man did fall at one point.

"You little hellion!" Saez roared, grabbing Luke by the neck now.

Luke glared at him defiantly and spat in his face, though the man squeezed his throat so hard that Luke gagged. Saez lifted Luke into the air and tried to throw him out the door, but Luke threw up his feet and caught the jamb, stopping his progress.

Saez used his free hand to slap at Luke's feet, trying to loosen the child's grip, but Luke was too stubborn. Luke grit his teeth... striving to remain inside the doorway... but with Saez's grip on Luke's throat cutting off his air supply, Luke was beginning to weaken.

Saez saw this and chuckled, moving Luke away from the doorway and watching him struggle in his grip. It wasn't until Luke began to stop thrashing that Saez loosened his hand enough to allow Luke to breathe.

He gulped in huge breaths... and Saez took his opportunity. He threw Luke... who grabbed desperately at anything... and Saez' ankle was the first thing he touched. Saez went down to with a scream, and Luke scrabbled for purchase as his body rolled to the edge of the door and began to fall.

He held fast to Saez though, until the man grabbed a tool from his belt and electrocuted Luke's hand. Luke screamed in agony and his hand let go of its own accord... and he began to fall to Saez's cruel laughter.

"Say hello to your girlfriend for me... if she's still alive!" And with that the door shut on Luke's terrified scream.