Chapter Nineteen: Exposure
They had been in hyperspace for a day and a half when the engine started to fail. Padme shot a look at Obi-Wan. "What is it?" she asked, mildly alarmed.
He studied the control panel. "I think we're having a problem with the forward thrusters. We'll have to land."
Padme spun in her chair to the navicomputer. "The closest planet that doesn't have Imperial presence is called Simpla-12." At his look, she looked surprised and asked, "You've heard of it?"
"Been there. It's an underworld planet. It thrives on the black market. I don't think we'll run into Imperials, but there's plenty of bounty hunters. We'll have to be discreet."
"Do we have the funds?" she asked.
He nodded. "A few credits, and crystalline vertex. Its good everywhere."
She smiled. "I'm glad this time we're prepared."
They landed at Simpla-12's only colony, Sim-First. It was a sprawling muddy city, overcrowded and dingy. They wasted no time in finding a mechanic. However, he said it would take an hour to fix the thrusters. Obi-Wan and Padme, nervous about staying at the launch pad for so long, headed down the main road to the only other place Obi-Wan was familiar with on Simpla-12: the 12 Tavern.
"This place is dangerous, milady," Obi-Wan whispered to her. "Stay close."
The 12 Tavern was dimly lit and smoky. Obi-Wan and Padme both took off their muddied cloaks and took a seat at the bar. The bartender barely paid attention to them, so it seemed their disguises were working.
"It doesn't seem too bad," Padme said, trying to be optimistic.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Just wait."
They didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, there was a loud crash on the other side of the tavern. They both turned their heads to look.
"We were not cheating!" a high pitched voice cried.
"These cards are marked!" a deeper, louder voice countered, grabbing one man by the back of his collar.
"I swear on the souls of my dead parents, I never cheat at a game of sabbacc!" a third voice exclaimed.
"You're parents aren't dead, Weez!"
Obi-Wan heard the name with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Three bouncers were moving the three cheaters toward the front door of the tavern and Obi-Wan silently prayed they wouldn't see him. He stared into his drink, willing himself to be inconspicuous.
"Gibbertz and ham!" the shrill voice said. "Just look, boys! Here's someone who will vouch for our honesty!"
"Obi-Wan!" the second voice cried. "Whoosh! I'm glad to see you, Jedi Kenobi!"
Obi-Wan barely turned his head. Weez, Tub and Cholly looked so happy to see him. They'd met nearly twenty-five years before and had become friends of a sort. How they had recognized him, he didn't know, but they knew him as a noble Jedi- and now so did their captors and everyone else in hearing distance.
"Jedi?" the deep voiced man asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Is that true?"
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, strove to put a look of annoyance and disbelief on his face. "I'm no Jedi. Don't know any Obi-Wan either… The name's Ben."
Weez, Cholly and Tub looked confused. "Obi, come on! I know it's been a few years, but…"
The deep voiced man slapped Cholly on the back of his head. "Stop talking, dimwit. You're just digging yourself deeper."
As they turned to lead the three out, Obi-Wan suddenly asked, "What are you gonna do to them?"
The deep voiced man chuckled. "Let's just say these three have been a bother for too long. Not after tonight."
They were going to kill them. Obi-Wan felt his stomach knot. Cholly, Weez and Tub weren't exactly honest or brave, but they had been his friends. How could he let them die? His mission was to protect Padme, not the three cheaters. But he couldn't let friends die.
In the blink of an eye, he'd made his decision and stood. "Let them go."
The bouncers looked amused. "Look, Benny-"
"I said, let them go. Even cheaters don't deserve to die."
"And who are you to decide that?" the deep voiced man asked, his eyes signaling for the men around him to attack.
Obi-Wan blocked their assaults with deft movements, then ignited his lightsaber. "Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi." He stared unblinking into the deep voiced man's eyes. "Now let them down."
They did. Obi-Wan tossed a few credits onto the counter, then grabbed Padme's hand. "Lets go."
Cholly, Tub and Weez followed them out onto the muddy street. "Gibbertz and ham, Kenobi! We thought for sure we were goners!"
Obi-Wan didn't spare them a glance. "I thought you stopped cheating at sabbacc."
"When did we ever say that?" Cholly asked. "Did we ever say that, Tub?"
"No, I don't think so. Weez?"
"Definitely not." They all grinned at him innocently, and Padme smiled back.
"Whoosh, Obi, you always have the prettiest girls hanging around you. That Jedi girl, what's her name?"
Obi-Wan cracked a smile. "Siri."
Cholly grinned. "Yeah, that's it! And Astri too… A looker even without hair!"
Padme looked at Obi-Wan, confused. "Without hair?"
"Boy, lady, we could tell you stories about this one!" Weez put a warm arm around her. "All tales of bravery, of course," he said with a look at Obi-Wan. "All stuff wives like to hear."
"Oh, she's not my wife," Obi-Wan said hastily.
Cholly, Tub and Weez exchanged looks between themselves and Padme's swelling stomach. "Well. Its not as if we care, we're not the most respectable either…"
Obi-Wan felt a flush creeping up his cheeks. "No, no, its not like that. She's… I'm protecting her."
Tub grinned. "Of course! I didn't think the Jedi were allowed to marry."
Padme looked away suddenly. Obi-Wan squeezed her hand and nodded at his old friends. "Goodbye, my friends. I wish you well." Suddenly he grinned. "And don't get into trouble again."
The three waved goodbye, and Padme and Obi-Wan headed back to the landing platform, quiet the whole way back. Their mechanic was waiting for them.
Obi-Wan eyed him suspiciously. "The repairs are complete?"
"Yes," the man replied, leaning casually against the table. Obi-Wan moved forward and started to hand the man a small pouch, filled with the crystalline vertex. The man didn't take it, but moved quicker than they thought he could and slapped a pair of vibro-cuffs on Obi-Wan. "There's a nice reward for the capture of a Jedi, *General*."
Obi-Wan felt Padme back up a little. He used the space to jump into a kick, and slam his left foot into his would-be captor's stomach. He concentrated for a moment, using the Force to open the locks on the cuffs. They slid off.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Your greed corrupts you." He dropped the small pouch on the man's stomach and he and Padme stalked away, onto the ship.
"There's no time to test the thrusters," Obi-Wan said, starting the engines. "More people would be coming for us- and the next one's might not be so easy to escape from."
The ship lifted easily and began its ascent into space. The thrusters seemed to be working fine, but once they had cleared the planet's atmosphere and tried to enter hyperspace, they found their hyper drive not working.
"We can't go back," Padme said. She consulted the navicomputer again. "Simpla-12 has a small moon, Vestna 4. It's not far at all."
Obi-Wan stared down at the hologram of the tiny satellite. "It's volcanic and unstable."
"We don't have a choice."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said, but headed for the volcanic moon anyway. They reached it in less than an hour. He put the ship down carefully, finding a solid, stable place to land.
Vestna was indeed unbalanced planet. As soon as they stepped off the ship, they were assaulted by a wave of near-paralyzing heat. Padme and Obi-Wan breathed in deeply and went around the ship. It didn't take very long to find the problem: the power supply to the hyper drive had been unplugged. It took five minutes to fix and they were ready to leave.
Obi-Wan didn't smile as they headed back to the loading ramp. "It's almost too simple," he murmured.
He felt his apprentice's presence an instant before he stepped onto the ramp of the ship, a dark ripple in his mind, icy cold with hate and burning hot with anger. He turned.
And there he was.
They had been in hyperspace for a day and a half when the engine started to fail. Padme shot a look at Obi-Wan. "What is it?" she asked, mildly alarmed.
He studied the control panel. "I think we're having a problem with the forward thrusters. We'll have to land."
Padme spun in her chair to the navicomputer. "The closest planet that doesn't have Imperial presence is called Simpla-12." At his look, she looked surprised and asked, "You've heard of it?"
"Been there. It's an underworld planet. It thrives on the black market. I don't think we'll run into Imperials, but there's plenty of bounty hunters. We'll have to be discreet."
"Do we have the funds?" she asked.
He nodded. "A few credits, and crystalline vertex. Its good everywhere."
She smiled. "I'm glad this time we're prepared."
They landed at Simpla-12's only colony, Sim-First. It was a sprawling muddy city, overcrowded and dingy. They wasted no time in finding a mechanic. However, he said it would take an hour to fix the thrusters. Obi-Wan and Padme, nervous about staying at the launch pad for so long, headed down the main road to the only other place Obi-Wan was familiar with on Simpla-12: the 12 Tavern.
"This place is dangerous, milady," Obi-Wan whispered to her. "Stay close."
The 12 Tavern was dimly lit and smoky. Obi-Wan and Padme both took off their muddied cloaks and took a seat at the bar. The bartender barely paid attention to them, so it seemed their disguises were working.
"It doesn't seem too bad," Padme said, trying to be optimistic.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Just wait."
They didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, there was a loud crash on the other side of the tavern. They both turned their heads to look.
"We were not cheating!" a high pitched voice cried.
"These cards are marked!" a deeper, louder voice countered, grabbing one man by the back of his collar.
"I swear on the souls of my dead parents, I never cheat at a game of sabbacc!" a third voice exclaimed.
"You're parents aren't dead, Weez!"
Obi-Wan heard the name with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Three bouncers were moving the three cheaters toward the front door of the tavern and Obi-Wan silently prayed they wouldn't see him. He stared into his drink, willing himself to be inconspicuous.
"Gibbertz and ham!" the shrill voice said. "Just look, boys! Here's someone who will vouch for our honesty!"
"Obi-Wan!" the second voice cried. "Whoosh! I'm glad to see you, Jedi Kenobi!"
Obi-Wan barely turned his head. Weez, Tub and Cholly looked so happy to see him. They'd met nearly twenty-five years before and had become friends of a sort. How they had recognized him, he didn't know, but they knew him as a noble Jedi- and now so did their captors and everyone else in hearing distance.
"Jedi?" the deep voiced man asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Is that true?"
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, strove to put a look of annoyance and disbelief on his face. "I'm no Jedi. Don't know any Obi-Wan either… The name's Ben."
Weez, Cholly and Tub looked confused. "Obi, come on! I know it's been a few years, but…"
The deep voiced man slapped Cholly on the back of his head. "Stop talking, dimwit. You're just digging yourself deeper."
As they turned to lead the three out, Obi-Wan suddenly asked, "What are you gonna do to them?"
The deep voiced man chuckled. "Let's just say these three have been a bother for too long. Not after tonight."
They were going to kill them. Obi-Wan felt his stomach knot. Cholly, Weez and Tub weren't exactly honest or brave, but they had been his friends. How could he let them die? His mission was to protect Padme, not the three cheaters. But he couldn't let friends die.
In the blink of an eye, he'd made his decision and stood. "Let them go."
The bouncers looked amused. "Look, Benny-"
"I said, let them go. Even cheaters don't deserve to die."
"And who are you to decide that?" the deep voiced man asked, his eyes signaling for the men around him to attack.
Obi-Wan blocked their assaults with deft movements, then ignited his lightsaber. "Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi." He stared unblinking into the deep voiced man's eyes. "Now let them down."
They did. Obi-Wan tossed a few credits onto the counter, then grabbed Padme's hand. "Lets go."
Cholly, Tub and Weez followed them out onto the muddy street. "Gibbertz and ham, Kenobi! We thought for sure we were goners!"
Obi-Wan didn't spare them a glance. "I thought you stopped cheating at sabbacc."
"When did we ever say that?" Cholly asked. "Did we ever say that, Tub?"
"No, I don't think so. Weez?"
"Definitely not." They all grinned at him innocently, and Padme smiled back.
"Whoosh, Obi, you always have the prettiest girls hanging around you. That Jedi girl, what's her name?"
Obi-Wan cracked a smile. "Siri."
Cholly grinned. "Yeah, that's it! And Astri too… A looker even without hair!"
Padme looked at Obi-Wan, confused. "Without hair?"
"Boy, lady, we could tell you stories about this one!" Weez put a warm arm around her. "All tales of bravery, of course," he said with a look at Obi-Wan. "All stuff wives like to hear."
"Oh, she's not my wife," Obi-Wan said hastily.
Cholly, Tub and Weez exchanged looks between themselves and Padme's swelling stomach. "Well. Its not as if we care, we're not the most respectable either…"
Obi-Wan felt a flush creeping up his cheeks. "No, no, its not like that. She's… I'm protecting her."
Tub grinned. "Of course! I didn't think the Jedi were allowed to marry."
Padme looked away suddenly. Obi-Wan squeezed her hand and nodded at his old friends. "Goodbye, my friends. I wish you well." Suddenly he grinned. "And don't get into trouble again."
The three waved goodbye, and Padme and Obi-Wan headed back to the landing platform, quiet the whole way back. Their mechanic was waiting for them.
Obi-Wan eyed him suspiciously. "The repairs are complete?"
"Yes," the man replied, leaning casually against the table. Obi-Wan moved forward and started to hand the man a small pouch, filled with the crystalline vertex. The man didn't take it, but moved quicker than they thought he could and slapped a pair of vibro-cuffs on Obi-Wan. "There's a nice reward for the capture of a Jedi, *General*."
Obi-Wan felt Padme back up a little. He used the space to jump into a kick, and slam his left foot into his would-be captor's stomach. He concentrated for a moment, using the Force to open the locks on the cuffs. They slid off.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Your greed corrupts you." He dropped the small pouch on the man's stomach and he and Padme stalked away, onto the ship.
"There's no time to test the thrusters," Obi-Wan said, starting the engines. "More people would be coming for us- and the next one's might not be so easy to escape from."
The ship lifted easily and began its ascent into space. The thrusters seemed to be working fine, but once they had cleared the planet's atmosphere and tried to enter hyperspace, they found their hyper drive not working.
"We can't go back," Padme said. She consulted the navicomputer again. "Simpla-12 has a small moon, Vestna 4. It's not far at all."
Obi-Wan stared down at the hologram of the tiny satellite. "It's volcanic and unstable."
"We don't have a choice."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said, but headed for the volcanic moon anyway. They reached it in less than an hour. He put the ship down carefully, finding a solid, stable place to land.
Vestna was indeed unbalanced planet. As soon as they stepped off the ship, they were assaulted by a wave of near-paralyzing heat. Padme and Obi-Wan breathed in deeply and went around the ship. It didn't take very long to find the problem: the power supply to the hyper drive had been unplugged. It took five minutes to fix and they were ready to leave.
Obi-Wan didn't smile as they headed back to the loading ramp. "It's almost too simple," he murmured.
He felt his apprentice's presence an instant before he stepped onto the ramp of the ship, a dark ripple in his mind, icy cold with hate and burning hot with anger. He turned.
And there he was.