Disclaimer: Hmmm seems I haven't been adding these all too recently… Anyway, I do not own Star Wars or its characters. The end. Heehee ;P
Gahhh!! I have had soooo much homework and assignments to do for university I'm going out of my mind! I'm surprised I even had time to write this. Oh well, enjoy!
Iile
Jango knelt hidden in the shadows above one of the assembly belts. He watched silently as the young intruders ducked and dodged the large arms of the machinery, the one swinging his lightsaber in precise arcs which cut the metallic arms in showers of sparks. Jango's visored gaze zoomed in on the smooth face of the girl and his finger tightened on the trigger of his blaster. He could easily kill her with a simple flex of his hand and get those blood thirsty aliens off of his back, their complaining and whining was slowly getting to him…
His teeth gritted together as he slowly let the pressure off on the blaster and he continued to sit still where he was and observe. Count Dooku had made it clear that he was only to capture the two and spare them any pain if possible. Supposedly the man had something planned within that arrogant head of his. Even though, Jango itched to put the newcomers out of misery and get back to Boba. He hadn't been able to talk to the boy after the meeting with the Count and Jango still did not know the answer to the worries that plagued him.
Steam shot up from an exhaust vent temporarily blocking his view of the Senator Amidala. He shifted position and managed to catch sight of her as she was knocked off the assembly belt and into an iron vat by a Geonosian guard. Shit… this could slightly complicate things… The vat moved along on its track heading towards the boiler where it would soon be filled with molten metal. He motioned to a guard behind him,
"Turn off the vat system!" he ordered.
The guard hesitated and he tightened his hand into a fist threateningly. "Now!"
The creature buzzed in fright and took off in a hurry. Jango resisted the urge to pick him off with a quick shot knowing that it was his temper which was making him act so uncontrolled today. Even with his amour's cooling system he could feel sweat roll down his face, the heat of the factory and the whole damn situation getting to him. His chest tightened as the heat reminded him of the twenty minutes of hell he had spent in the water main while escaping the fires with the Mandalorians back on his childhood farm. The water had almost cooked them alive that morning. Now he detested heat and would take frostbite over a burn any day.
Suddenly the new Jedi jumped off the belt from his view and Jango stood up with a growl. He was through waiting and ignited his jetpack, sending him up into the heated air of the factory after his quarry.
Meanwhile…
Artoo beeped with as much mechanic fright as he had as he hacked into the droid machinery control unit, trying to deactivate the metal dispenser which now hung above the vat holding Padme. The gears whirred franticly as Artoo heard the boiling sound approach, any minute now the searing liquid would come out of the pipe and the Senator would be lost! Almost… almost…
A high pitched whine sounded and the machinery around him came to a stop. Artoo buzzed confused as his circuits told him that he hadn't had found the code yet… Then who? He spun the gears in the panel again and told the computer to drop the vat holding Padme. It landed on the platform below and he saw her roll unharmed out of the giant iron prison. R2-D2 beeped softly in relief but only to whirl as he saw her become surrounded by the creatures she had been fighting with before. Defeated, Padme raised her arms in cooperation and was handcuffed and led off through a hatchway.
So much for the whole rescue and escape thing… He beeped and turned his metal dome around 360 degrees hoping that Anakin had come out in a better situation. He had lost sight of him during his flight trip to save Padme. Oh well… there was always the golden droid he could find… At least his sensors would pick up the data wavelengths of C-3PO…. What?? The other droid's head was out of place from the body frame? Artoo beeped softly again and knew that if he had a head of his own he would be shaking it with exasperation at his situation. It seemed that it was always up to him to sort out the messes of others.
The little droid spun around on his wheels and moved off hopefully in what was the direction to Threepio's head…
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Anakin stumbled as the bounty hunter none too gently shoved him forward with the butt of his blaster.
"Move Jedi," the voice grated through audio speakers. Anakin frowned and itched to have the cold steel of his lightsaber in his hands and in turn be the one to do the ordering.
No… calm yourself, Anakin thought allowing himself a calming deep breath of the stagnant cool air of the underground passages. What did Obi Wan tell you about violent outbursts and urges? They all lead to the dark side and you don't want that do you? Did he? Right now it seemed to him that having the dark side at his power would be a great help in his situation. Overcoming the hunter would be a synch and then he would be free to go and find Padme. At her name the image of her angelic face filled his mind, her rose coloured lips and large warm brown eyes and made him melt every time he looked into them. Where was she now? If those bastards were putting their hands on her, marring her beauty or self in any way, they would find quick death by his hands he could assure them that. The wistful look that had crossed his face vanished as he again focused on the fact that his lightsaber was not in its proper place clipped to his belt but instead within a sealed pocket or compartment somewhere on the one behind him. No sense of calling it to me, it's trapped just like I am. Maybe if I switched it on it might be facing into the hunter and then pierce through both his armour and flesh giving me a chance to escape. Anakin glanced back and tossed that idea out the window for the hunter was flanked by two Geonosian guards and a pair of droidekas. Man those things were fucking annoying, rolling about and popping up everywhere you went! He remembered how many there had been back during the battle for Naboo. They had been everywhere in the Theed Palace, it was a good thing they were so large or else you would trip over the bloody things as soon as you put your foot out the door.
He sighed and wondered how much longer it would take to get to where they were heading. The halls were dark and creepy and being from Tatooine with its two suns made him not use to never-ending darkness. As soon as this shit is over I'm taking Padme and going back to Naboo. Maybe spend some more time at that summer house on the lake where it was just me and her…
His apprentice braid came loose from its position from behind his ear and he flipped his head slightly trying to keep it out of his face. Dumb thing… Why did the council make them have these things anyways? All it did was get into your face during practice sessions and allow a handhold for Obi Wan to grip onto when he found that his Padawan wasn't paying attention. Besides braids are for girls…
A guard buzzed behind him catching his attention. Anakin concentrated and reached out with the force to give the creature a quick static shock. It jumped up in the air like it had been hit with a full bolt of electricity and squealed in anger sending the other guard into confusement and the droids into alert mode. Anakin grinned at the entertainment and disorder of the bunch but then hid his humor as he saw the bounty hunter staring at him. He could feel the cold gaze of his eyes piercing through the black visor but the hunter did not lash out but merely waved his blaster ahead to tell Anakin to keep moving. The young Jedi knew that the only thing that had saved him from a quick blow on the head was the fact that he had shocked just one of the guards and not Jango Fett himself. He probably thinks those things are as dumb as I do…
After a few paces the Geonosians calmed down and they resumed their walk in silence until they reached a round room at the far end of the tunnel. Padme stood in the center of the bare circle before an elaborate dais on which sat the Geonosian Archduke and an old man with stark white hair. Could that be the Count that Obi Wan had told them about?
"Padme!"
She turned at his voice and smiled in relief upon seeing him. He rushed over to her side ignoring the guards and wished that his hands weren't bound so he could take her in his arms.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Anakin," she said calmly.
He nodded but still gave her a quick once over just to be sure. Padme turned back towards the dais where Jango Fett had crossed over to and now stood behind the chair of the old man.
"Is that Dooku?" Anakin asked Padme in a whisper.
"Yes."
"What's going on?"
She shrugged slightly. "I guess we are being put on trial."
"For what?"
Padme gave him an amused look before concentrating her thoughts back on the ones before them.
The Count stroked his beard with one hand and then finally cleared his throat signaling that he was beginning.
"Do you have anything to say before the Archduke lays your sentence?" he asked in a low voice.
Padme tilted her head up regally. "Yes. You are holding a Jedi Knight illegally and I demand that you return him to us at once and allow us the curtsey of releasing us back to our ship."
"Oh, but the Jedi Knight you are talking about trespassed on the Geonosian premises and then proceeded to destroy some of their military defenses, so I think that those actions would count as being a reasonable excuse to have him arrested under Geonosian law."
"He was here on Republic business representing the Jedi Order," Padme continued.
"Even so my dear, he did not make the proper arrangements and so his fate is out of my hands. And I am also sorry that you as well as your young friend there have also committed the same crimes this day and now you will also be facing the same punishment I'm afraid."
"What sort of punishment?" Anakin said abruptly.
"Anakin!" Padme hissed, urging him to keep quiet. He coughed and nodded slightly.
"I'm sorry but I do not know yet. As I said it is out of my hands," Dooku answered him.
The Geonosian leader clicked his jowls together beginning his speech for the sentencing.
"You have been found underr the suprreme law of ourr worrld to be guilty and therreby sentenzed to immediate death underr ourr code of justize. The code finds that yourr deaths will be witnessed by all publicly in the execution arrena. You will join the otherr who also was found guilty and the thrree of you shall pay for yourr crrimes in full. I have barred witness to this trrial and have given my final worrd of this situation. What is left of yourr bodies will be burnt upon the alterr on the Dekwi Mountain for the most honorrable Gods of our orrderr."
"What's he saying?" Anakin whispered, leaning closer to Padme.
"Nothing good," she muttered.
"The sentenzing has been done, take them to the execution arrena!"
Two guards stepped forward and escorted Padme and Anakin out through another doorway. Dooku rose from his chair and grinned back at Jango.
"Well, I do believe that we have some interesting events to watch."
Jango nodded although not showing as much enthusiasm as the Count was. Personally he couldn't care less about how they would die, all he wanted to be sure of was that Nute Gunray didn't skip out on his promised price for the Senator Amidala, even though it wouldn't be his hand that took her life.
"I'll send someone to fetch your son, after all this is quite a historical event. Two Jedi Knights and a Senator being sentenced to death doesn't happen every day," Dooku said.
Jango merely nodded again, hoping that after all this mess was over he could finally be on his way back to Kamino with Boba.
Let's hope they die quickly…
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The Geonosian buzzed away after telling the human boy the directions to the arena where he was to meet the Count and Jango Fett. Boba was glad that he didn't have to spend the walk with the alien and began down the dim tunnels. Most likely the arena had to do with the Jedi Knight from before or perhaps with the reason why his father didn't return with him to their room early that day. Oh well, at least he had something to do instead of sit on his bed for hopefully what was going to be the remainder of their stay on this planet. He wanted to get back out into the open air and away from the damp and confining passageways that seemed to shrink about you with every passing minute. At least the way to this arena was better lit than the other places he had been, unlike that corridor that he had led him to the room in which he had his confrontation with that Twaj scum.
Boba frowned realizing that still nobody had said anything about the incident. Had the body not been found yet? That was unlikely since the place was crawling with the insectoid creatures. So why hasn't anyone come after me? After all, I did kill one of Dooku's council members.
He rounded a corner and smacked into something coming from the opposite direction.
"What…"
A startled beeping sounded and Boba looked down at the obstacle in his way. It was a white and blue astronomical droid which whirred and whistled, rolling back and forth on its three wheels as if anxious... or even worried. He had never seen a droid act this oddly before, even the humanoid build ones that he had once encountered on Coresant with his father. Boba watched the domed head spin around and he saw the data crypt reading R2-D2 imprinted in the metal. He recognized it as a standard base code for those types of droids but certainly not for one found on this planet. After all Geonosis had its own droid factory and wouldn't need to purchase any from other parts of the galaxy, also their droids would've had their own personal coding on them.
Artoo whirred again as it observed the human boy with his optical sensors. He hadn't counted on running into anyone in this quest to get down to the lower levels and find the golden one. C-3PO had been shipped out of the factory area and only after hacking again into the mainframe had Artoo found out that he was being taken to the holding units at the far end of some large arena. What was about to happen he hadn't figured out yet, but by his guess whatever it was had to be bad.
He rolled back again before edging forward as if to show that he had a programmed order that he had to carry out. Perhaps the human would understand and let him pass… or perhaps the human would blast him into a bunch of spare parts right on the spot. Artoo blipped softly at the mechanical idea. He didn't want to be disabled; he still had to rescue the others.
Boba stepped off to the side and the little droid beeped as if happy with his action. It swiveled its dome towards him for a brief moment before taking off down the hall, its wheels silent against the stone floor. Boba mentally stored the image of it away in his head, he had a feeling that he would be seeing it again in the future and perhaps it could be of some use to him.
It didn't take long to reach where his father was and he made his way over to his side. Jango half smiled down at him.
"What's about to happen?" Boba asked, making sure to keep his voice down so that the others in the room wouldn't overhear him.
"The Jedi Knight is being put to death by execution."
"And they are making this into an event?"
"The Geonosians and the Viceroy want to make this a big deal, it would've been ignorant to decline the offer to witness their deaths."
Their deaths? Boba didn't say anything else, he would find out soon enough who the others would be. However, if the Viceroy had interest in this Boba could almost bet that one of them was the Senator that his father had been hired to kill.
A pair of massive doors opened and a bright light could be seen at the end of a tunnel. Boba followed his father and soon found himself out in a huge open area, the sunlight streaming down from overhead warming him from the coolness of the interiors of the Palace. The arena itself was a massive circular observatory in which thousands and thousands of Geonosian's were crowded along cut out stone benches overlooking a gladiator pit in the center. Three stone pillars were erected at one end of the sandy pit opposite numerous arched gates in the mountain side. Boba moved so that he had clear view of the entire setup and watched as two humans were brought out into the area below him. He didn't recognize the guy but he assumed the woman was Amidala. He was surprised to see that she was fairly young and in fact quite beautiful. The way the Viceroy had talked about her had given Boba the image that she was an old witch or something.
He watched as the two were chained to the pillars and only then did he see the other Jedi bound to the last one.
"Finally she will die!" Nute Gunray exclaimed happily from his position beside the Count. Boba frowned and somehow doubted that the three wouldn't go down without a fight, chains and all. That was one of the things bugging Boba at the moment, the fact that the three prisoners didn't have a fair chance to defend themselves. Even the people Jango hunted had an opportunity to run or fight, although all of them in the end ended up in a holding cell… He crossed his arms and leaned against the stone balcony enjoying the warmth of the sun on his body and waited for execution to begin.
Down on the arena floor Obi Wan turned to his Padawan and gave him a look.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, flabbergasted at why Anakin was here disobeying his orders to remain on Naboo.
"We came to rescue you."
Obi Wan's eyebrows rose at the remark and he looked up at his cuffed hands. "Good job," he said dryly. "Anyway just focus and we might actually get out of this mess."
"Pretty big crowd turned out huh?" Anakin said with a smirk.
"Yes it is, and a fairly important bunch I can assure you," he said nodding towards the balcony on which stood Count Dooku and the others.
"Master, I sensed the force in Dooku during our sentencing. Is he a Jedi?"
"Not anymore. I believe that the dark side has him now and that we are facing a Sith."
"I thought that Darth Maul was the last of them," Anakin inquired.
"Mind you there are always two Sith at once, the learner and the master. Whichever one Dooku is I do not know, but we must not let him escape."
"Won't that be a little difficult?" Anakin asked with slight humor. "I mean, after all we are about to die."
Obi shook his head. "You can never be serious about these things can you?"
"I am serious!"
"Look, until our bodies are lying cold on the ground we still have a chance. Just use the force and protect Padme."
Anakin looked over to see that his love was currently occupied with her handcuffs then turned back to his master. "You don't have to tell me that twice," he said with a smile.
"Good," Obi Wan smiled back, knowing that Anakin would at least obey that order to his full extent.
A large grating sound echoed throughout the air and they looked up to see three of the large arena gates slowly opening.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Anakin muttered.
The gates banged as they opened fully and there came cries and rumbles from the dark tunnels in the rock. Dust flew about in the air as a large reek stepped into the sunlight, its thick hide covered body built like a tank and a large curved horn sat upon its snout. It tossed its head and bleated a warning challenge.
From another gateway an enormous armored acklay appeared. It swiped its claws in the air then hit the ground with immense force and shrieked, its slitted eyes staring right at Obi Wan. The last gateway held a nexu, a ferocious feline-streamed creature with a gaping mouth full of gnashing teeth and four red glistening eyes.
The Geonosians began herding the three beasts towards them.
"A very…bad…feeling…"
***I hope that you guys enjoyed reading this chapter! It was hard writing it since I haven't updated for over a month! God I'm slow…. Heehee, I managed to draw myself out from under the pile of work and crap that the school dropped on me for a bit! Yay! Temporary freedom from physics and chemistry and biology and stuff!!
Weehee hee I'm coming to the end of the first part of Iile! Only (counts fingers) two more chapters to go! I haven't started writing they last chapters or the beginning to Part Two (who am I kidding, with all this work…) but I do have it sort of planned out so hopefully they won't take "as long" as this one did. Jeez even with a whole month I only turn out a chapter around 3000 words long… Oh well! La la la la la (wanders off down the hall with a textbook under my arm).