'Hostage' (Chapter Eight)
By Ennon
Out there in the Tatooine wastes just outside the gate, Padmé was finally having her dream realized of seeing and hearing her son Luke again. Had it been almost three years since he was born? It seemed almost like time had frozen since they'd been parted at his birth- yet simultaneously endless ages had passed. How vigorous, curious and rambunctious, Luke was- even disregarding the blond hair Padmé could see he was every bit Anakin's son! She couldn't wait until she could actually hug him. Then, it happened.
"Where did they come from?" Beru asked- in a panic.
"They must have followed us!" Owen replied- picking up his gaffe stick.
"Children! Get inside!" Biggs' mother, Mon Darklighter pleaded as she started to carry her son away.
"But Luke hasn't smashed the piñata !" 3-year-old Biggs wailed.
"No! You're not getting them!" Padmé yelled with all her might as she picked up another gaffe stick from the hovercraft and charged towards the Sand People troop.
"What are you doing?"Owen asked- quite startled to see her take a swing at the armed Sand People
"Keeping them busy until the children are safe! Get them out of here!" Padmé pleaded while whacking several Sand People men.
"But. .." Beru sputtered.
"Just GO!" Padmé begged as she kept swinging even though three Sand People men were swinging back- but were no longer running towards the Darklighter compound.
Beru, Owen, Mr. And Mrs. Darklighter each picked up a boy and started running towards the house- including Beru carrying Luke who still had on his piñata helmet over his face! It was just out of Padmé's sight that a 4th Sand People man banged Luke over the head just before Mon Darklighter was able to slam the doorway shut .Both Beru and Owen banged that Sand People man a great deal to make him leave but Luke was out cold!
Meantime, the other three Sand People men went over the wall and started smashing their target- the Darklighter's ceramic courtyard fountain! Water had long been considered too sacred and precious to Sand People to waste a drop of and they considered the fountain to be a profane insult mocking they who had so little of it. Padmé tried to hold them off but she was outnumbered- yet she believed her diversion had prevented them from doing serious harm to Luke and the other children. It was perhaps fortunate for all concerned that Padmé had no idea of Luke's head injury as the three Sand People men finally overwhelmed her and carried her off while binding her up and wrapping a cloth over her mouth to muzzle her !
Poor Shmi, what terrible frights that dear woman must have endured as they carried her away from all that she loved, Padmé thought. She'd have to think of what had kept Shmi going during that terrible ordeal but, she soon realized that this party of Sand People wasn't taking her to one of their tent villages.
"Any sign of the lady?" Mr. Darklighter asked Owen as he came back from his search.
"No, we'll have to start looking again tomorrow morning! It's too dangerous at night," Owen groaned.
"Can we stay here tonight with Luke, Mon?" Beru asked.
"Of course, Beru. We have more than enough room and it wouldn't be right to send you two out so late at night," Mrs. Mon Darklighter replied.
"I told you the fountain was a bad idea," Owen groaned.
"Don't start," Beru sighed.
"He's right but I keep thinking the Sand People are becoming more tolerant of our ways but then they do things like that," Mr. Darklighter groaned.
"We owe that lady so much for our children's safety. Are you sure you don't know who she is?" Mrs. Mon Darklighter asked.
"She's. .. " Owen started to say but then Beru gave him a warning look.
"Someone who just wanted the children protected," Beru finished. She and Owen had heard about Padmé's Funeral on Naboo three years earlier and they both realized that it simply wouldn't have been safe to trust anyone with the knowledge that she had survived- not even Beru's best friend.
"Unca Owen, Ann Beru," Luke stirred- as Beru patted the compress on his head.
"Thank the Force, he's awake!" Beru exclaimed.
"Why's my head wet?" Luke asked.
"You had a nasty bump," Beru replied.
"What are we doing at Biggs' place?" Luke asked.
"We're here because. .." Owen started to say.
"Can I stay here til Biggs' Birthday Party tomorrow?" Luke asked.
"He doesn't remember,"Beru gasped.
"Maybe if we're lucky, he'll never remember this day," Owen sighed.
They rode on the banthas all night long yet, as tired as Padmé was, she didn't dare sleep because she wanted to know exactly the route to take back to the Lars Farm. She could see the lights of Mos Eisley on the horizon as they ventured onto the other side of it to what appeared to be an ancient fortified monastery. At the morning's first light, they reached the gigantic door where a combination guard/translator droid popped out of the rusted metal door like a huge glass eyeball/machine gun combination and asked the Sand People for information. She heard the unintelligible Sand People language along with Huttese. .but then the word 'Jawa' came up and the door opened just a meter to let a hooded Jawa crawl from inside to translate for the Sand People men while other guards stood at the ready to prevent the Sand People men's entry with weapons directly behind the door. Though, they were bitter adversaries in Tatooine who despised each other, they weren't above using each other to negotiate things from those they considered Outworlders.
"Are you sure this woman will please the Exalted One? The last one you brought was too old," the guard eyeball droid sniffed in Huttese.
The Sand People growled and wailed with great offense then the Jawa translated what they said.
"So you had no choice but to keep her captive for a month after he rejected her- and then her son slaughtered almost all of your village. Don't blame me for that! You're the ones with the Spice habit," the guard eyeball sniffed to the Jawa who translated to the Sand People men.
Anakin never mentioned that poor Shmi had been taken to this awful place but then Padmé realized that there would have been no point in Shmi adding to her humiliation by mentioning that she had been tortured and punished by the Sand People for being rejected by the Exalted One. Padmé wondered who this Exalted One could be but above all hoped it was not. . .
"Show us her face. Hmm, she looks as though she'd be pleasing to him. Very well, we'll let you in with her," the guard eyeball droid sniffed- as the door creaked open the entire way and let in daylight to the large entry way.
The place was even worse on the inside with the worst and most disgusting creatures in the galaxy keeping order in this most disorderly of environs. Anyone who was in charge of all this would not be someone who believed in fairness and reason, Padmé concluded. Then she caught sight of the Exalted One being fanned by several slaves as she was led into the Throne Room..
"I told you NOT to let Sand People men into my. .." Jabba snarled in Huttese.
Padmé's worst fears were realized. For one moment, she thought about crying out for Anakin to save her but then she realized that not only would Darth Vader destroy Jabba, he'd enslave Luke and might even find out about Leia so she instantly decided that she had to endure what she had to as long as she could until she could think of a means of escape on her own.
"Master, I think they're bringing a new acquisition," Bib Fortuna smoothly exclaimed in Huttese.
"Hmm, haven't I seen you before? Maybe from a viso-hologram program," Jabba pondered in Huttese as he reached for Padmé's hair while oozing green slime from the corner of his mouth.
Padmé knew Huttese but she also knew that if she played ignorant of the language, whoever lived here would say more information in front of her that could help her escape but she had no idea how long that opportunity would arise. Oh, how she cringed inside at Jabba touching her but she didn't dare show it on the outside. She simply played ignorant.
"What does it matter. These Sand People men want 10 kilograms of Spice and I want my 1000 unit Translation Commision. Don't you think that's fair enough?" the Jawa snapped in Huttese.
"Bah! 5 Kilograms for them and 700 units for you or the four of you will be Raptor chow," Jabba snarled in Huttese.
The three Sand People men got angry but were soon shouted over by the Jawa.
"Glad you agreed to my terms! Now take your Spice and units and leave me with my new acquisition," Jabba snarled in Huttese.
"Master, do you think it wise to have her?" Bib Fortuna asked in Huttese.
"She's not too old or too sunscorched like most Sand People captives, she'll do very nicely indeed," Jabba chortled in Huttese.
" Take her away to Gorda for her fitting," Bib ordered to the guards in Huttese.
Padmé barely was able to stand on her feet but she did her best to keep up with them as they led her away to a room directly above Jabba's Throne with a metal grille on the floor. Padmé wondered why there was a metal grille on the floor but then she realized it was so Jabba could watch the new slavegirls be stripped of their clothes to be put into clothes of his liking. As revolted as she was by Jabba, Padmé decided that it might be wise to see if she could hear Jabba's conversations while she waited for her new clothing.
"You think our new 'free agent' Solo could get us some more Spice without attracting Imperial attention?" Bib asked in Jabba's Throne Room below (in Huttese).
"He and that snotty Wookiee will be of no concern to me. They're just mere ants to be expended while our big plans come to fruition," Jabba chortled in Huttese.
"Master, I'm not sure that stealing all that Imperial metal and hiding it on our asteroid orbiting Tat VI is such a smart plan. What if they get wind of who we are before we're ready?" Bib asked in Huttese.
"They won't. Not after today! I've just hired the best saboteur in the Galaxy!" Jabba gloated (in Huttese).
"This Boba Fett barely shaves," Bib cautioned in Huttese.
"He's even better than his father was- and he has the inside track we need to REALLY get the Emperor's attention,"Jabba laughed( in Huttese).
"What do you mean?" Bib asked(in Huttese).
"When he gets to Kamino, his thousands of brothers will gladly steer the New Imperial Capital Space Station to where it needs to go. Greedo and Vlov will join help him out," Jabba insisted (in Huttese).
"Master, won't the Emperor try to . ..?" Bib asked in Huttese.
"He'll know I'm no smalltime hood but a force to be dealt with because I'll have what he wants more than anything. He'll gladly let me rule the entire Outer Rim on my own once I let him have his New Imperial Capital Space Station back," Jabba explained in Huttese
"But think of the risk," Bib gasped in Huttese
"Risk! For six centuries, I had to sneak around the Republic to do my operations and the Empire's put a tighter grip than ever before. I'm tired of having to having to watch my back for Imperials along with other gangsters! I want to be the BIG Hutt in the Big Nebula who NO ONE questions my authority," Jabba proclaimed in foul temper in the foulest Huttese possible.
At that moment a six-breasted Askajian female appeared,
"You must be the new acquisition. You're a bit thin, I suppose but you'll be good enough for Jabba until you tire him and then you get to entertain the rest of us by being Rancor chow," the Askajian sniffed in Huttese.
Padmé pretended not to understand her.
"I'm Gorda Medusa, you idiot!" Gorda snarled(in Huttese) as she spat at Padmé.
Padmé shrugged her shoulders and then pointed to Gorda.
"Gorda?" Padmé asked.
"Yes, Gorda! At least you know ONE word. That's good! Now put this bikini on and I'll show you how to dance like Jabba likes it,"Gorda sniffed in Huttese.
"Gorda, how about a quickie before I. ..?"a helmeted man in a jump suit pleaded in Huttese.
"Vlov, you wouldn't be able to say anything if it weren't for that automatic translator in your helmet and neckpiece," Gorda sniffed.
"Maybe so but after I bring back that New Imperial Capital City to Jabba, I won't be able to fight the girls off with a gaffe stick, so what do you say for a quick one before I'm too big for you?" Vlov pleaded.
"Okay. Here! You put this on!" Gorda snarled in Huttese as she opened a small closet door and took one of hundreds of sets of brass bikinis in assorted sizes for every figure imaginable(and unimaginable ) in the galaxy and threw it at Padmé's feet then proceeded to follow Vlov to the next room.
Unbeknowest to them, Padmé had understood everything that was said from the time she arrived at Jabba's Palace. She realized she had never heard anything before about this New Imperial Capital City Space Station(NICCS) but that seemed to be what Darth Vader was threatening the annihilation of everyone over thefts of its materials. If Jabba failed to get the NICCS to the asteroid orbiting Tat VI, it would only be a matter of time before Vader and the other armed forces would investigate Outer Rim criminal activities- and likely turn up Luke's existence in the process. But, if Jabba succeeded, then Luke would have to grow up with Jabba as his overlord and Jabba seemed to be crueler than the Emperor himself even without the same powers. Padmé thought it would be unthinkable to imagine Jabba with Imperial powers over the Outer Rim! Padmé decided right then and there she had to do something to prevent either side from gaining anything by the NICCS to protect Luke, Leia and all the children of the galaxy!
"I've worked with Greedo before but what about this Vlov?" 16-year-old Boba Fett was heard to ask Jabba in the Throne Room below.
"He's one of the best saboteurs I've got! He'll do the job right and keep you two from failing me!" Jabba proclaimed in Huttese.
This gave Padmé an idea.
A/N- cm100--
Yeah, I guess cliffhangers are evil but they sometimes work for the best. Glad you loved the previous chapter and Luke's always been somewhat demanding. I'm very happy you love my characterization of Padmé and think she's cool because I always thought she was too- and thought she deserved better than what they did with her.
Doreen- I hope the wait wasn't too bad! Things got busy but I think this should do for now!