This chapter is for AnnikaSkywalker05, who has been waiting for the Cauldron fight for a very long time. . . ;D
Happy Star Wars day, everyone! :)
Anakin was leaning against the large metal door when he felt it vibrate against his shoulders. He spun away and faced it as it lifted away from the ground and retracted into the ceiling.
A roar of sound filled his ears as thousands of spectators jumped to their feet, screaming and yelling. Anakin disregarded them in favor of studying his surroundings. The brightly lit, sand-covered floor of the Cauldron stretched out in front of the metal bars that blocked his way forward.
The floor was surrounded by a wall of stone, which stretched up to a height of ten meters and ended just below the first row of seats. At the far end of the pit was another metal cage, identical to the one Anakin and his companions stood in. Something large moved back and forth behind the wavering light of a ray shield.
"Umm. . ." Echo came up beside him and stared at the roaring crowd. "General . . ."
Namer narrowed his eyes. "They sound ready to attack."
"They won't," Anakin said. "They're just here for the fun."
Obi-Wan sniffed disdainfully, rubbing at his stiff shoulder. "I'd hardly call this fun."
"Yeah. . ." said Fives warily. "I don't want to end up plastered all over this arena by a bunch of screaming civilians."
"Ah, just ignore them, Fives." Anakin clapped him on the shoulder. "They don't want to be eaten alive any more than we do."
"Eaten alive?" Waxer looked over at Boil. "Like with those gutkurr on Ryloth?"
Anakin pointed. "I don't know about that, but there's something big in that cage."
A group of guards marched across the sand towards them, and the screaming outside intensified. An enormous human, carrying a spear and wearing plate armor and half a dozen knives, unlocked a small door that formed part of the cage front. "Come on out, Jedi filth."
Anakin sighed and shook his head sadly as he complied. "You know what amazes me," he commented over his shoulder. "They always use the same insult."
"Yes," said Obi-Wan dryly. "I'm sure your point merits consideration. But for heaven's sake, not now, Anakin!"
"Shut it!" yelled the guard, prodding Anakin with his spear. He turned and gazed at the others for a moment before pointing at Fives. "You too! And bring your friend."
Fives glanced at Echo, who stood the closest, and the man nodded. "Hurry up! And leave your helmets."
After an instant's hesitation, they obeyed. The crowd surged to its feet, screaming and hurling insults. The guards shut the door behind the three and left, running across the sand to a small, shielded room directly beneath the seating area.
"My fellow citizens!" Tar Saresh's voice echoed throughout the building, and Anakin looked up to see him standing on a platform above the second cage. Behind him was Dooku, and next to him stood a cloaked and hooded Ventress.
"There you are," he muttered.
Saresh leaned forward, gesturing widely. "Before we begin, the illustrious Count, who has graciously allowed us this evening's entertainment, has a few words to say!"
A grudging silence fell.
Dooku stepped to the front. "Thank you, Saresh. Many of you have requested that the Jedi be put to death by the citizens."
Shouts of affirmation. Anakin folded his arms and feigned boredom.
"But these particular Jedi are two of the most powerful in the galaxy. Young Skywalker's feats are known throughout the galaxy. Master Kenobi killed a Sith when still very young."
"You did, General?" asked Ghost's voice.
"Yes, a long time ago." Obi-Wan sounded impatient. "I wonder what the good count's game is this time?"
When the jeering died down, Dooku smiled benevolently at the crowd. "For this reason, and for your protection, Asajj Ventress has decided it best that the Jedi and clone troopers should be pitted against only the best of Rattatak's gladiators . . . and the strongest of the Cauldron's creatures."
A surge of discontent and excitement echoed across the Force. Anakin shifted, trying to ignore the eddying and shifting emotions around him, and glanced at Echo, who was staring up at Dooku in patriotic dislike.
"Never run into the count before?" Anakin grinned.
"No, sir. This is our first assignment since Rishi."
"I know, I wasn't being serious –"
Echo tilted his head questioningly, and Anakin shrugged. "Never mind."
"Positions, General?" asked Fives, watching as the ray shield at the far end was shut off.
"Right. We've got . . ." Anakin looked around. "No cover. And no weapons."
"Great. How do we – what the heck is that?"
"Oh," called Obi-Wan from behind the bars. "This looks familiar."
A chittering noise rose over the yelling that surrounded them, and a huge, green, six-legged creature with clawed forelegs stalked out of the second cage. It reared back to scream at the crowd, and then it caught sight of Anakin. Shaking its head, it scampered toward them on four legs, keeping its pincers raised.
"Yeah, so that's an acklay," Anakin said, pulling back against the cage bars. "It's big, has a mouth full of spiny teeth, and stabs with its claws."
"Got it," said Fives. "We have a plan of attack?"
Anakin looked at him. "Not really?"
"Whatever you do, stay away from its teeth," Obi-Wan interjected helpfully from where he was clinging to the bars.
Anakin was in the middle of rolling his eyes when he came up with a plan. He motioned Fives and Echo to either side. "Stay against the cage! Obi-Wan, you and the other guys get ready!"
"I hope I'm not thinking the same thing you are," Obi-Wan said.
"You are." Anakin brought up both hands, using the Force to fling a sheet of sand at the advancing monster. It shrieked in pain, ducking its head and weaving from side to side for a moment as the crowd yelled its approval.
The acklay sprang at Anakin, flinging one claw straight at him. At the last possible instant, he ducked, and its claw went through the bars.
Obi-Wan sidestepped just in time. He and Waxer and Boil grabbed the acklay's claw, trapping it, and Anakin jumped, grabbing for its neck.
The second claw slammed into him from the side, knocking him sprawling, and he glanced up to see a mouthful of teeth nearing his face. Someone grabbed his wrists and jerked him, hard, and the acklay drew back at the same moment.
Fives yanked Anakin up and yelled, "Echo, you idiot!"
Bewildered, Anakin blinked his eyes free of sand and glanced around. The acklay was still trapped, straining to pull itself free. Its free claw snapped and clicked, trying to reach Echo, who was scrambling to back away.
Anakin reached out, willing the creature's attention back to him. It turned to face him. "Great," he muttered. "Now what?"
"Anakin!" called Obi-Wan. "I can hold it here."
"Yeah, good idea." With its focus on Obi-Wan, Anakin took a running start and leaped into the air, landing just behind its neck. "Fives! Echo! Get up here."
He leaned down to assist them. Echo used both hands to balance himself against the acklay's back. "General, how are we going to kill this thing?"
"Just stay ready," replied Anakin, and he locked his arms around its long neck, swinging around so that he was dragging its head toward the ground.
"Yeah, that'll work great." Fives, sounding incredibly unenthusiastic, leaned forward to keep his gaze on Anakin. "Anything you want us to do?"
"Gotta work on that attitude, Fives," grunted Anakin. "I'm not trying to choke it myself, I want it to –"
The acklay shook itself free of Obi-Wan's influence and snapped at Anakin with its pincer. "General Kenobi!" shouted Fives, catching on to the plan. "Let it go!"
With its second claw free, the acklay stumbled back, stabbing viciously at the human dangling from its neck. Anakin performed an upside down backflip, landing on its head with both feet, and promptly fell.
Echo caught his wrists, Fives dragged them both up, and they jumped free. The acklay staggered back on two legs, one claw through its own throat as it screeched and gurgled horribly.
Now that the threat of imminent death was no longer driving him, the shadows in Anakin's mind returned. He shook his head, trying to clear it as the crowd screamed, approval and anger radiating side by side through the huge building. The acklay crumpled to one side, finally falling silent, and the guards rushed back out into the arena.
Anakin was on his knees with a spear poking at his back before he realized what had happened, and the guards were shoving Echo and Fives back toward the caged room.
"The Jedi wins the first round!" Tar Saresh sounded gleeful.
Anakin glowered up at him. A million credits. Money-grubbing scum.
The grenades had just exploded in the next room when a flash of even greater danger made Kit Fisto lunge forward.
The commando sergeant ducked, shouting, "Get down!"
Kit knew he wouldn't make it in time. He summoned the Force in a powerful blast that sent the regular troopers flying just as the missile hit.
He was thrown against the corner between the wall and the ceiling, his hastily summoned shield barely protecting him from the wave of light and heat. Shrapnel peppered his arms and hands, and he sent a vaguely thankful thought to Commander Monnk, who had introduced him to the novel idea of wearing vambraces in battle.
He only realized he'd fallen again because his knees gave out when he hit the floor, and he barely caught himself in time to prevent smashing his face against the stones.
The ringing in his ears was gradually replaced with shouting and laserfire. Rex was yelling for his men to fall back.
Kit Fisto groped for his lightsaber and stumbled upright.
Directly in front of him, Sev was in a half-kneeling position, his pistol lifted and firing repeatedly. Boss had fallen to one side and was struggling to rise, while Scorch crawled toward his rifle. Fixer limped toward the door, shooting between the other troopers, who were desperately fighting to hold back the oncoming horde.
Kit steadied himself and lunged forward, his lightsaber humming to life.
A super battle droid stepped through the door and fired twice. Gadget fell back with a cry, and Kix turned toward him, leaving the cover of the door.
Fixer dragged him back. "Keep fighting," he ordered in a flat voice, then lunged forward to stab his vibroblade into the droid's chest plate.
Kit Fisto leaped by him, slashing the droid in two. "We'll cover you, Kix."
Kix didn't answer, but his medic's pack was already off his shoulders.
"Right behind you, sir," said Fixer. He followed Kit through the door and stepped to the side, firing whenever he had an opening. Rex and Scorch joined them an instant later, and between the Jedi's lightsaber and the clones' blasters and grenades, they had the room clear in a few moments.
"Fall back," Rex ordered, lowering his guns.
They re-entered the hall. Kix knelt over Gadget, who was gasping and twisting, his hands clenched as the medic removed his armor. He took one look at the damage and tensed.
"We've got to move before they send reinforcements," Fixer said, sounding as though he were quoting from something.
"No," snapped Kix, yanking out an analgesic and jabbing it into Gadget's neck. "We can't move him."
"I'm not going to make it," Gadget ground out. "You guys –"
"Shut up." Kix shoved the torn edges of the black bodysuit away from the injury. "I'm doing everything I can."
Fixer turned and went back to his squad. Boss was just getting up, one hand clasped tightly against his side.
Kit Fisto knelt beside Kix and held a hand over Gadget. "You can do nothing more here, Kix," he said.
It didn't take a Jedi to feel the heated glare Kix gave him, but Kit Fisto remained calm. "I have some skill at healing. There are others who need your own skills."
He closed his eyes and entered a healing trance, only vaguely aware that Kix had obeyed him.
I've got a bit of leeway with my plot, so if you have any ideas about what else should be involved in the arena fight, now's the time to mention them! :)