Chapter Nine
Padme and Anakin walked slowly into Watto's shop. Padme noticed that Anakin walked with ease, and he had that dangerous smile on his lips again. She didn't really know what he had in mind, but it was amusing him.
Watto flew up to them as soon as they entered. His wings flapped furiously, and the expression on his face wasn't much better. "What do ya tink you're doing?" He asked angrily, shaking his fist in Anakin's face. "You miss more than half a day of work! You know what dat means? It means you're gonna stay here all night! You're way behind in your work."
"I'm deeply sorry, Master." Anakin replied, the ferocious smile curving his lips even more.
Watto paused, suspicion evident in his features. Until, he sees that Anakin and Padme are holding hands. "What is dis!" He yells. "I warned you Ani! Did you listen? No! Now I'm going to hafta sell her. Satisfied?" Watto turned away, mumbling something underneath his snout.
"Nananana." Anakin said, grabbing the blaster out of his slave shirt and holding it to the back of Watto's head. "Is that the way to act?"
Watto didn't turn around. "What are you doin' Ani?" He asked. "You're not acting smart. I'll send them to catch you-"
"If you even suggest it again," Anakin said, anger evident in his tone. "I'll leave you out in the Jundland Waists for the Sand People. Got it?"
"Wait! Wait!" Watto said, frantically. "What is it you want? What? I'll give you anything!"
Anakin turned to Padme, grinning again. "Why has everyone been asking that lately?"
Padme rolled her eyes, laughing. "Oh gee, I wonder!"
***LATER IN THE SKYWALKER SLAVE QUARTERS***
Anakin was in his old room, wondering just what he might need. It was strange, they were going up against Jabba the Hutt and all he had was a blaster? It really felt ridiculous. He swung on his cape, and noticed that it hid the concealed blaster even better then just his shirt did. He squared his shoulders. "Are you sure you want to come?" He said over his shoulder into the other part of the slave-house.
" I'm sure." Padme's voice replied from the other room.
"Why again?" Anakin asked, sighing.
"Because without me," Padme replied, walking into the room, "Who KNOWS what could happen to you. Plus, once I'm in, I can go wherever I want. Nobody will suspect." She walked into the room, coming to a halt next to Anakin.
Anakin looked down to see that Padme wore the same brown slave-cape he did. She had her hair up in several different types of braids, and around her neck was a bronze necklace. She smiled up at him, her eyes showing off mischief. "How can you be so sure?" He asked, still not convinced.
"These days?" Padme took his hand, and he intertwined his fingers with hers. She shook her head and sighed. "I'm not sure of a lot of things."
Anakin looked down into her eyes. Wondering if he was sending them to their deaths with this crazy plot, and wondering if he should tell her how he felt for her. He wondered if this was going to be the last chance he ever had to tell her.
Padme watched as Anakin brought her hand up in his, and kissed it lightly. She felt the soft sensation of his lips against her hand. Wondering for the millionth time what was going on behind those crystal blue eyes. And wishing, that he would tell her.
***LATER***
Anakin, Padme, and Watto walked/flew towards the great, the luminous, the infamous, palace of Jabba the Hutt.
Anakin had flew them over in the Phoenix, and had landed it about five miles away from the palace. So that the greedy Hutt didn't get any ideas. Still, the walk was definently NOT desirable.
The hot Tattoine wind blew against the small band of travelers. Anakin and Padme both had their hoods over there heads as far as possible. But, whatever Padme was wearing underneath the slave cape, it didn't completely keep out the sand which was getting blasted at them. Anakin noticed this, and remembered about her telling him about the costume. But she had been too embarrassed to show it to him, so he hadn't insisted. Anakin reached over, pulling her next to him, sheltering her from a lot of the hard blast. He looked up though the sand and dirt, and found that they had arrived. Anakin cleared his throat, hearing to voice of logic in his mind again telling him that this was a really rotten idea. He sighed."I've got a bad feeling about this."
Anakin, Padme, and Watto gazed up at the enormous gate that was at the entrance to Jabba's Palace.
"What do we do now?" Padme yelled over the howling wind.
Anakin squinted up at the door. "Knock I guess."
"You outta your mind, Ani?" Watto hovered next to Anakin, his wings flapping furiously. "You need a password! Or maybe an appointment!"
Anakin ignored his raving former master, reaching up, he thumped his fist against the hard mettle door.
They waited a mili-second, and then, a small hatch in the door opened, and out popped a mechanical eye-droid-door keeper.
"Decha de chuba!" The droid said nastily in Huttese.
"Decha le mana, Jabba du Hutt." Anakin replied, and Padme was glad he was good at speaking Huttese. Who knew what Watto would have said if he was the one talking to the door-droid.
"Li-La chudu?" The droid asked. Padme got the feeling it was some sort of demented knock-knock joke.
"Decha le mana, Jabba du Hutt." Anakin replied, with more force this time.
The droid nodded. "Echa la cado." It retreated back into the door, and the small hatch closed with a clang.
Watto chuckled. "Hehehe. I guess dat's it huh? Didn't I tell ya-"
Suddenly, the ground rumbled and the sound of giant machinery working against the great forces of gravity boomed around them. The giant gate slowly began to rise, and a rush of, albeit stinky, but cooled air flowed out at them. Hesitantly, they walked into the darkness. Anakin leaned over to Watto. "Remember." He growled. "The Jundland Wastes and Sandpeople. You mess this up."
Watto nodded. He was too deep into this mess to fess up to the Hutts about a rebelling slave, who's determined to free someone in Jabba's dungeon. Watto wasn't that dumb.
Immediately, a gamorian guard walked behind them. Drooling, and blinking it's piggy eyes, the guard was all brawn and no brains. It escorted them forwards. Towards the main advance chamber.
Anakin took Padme's hand in his, trying to convey confidence. Padme glanced up at him, flashing a wobbly smile. She was just as unsure of this as he was. Which was reassuring in a strange way. If she was confident, she'd be crazy. But that was okay really, since doing this thing and hatching the plan was crazy, which meant he was crazy. Anakin sighed. Sithspawn, that meant everyone was crazy.
***THE MAIN AUDIENCE CHAMBER***
Bib Fortuna spoke, motioning toward the little group. "Watto, and his slaves."
Watto bowed. "Your excellency, may I introduce my slave, Anakin Skywalker." Anakin removed the hood from his head, bowing low.
"The winner of several Boonta-Eve podraces in a row." Watto paused, noticing that Jabba's huge reptilian eyes were focused intently on him, and it made him uneasy. "I have an offer that you would not like to refuse I tink, huh?" He laughed nervously.
Jabba grunted. "Echa la tugo." ("Go On.")
***LATER***
Anakin and Padme sat off on the floor, away from Jabba's throne. Anakin watched keenly as Watto was finishing up the deal with Jabba. So far, he couldn't see how it was working out. Jabba seemed pensive, as if the slug was wondering if he should cooperate or not. "I don't know if Jabba's gonna go for it." Anakin whispered.
Padme, who had kept her hood up all the time glanced up at the Toydarian and the Hutt. "I guess it's a fifty-fifty chance."
"You know what to do if he doesn't?" Anakin asked, his eyes flashing in the dim light of the audience chamber.
Padme nodded. "Lets just hope he agrees."
Anakin looked over at the Hutt again. "I've got a feeling about this though." He sighed, turning back to Padme. "I think you should go and blend into the stone for a while."
Padme paused. Anakin was totally serious. "Alright." She whispered, reaching over and touching his hand and smiled. "But you worry too much."
Anakin grinned playfully and lifted an eyebrow. "Go make yourself invisible."
Padme smiled back, and got up, quickly slinking into the shadows behind the thrown, leaving Anakin sitting alone- awaiting his fate.
She waded through the crowed silently, and almost as invisible as Anakin had joked about. She snuck up behind the thrown, trying to ignore the horrible stench of Hutt, and quietly began to eaves-drop.
"- So you see," Watto said, motioning with his hands, "If my slave looses a race, the winnings would be enormous."
Jabba licked his lips, as if money was some sort of food he needed more than anything in his vileness life.
"I simply tell the boy to loose the race. We bet on someone else, and we win. The boy has a very impressive record. Everyone will be betting on HIM."
Jabba blinked his large eyes. "Machi sley boocoo?"
"What? What percent?" Watto flapped his wings faster, a sign that he was getting nervous. "Fourty-Sixty. How about dat?"
Jabba frowned. "Machi le jooku."
"What do you mean no? You don't like those percents? How about seventy- thirty?" Watto asked.
Padme watched as several gamorian guards came forward. She slunk back further into the shadows.
Jabba twitched. "Beca la tutchgo!"
Watto's eyes widened. "What?"
Suddenly, the guards grabbed Watto by the wings, squealing with glee. Watto squirmed, screaming as the guards bent his delicate wings in several ways they weren't supposed to go.
"Mecha tey bugi!" Jabba ordered, pointing a stubby arm in Anakin's direction.
Padme felt something very cold come over her as she saw half a dozen gamorian guards surround Anakin in seconds... Anakin jumped up, and flattened one guard with one dead-on punch to the face. Anakin's fight was furious and powerful, but there were too many, the moment his back was turned, a guard gave him a skull-splitting hit to the back of the head. Padme gasped as she saw Anakin collapse to the floor, crimson blood trickling from where the guard had hit him. She watched as the guards glanced around, and Padme suddenly realized that they were looking for HER.
Quickly, she shed her slave-cape, slinking over to where the band and dancing-girls were, and sat down in their midst. A twi-leck woman watched her sit down next to her, and Padme met her gaze. The twi-leck nodded, knowing just what was going down, and turned away just as a guard walked over to them. Padme clenched her jaw, knowing just how much he was enjoying looking down at her and the rest of the girls from the angle he was in. But soon, he turned away, and Padme sighed with relief.
Jabba was satisfied with the events of the day. The more credits that were stolen, the more he loved himself.
Padme painfully watched as the guards dragged Anakin's limp body away. She knew Jabba wasn't going to kill Anakin, he was thought of as too expensive for that, but she could only imagine the horrors of Jabba's dungeon. Anakin had told her that it would be alright if he was captured and that he could free himself easily, but still.Padme had her doubts.
TO BE CONTINUED!!! (A.N. What's Padme gonna do?! What do YOU think?! -Later, AGH!! Fanforce.net refused my Different Past. &$)(*&$(*&$#(*&#$*&(. I worked on that stinker for months. Stupid stupid stupid!!!)
Padme and Anakin walked slowly into Watto's shop. Padme noticed that Anakin walked with ease, and he had that dangerous smile on his lips again. She didn't really know what he had in mind, but it was amusing him.
Watto flew up to them as soon as they entered. His wings flapped furiously, and the expression on his face wasn't much better. "What do ya tink you're doing?" He asked angrily, shaking his fist in Anakin's face. "You miss more than half a day of work! You know what dat means? It means you're gonna stay here all night! You're way behind in your work."
"I'm deeply sorry, Master." Anakin replied, the ferocious smile curving his lips even more.
Watto paused, suspicion evident in his features. Until, he sees that Anakin and Padme are holding hands. "What is dis!" He yells. "I warned you Ani! Did you listen? No! Now I'm going to hafta sell her. Satisfied?" Watto turned away, mumbling something underneath his snout.
"Nananana." Anakin said, grabbing the blaster out of his slave shirt and holding it to the back of Watto's head. "Is that the way to act?"
Watto didn't turn around. "What are you doin' Ani?" He asked. "You're not acting smart. I'll send them to catch you-"
"If you even suggest it again," Anakin said, anger evident in his tone. "I'll leave you out in the Jundland Waists for the Sand People. Got it?"
"Wait! Wait!" Watto said, frantically. "What is it you want? What? I'll give you anything!"
Anakin turned to Padme, grinning again. "Why has everyone been asking that lately?"
Padme rolled her eyes, laughing. "Oh gee, I wonder!"
***LATER IN THE SKYWALKER SLAVE QUARTERS***
Anakin was in his old room, wondering just what he might need. It was strange, they were going up against Jabba the Hutt and all he had was a blaster? It really felt ridiculous. He swung on his cape, and noticed that it hid the concealed blaster even better then just his shirt did. He squared his shoulders. "Are you sure you want to come?" He said over his shoulder into the other part of the slave-house.
" I'm sure." Padme's voice replied from the other room.
"Why again?" Anakin asked, sighing.
"Because without me," Padme replied, walking into the room, "Who KNOWS what could happen to you. Plus, once I'm in, I can go wherever I want. Nobody will suspect." She walked into the room, coming to a halt next to Anakin.
Anakin looked down to see that Padme wore the same brown slave-cape he did. She had her hair up in several different types of braids, and around her neck was a bronze necklace. She smiled up at him, her eyes showing off mischief. "How can you be so sure?" He asked, still not convinced.
"These days?" Padme took his hand, and he intertwined his fingers with hers. She shook her head and sighed. "I'm not sure of a lot of things."
Anakin looked down into her eyes. Wondering if he was sending them to their deaths with this crazy plot, and wondering if he should tell her how he felt for her. He wondered if this was going to be the last chance he ever had to tell her.
Padme watched as Anakin brought her hand up in his, and kissed it lightly. She felt the soft sensation of his lips against her hand. Wondering for the millionth time what was going on behind those crystal blue eyes. And wishing, that he would tell her.
***LATER***
Anakin, Padme, and Watto walked/flew towards the great, the luminous, the infamous, palace of Jabba the Hutt.
Anakin had flew them over in the Phoenix, and had landed it about five miles away from the palace. So that the greedy Hutt didn't get any ideas. Still, the walk was definently NOT desirable.
The hot Tattoine wind blew against the small band of travelers. Anakin and Padme both had their hoods over there heads as far as possible. But, whatever Padme was wearing underneath the slave cape, it didn't completely keep out the sand which was getting blasted at them. Anakin noticed this, and remembered about her telling him about the costume. But she had been too embarrassed to show it to him, so he hadn't insisted. Anakin reached over, pulling her next to him, sheltering her from a lot of the hard blast. He looked up though the sand and dirt, and found that they had arrived. Anakin cleared his throat, hearing to voice of logic in his mind again telling him that this was a really rotten idea. He sighed."I've got a bad feeling about this."
Anakin, Padme, and Watto gazed up at the enormous gate that was at the entrance to Jabba's Palace.
"What do we do now?" Padme yelled over the howling wind.
Anakin squinted up at the door. "Knock I guess."
"You outta your mind, Ani?" Watto hovered next to Anakin, his wings flapping furiously. "You need a password! Or maybe an appointment!"
Anakin ignored his raving former master, reaching up, he thumped his fist against the hard mettle door.
They waited a mili-second, and then, a small hatch in the door opened, and out popped a mechanical eye-droid-door keeper.
"Decha de chuba!" The droid said nastily in Huttese.
"Decha le mana, Jabba du Hutt." Anakin replied, and Padme was glad he was good at speaking Huttese. Who knew what Watto would have said if he was the one talking to the door-droid.
"Li-La chudu?" The droid asked. Padme got the feeling it was some sort of demented knock-knock joke.
"Decha le mana, Jabba du Hutt." Anakin replied, with more force this time.
The droid nodded. "Echa la cado." It retreated back into the door, and the small hatch closed with a clang.
Watto chuckled. "Hehehe. I guess dat's it huh? Didn't I tell ya-"
Suddenly, the ground rumbled and the sound of giant machinery working against the great forces of gravity boomed around them. The giant gate slowly began to rise, and a rush of, albeit stinky, but cooled air flowed out at them. Hesitantly, they walked into the darkness. Anakin leaned over to Watto. "Remember." He growled. "The Jundland Wastes and Sandpeople. You mess this up."
Watto nodded. He was too deep into this mess to fess up to the Hutts about a rebelling slave, who's determined to free someone in Jabba's dungeon. Watto wasn't that dumb.
Immediately, a gamorian guard walked behind them. Drooling, and blinking it's piggy eyes, the guard was all brawn and no brains. It escorted them forwards. Towards the main advance chamber.
Anakin took Padme's hand in his, trying to convey confidence. Padme glanced up at him, flashing a wobbly smile. She was just as unsure of this as he was. Which was reassuring in a strange way. If she was confident, she'd be crazy. But that was okay really, since doing this thing and hatching the plan was crazy, which meant he was crazy. Anakin sighed. Sithspawn, that meant everyone was crazy.
***THE MAIN AUDIENCE CHAMBER***
Bib Fortuna spoke, motioning toward the little group. "Watto, and his slaves."
Watto bowed. "Your excellency, may I introduce my slave, Anakin Skywalker." Anakin removed the hood from his head, bowing low.
"The winner of several Boonta-Eve podraces in a row." Watto paused, noticing that Jabba's huge reptilian eyes were focused intently on him, and it made him uneasy. "I have an offer that you would not like to refuse I tink, huh?" He laughed nervously.
Jabba grunted. "Echa la tugo." ("Go On.")
***LATER***
Anakin and Padme sat off on the floor, away from Jabba's throne. Anakin watched keenly as Watto was finishing up the deal with Jabba. So far, he couldn't see how it was working out. Jabba seemed pensive, as if the slug was wondering if he should cooperate or not. "I don't know if Jabba's gonna go for it." Anakin whispered.
Padme, who had kept her hood up all the time glanced up at the Toydarian and the Hutt. "I guess it's a fifty-fifty chance."
"You know what to do if he doesn't?" Anakin asked, his eyes flashing in the dim light of the audience chamber.
Padme nodded. "Lets just hope he agrees."
Anakin looked over at the Hutt again. "I've got a feeling about this though." He sighed, turning back to Padme. "I think you should go and blend into the stone for a while."
Padme paused. Anakin was totally serious. "Alright." She whispered, reaching over and touching his hand and smiled. "But you worry too much."
Anakin grinned playfully and lifted an eyebrow. "Go make yourself invisible."
Padme smiled back, and got up, quickly slinking into the shadows behind the thrown, leaving Anakin sitting alone- awaiting his fate.
She waded through the crowed silently, and almost as invisible as Anakin had joked about. She snuck up behind the thrown, trying to ignore the horrible stench of Hutt, and quietly began to eaves-drop.
"- So you see," Watto said, motioning with his hands, "If my slave looses a race, the winnings would be enormous."
Jabba licked his lips, as if money was some sort of food he needed more than anything in his vileness life.
"I simply tell the boy to loose the race. We bet on someone else, and we win. The boy has a very impressive record. Everyone will be betting on HIM."
Jabba blinked his large eyes. "Machi sley boocoo?"
"What? What percent?" Watto flapped his wings faster, a sign that he was getting nervous. "Fourty-Sixty. How about dat?"
Jabba frowned. "Machi le jooku."
"What do you mean no? You don't like those percents? How about seventy- thirty?" Watto asked.
Padme watched as several gamorian guards came forward. She slunk back further into the shadows.
Jabba twitched. "Beca la tutchgo!"
Watto's eyes widened. "What?"
Suddenly, the guards grabbed Watto by the wings, squealing with glee. Watto squirmed, screaming as the guards bent his delicate wings in several ways they weren't supposed to go.
"Mecha tey bugi!" Jabba ordered, pointing a stubby arm in Anakin's direction.
Padme felt something very cold come over her as she saw half a dozen gamorian guards surround Anakin in seconds... Anakin jumped up, and flattened one guard with one dead-on punch to the face. Anakin's fight was furious and powerful, but there were too many, the moment his back was turned, a guard gave him a skull-splitting hit to the back of the head. Padme gasped as she saw Anakin collapse to the floor, crimson blood trickling from where the guard had hit him. She watched as the guards glanced around, and Padme suddenly realized that they were looking for HER.
Quickly, she shed her slave-cape, slinking over to where the band and dancing-girls were, and sat down in their midst. A twi-leck woman watched her sit down next to her, and Padme met her gaze. The twi-leck nodded, knowing just what was going down, and turned away just as a guard walked over to them. Padme clenched her jaw, knowing just how much he was enjoying looking down at her and the rest of the girls from the angle he was in. But soon, he turned away, and Padme sighed with relief.
Jabba was satisfied with the events of the day. The more credits that were stolen, the more he loved himself.
Padme painfully watched as the guards dragged Anakin's limp body away. She knew Jabba wasn't going to kill Anakin, he was thought of as too expensive for that, but she could only imagine the horrors of Jabba's dungeon. Anakin had told her that it would be alright if he was captured and that he could free himself easily, but still.Padme had her doubts.
TO BE CONTINUED!!! (A.N. What's Padme gonna do?! What do YOU think?! -Later, AGH!! Fanforce.net refused my Different Past. &$)(*&$(*&$#(*&#$*&(. I worked on that stinker for months. Stupid stupid stupid!!!)