Firestorm II
Chapter 3: Chance Encounters
In her medication-induced dream, Cassiopeia relived the instant that she had seen her one true love get pulled over the edge of the landing platform toward the billowing ocean. She had disobeyed Obi Wan's strict orders to "stay in the starfighter no matter what" and after a few minutes had followed after him, intent on assisting him. The relentless rain was coming down in sheets making visibility almost zero and making everything slick. The doors had slid open on the turbolift, she had run out into the pouring rain and had seen him jump up and kick the bounty hunter square in the chest. Jango Fett was knocked over the side of the platform. But since he was tethered to the bounty hunter, Obi Wan was jerked over the side as well.
"Ben," Cassi screamed into the driving rain. She ran to the edge, peered over, and saw the bounty hunter, Jango Fett, already climbing unsteadily up the side toward her. But Obi Wan was no where to be seen.
Cassiopeia, on the verge of panic, remembered how Obi Wan had always talked of calming his mind and relaxing in difficult or dangerous situations. Despite her fear that Obi Wan may have fallen to his death, Cassi forced herself to relax. She breathed in deeply, closed her eyes, and steadied her racing mind and heart so she could think more clearly. She knew she was in danger of meeting the same fate as her love but now that Obi Wan was not here to stop Jango and bring him to the Jedi Council for questioning on the assassination attempt of Padme, she knew it was up to her.
Cassiopeia opened her eyes, reached underneath her cloak and pulled her blaster from its holster. Being the daughter of one of Naboo's former chief of security officers, Cassi had been well instructed in the use of firearms and had become an accomplished marksman. But she was nervous, she hadn't even held a blaster in years let alone fired one. And she knew she was about to face a veteran bounty hunter, one who had doubtless perfected his firing skills while Cassi had been but a child.
In her sleep, Cassiopeia stirred. She knew she was dreaming and what was coming and she desperately wanted to wake up, but the pain medication she had been given refused to allow her to wake.
In her dream, Cassi watched the bounty hunter climb up over the edge of the platform. She had taken a hidden position behind Fett's ship where she could see him. He bounded, shaken from his slide to near-death, for the loading ramp. Cassiopeia took a deep breath and jumped out from her hiding place, blaster raised.
"Hold it right there, Fett," she called. "If you make one move, I'll shoot you."
Jango Fett had been startled by her appearance. He put up his hands. Cassiopeia moved toward him until she was between him and the ship's ramp.
"Alright, let's go," she motioned with the blaster toward the turbolift. "Move."
Suddenly, without warning, Cassipeia heard a blaster fire. Instinctively, she ducked to do a quick roll across the platform, but before she could, she was hit in the shoulder by blasterfire, her own blaster knocked out of her hand. Cassiopeia groaned and clutched her wounded left shoulder. Fett bounded up the ramp and she helplessly watched him go. As he reached the top and hit the switch to close the ramp, she glimpsed a young boy with a blaster retreating into the ship in front of Jango.
"Blast," Cassi said to herself, "that must be Bobba. Obi Wan said there was a boy, Bobba, with Jango." She winced in pain. "How could I have forgotten there was another? How could I have been so careless?"
At that moment, the turbolift doors slid open again and Obi Wan ran through them. Using the Force, his lightsaber sprung into his hand. He saw Fett's ship already beginning to pull away from the landing platform. Obi Wan pulled out a tracking device and threw it onto the ship's hull. He stood there in the rain for a moment, looking up at the departing ship, then he sheathed his lightsaber and turned away to head toward the turbolift.
"Ben, wait," Cassi called through the rain, still clutching her shoulder.
Obi Wan turned back at the sound of her voice, surprise and concern filling his face at the sight of her.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "I told you to stay." he trailed off, noticing her injury. He ran and knelt beside her. "Cassi, what happened?" He moved her hand to look at her injury.
"I tried to stop him," Cassi explained through her pain. "I wasn't sure what had happened to you. But I forgot that he had someone else with him. I was caught from behind.foolish," she chided herself.
Obi Wan picked her up gently and hurried toward the turbolift to return to the starfighter.
Cassiopeia finally awoke with a start. She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her uninjured arm and looked around the room. She was lying on a bed in a makeshift housing quarter. At first she wasn't sure where she was then suddenly, memories came flooding back. Cassi lay back down on the pillow with a sigh, wincing suddenly when her injured shoulder hit the bed. Tears formed behind her eyelids but not just because of the sharp jolt of pain; the memory of Obi Wan's anger at her disregarding his order, the pained silence between them as they tracked the bounty hunter here to Geonosis, and then their sudden capture and separation flooded Cassi's mind.
Obi Wan had been more angry with himself when she got injured for agreeing to let her tag along on his assignment, Cassi knew, then at her for disobeying him. In the starfighter as he had bandaged up her shoulder as best he could without proper medical supplies, he had asked how he would have explained everything to the Jedi Council in the event that she had been killed.
"Is that what concerns you most?" she had asked him angrily. "Not the fact that I'd be dead and you'd never see me again, but that you'd have to come up with a good reason as to why I was with you in the first place?"
Obi Wan had finished bandaging her wound, looked into her eyes, and replied shortly, "Yes."
Cassiopeia had been deeply hurt. She couldn't believe that comment had come out of Obi Wan's mouth, the only man besides her father that she had ever truly loved. She rolled over onto her right side and sighed. Her mind was foggy from the medication and she worked to clear it. She knew she a huge decision awaited her regarding her future and she needed to be clear-headed.
The door to the room slid open and former Jedi Knight and current leader of the separatist movement, Count Dooku, entered. He was dressed completely in black and was adorned with a black cape. He smiled tenderly at her and moved to sit on the bed beside her. Cassiopeia sat up and swung her legs over the opposite side of the bed, as far away from him as she could get.
"Where's Jedi Master Kenobi?" she asked him, unable to meet his gaze.
Dooku reached out to touch her right hand and she pulled it away. Instead, he ran his hand through her red curls. "He's safe," he answered in his deep baritone voice, "for now. However I think his safety will depend on you, my dear."
Chapter 3: Chance Encounters
In her medication-induced dream, Cassiopeia relived the instant that she had seen her one true love get pulled over the edge of the landing platform toward the billowing ocean. She had disobeyed Obi Wan's strict orders to "stay in the starfighter no matter what" and after a few minutes had followed after him, intent on assisting him. The relentless rain was coming down in sheets making visibility almost zero and making everything slick. The doors had slid open on the turbolift, she had run out into the pouring rain and had seen him jump up and kick the bounty hunter square in the chest. Jango Fett was knocked over the side of the platform. But since he was tethered to the bounty hunter, Obi Wan was jerked over the side as well.
"Ben," Cassi screamed into the driving rain. She ran to the edge, peered over, and saw the bounty hunter, Jango Fett, already climbing unsteadily up the side toward her. But Obi Wan was no where to be seen.
Cassiopeia, on the verge of panic, remembered how Obi Wan had always talked of calming his mind and relaxing in difficult or dangerous situations. Despite her fear that Obi Wan may have fallen to his death, Cassi forced herself to relax. She breathed in deeply, closed her eyes, and steadied her racing mind and heart so she could think more clearly. She knew she was in danger of meeting the same fate as her love but now that Obi Wan was not here to stop Jango and bring him to the Jedi Council for questioning on the assassination attempt of Padme, she knew it was up to her.
Cassiopeia opened her eyes, reached underneath her cloak and pulled her blaster from its holster. Being the daughter of one of Naboo's former chief of security officers, Cassi had been well instructed in the use of firearms and had become an accomplished marksman. But she was nervous, she hadn't even held a blaster in years let alone fired one. And she knew she was about to face a veteran bounty hunter, one who had doubtless perfected his firing skills while Cassi had been but a child.
In her sleep, Cassiopeia stirred. She knew she was dreaming and what was coming and she desperately wanted to wake up, but the pain medication she had been given refused to allow her to wake.
In her dream, Cassi watched the bounty hunter climb up over the edge of the platform. She had taken a hidden position behind Fett's ship where she could see him. He bounded, shaken from his slide to near-death, for the loading ramp. Cassiopeia took a deep breath and jumped out from her hiding place, blaster raised.
"Hold it right there, Fett," she called. "If you make one move, I'll shoot you."
Jango Fett had been startled by her appearance. He put up his hands. Cassiopeia moved toward him until she was between him and the ship's ramp.
"Alright, let's go," she motioned with the blaster toward the turbolift. "Move."
Suddenly, without warning, Cassipeia heard a blaster fire. Instinctively, she ducked to do a quick roll across the platform, but before she could, she was hit in the shoulder by blasterfire, her own blaster knocked out of her hand. Cassiopeia groaned and clutched her wounded left shoulder. Fett bounded up the ramp and she helplessly watched him go. As he reached the top and hit the switch to close the ramp, she glimpsed a young boy with a blaster retreating into the ship in front of Jango.
"Blast," Cassi said to herself, "that must be Bobba. Obi Wan said there was a boy, Bobba, with Jango." She winced in pain. "How could I have forgotten there was another? How could I have been so careless?"
At that moment, the turbolift doors slid open again and Obi Wan ran through them. Using the Force, his lightsaber sprung into his hand. He saw Fett's ship already beginning to pull away from the landing platform. Obi Wan pulled out a tracking device and threw it onto the ship's hull. He stood there in the rain for a moment, looking up at the departing ship, then he sheathed his lightsaber and turned away to head toward the turbolift.
"Ben, wait," Cassi called through the rain, still clutching her shoulder.
Obi Wan turned back at the sound of her voice, surprise and concern filling his face at the sight of her.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "I told you to stay." he trailed off, noticing her injury. He ran and knelt beside her. "Cassi, what happened?" He moved her hand to look at her injury.
"I tried to stop him," Cassi explained through her pain. "I wasn't sure what had happened to you. But I forgot that he had someone else with him. I was caught from behind.foolish," she chided herself.
Obi Wan picked her up gently and hurried toward the turbolift to return to the starfighter.
Cassiopeia finally awoke with a start. She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her uninjured arm and looked around the room. She was lying on a bed in a makeshift housing quarter. At first she wasn't sure where she was then suddenly, memories came flooding back. Cassi lay back down on the pillow with a sigh, wincing suddenly when her injured shoulder hit the bed. Tears formed behind her eyelids but not just because of the sharp jolt of pain; the memory of Obi Wan's anger at her disregarding his order, the pained silence between them as they tracked the bounty hunter here to Geonosis, and then their sudden capture and separation flooded Cassi's mind.
Obi Wan had been more angry with himself when she got injured for agreeing to let her tag along on his assignment, Cassi knew, then at her for disobeying him. In the starfighter as he had bandaged up her shoulder as best he could without proper medical supplies, he had asked how he would have explained everything to the Jedi Council in the event that she had been killed.
"Is that what concerns you most?" she had asked him angrily. "Not the fact that I'd be dead and you'd never see me again, but that you'd have to come up with a good reason as to why I was with you in the first place?"
Obi Wan had finished bandaging her wound, looked into her eyes, and replied shortly, "Yes."
Cassiopeia had been deeply hurt. She couldn't believe that comment had come out of Obi Wan's mouth, the only man besides her father that she had ever truly loved. She rolled over onto her right side and sighed. Her mind was foggy from the medication and she worked to clear it. She knew she a huge decision awaited her regarding her future and she needed to be clear-headed.
The door to the room slid open and former Jedi Knight and current leader of the separatist movement, Count Dooku, entered. He was dressed completely in black and was adorned with a black cape. He smiled tenderly at her and moved to sit on the bed beside her. Cassiopeia sat up and swung her legs over the opposite side of the bed, as far away from him as she could get.
"Where's Jedi Master Kenobi?" she asked him, unable to meet his gaze.
Dooku reached out to touch her right hand and she pulled it away. Instead, he ran his hand through her red curls. "He's safe," he answered in his deep baritone voice, "for now. However I think his safety will depend on you, my dear."