Into the Shadow

Chapter Three: Jabba's Palace

It seemed like forever until the ship finally landed. Sabé was glad that they could finally take in some fresh air, but at the same time she was dreading the heat of Tatooine. She could already feel the small ship getting hotter and hotter. Felix felt it too, but wasn't bothered in the least.

"Well, here we are," he said calmly.

Sabé looked around. There was nothing; just sand.

"Where the heck are we!" she demanded.

"Easy, sweetheart; we just have a little bit of walking to do, and then we'll be at the…palace."

"Palace? What palace?"

Felix smiled slyly. "You'll see."

Sabé sighed. How in the galaxy did she wind up in such a predicament?

It didn't take them long to exit the ship, and when they did hot air hit Sabé's face, making her wish that she had stayed in the ship.

"Come on," Felix urged, walking ahead of her.

"I'm coming," she mumbled.

0-0

They walked on for about three miles when a decrepit looking structure came into view.

"Where are we?" Sabé asked, breaking the silence.

"Jabba's palace," Felix announced.

Sabé didn't like the sound of things; she had heard about Jabba the Hutt, and knew that he was a feared crime lord. She didn't want to be anywhere near him.

"Are you coming?" Felix asked.

Sabé stood frozen. "No; I'm not coming. I don't want to anywhere near Jabba."

"I don't think that you have much of a choice sweetheart," he said.

Sabé scowled. "Don't call me that."

000

"You smashed it?" Aayla asked.

Anakin nodded. "Yeah; I—I can't believe that I couldn't protect Padmé…and the twins," he rested his head in his hands in despair. "And now I've smashed the very thing that could help me find them!"

Mace rested a reassuring hand on Anakin's shoulder. "It will be alright, Anakin; we'll find them."

Suddenly, Anakin's eyes lit up. "Wait a minute!" he said, standing up. "We have another hologram in the living room!"

Before Mace or Aayla could say anything, Anakin dashed past them. Eventually they followed him.

They arrived just in time to see Anakin activate it. Suddenly an image appeared, they could see Padmé sitting on a stool in the middle of an empty room.

"Anakin, Palpatine is holding me on Mustafar; and he intends to dispose of me quickly, seeing that I am of no use to him."

The image fuzzed until eventually fading away.

Anakin's hands were balled into fists as he still stared at the hologram.

"Anakin…" Aayla didn't finish, as Anakin turned around, and his eyes burned with fury.

"I have to find her; I can't just leave her there to die."

Mace and Aayla could hear the anger rising in his voice and they could both sense his fury. The anger that led him to the dark side had not diminished; it had only been suppressed, as they could now see with their own two eyes.

Mace was determined to help Anakin think logical; when he saw the hologram, it seemed as though Padmé was rehearsing a message, rather than desperately calling for help. He didn't doubt that she was being held captive, but he had a hunch that there was more to it than met the eye. "Anakin, don't trust what you just saw," he began. "It could very well be a trap; didn't it sound rehearsed to you?"

"What do you want me to do? Stand back and let him kill her!" Anakin roared.

"No," Aayla said. "We just want you to not let your anger get in the way; think it through. It did sound rehearsed to me too; perhaps this is another one of Palpatine's schemes."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take; I have to go after her!"

"No, Anakin!" shouted Mace. Anakin had already turned to the dark side once and Mace feared that they would not be able to save him a second time. Mace used the force to close the living room door, therefore preventing Anakin from leaving.

But Anakin was determined to save Padmé, and so he used the force to send an unsuspecting Mace crashing into a wall. Aayla tried also, but Anakin did the same to her.

Now that his 'obstacles' had been taken care of, Anakin raced outside to find his Jedi starfighter.

"I'm coming, Padmé," he muttered under his breath.

000

He was fueled by sheer anger, and the thirst for revenge as he fought the Sith.

Darth Maul had delivered the deadly blow to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan was determined to avenge him.

The intense fighting continued, and Obi-Wan could see that Darth Maul was beginning to tire a little; that gave him more motivation, as he relentlessly attacked the Sith, until finally the opportune moment came when Obi-Wan's lightsaber met with Darth Maul's torso; with hesitation, Obi-Wan cut him asunder, and watched as the Sith fell into the seemingly bottomless shaft…

Obi-Wan sat up in a cold sweat. He hadn't even realized that he had gone to sleep.

He thought about that sad day everyday of his life. If he had continued down that path, he would have joined the dark side for sure; because as he looked back on that moment, he remembered the fury that he had felt. He had wanted nothing more than to avenge Qui-Gon; and so he did.

Obi-Wan struggled to his feet and surveyed his desolate surroundings; how long did Palpatine intend to keep him there?

For it had been a while since he had eaten; he had been able to find an almost dry stream not long ago. Still, how long would he last under such extreme circumstances?

000

Sabé and Felix stood before the large featureless gate; Sabé felt uneasy, and in truth, did not wish to enter into Jabba's palace, but she feared what might happen to her if she were to stay outside alone.

Suddenly, a perimeter droid, little more than an electronic eyeball, poked out and spoke to them gruffly in a language that Sabé didn't understand. But Felix seemed to.

"This is my companion…uh…Myah; I'm here at Jabba's request. He asked me to come to discuss…business."

The droid muttered something before the gate opened, revealing a dank and dark passageway.

Sabé stayed next to Felix, for although she wasn't particularly fond of the roguish bounty hunter, she preferred to spend eternity with him, than spend a single day in the dingy palace.

They were met by two Gamorrean guards, and the smell which omitted from them was not very pleasant.

"I'm here to see Jabba," Felix repeated.

The foul creatures grunted and led them down a large corridor to Jabba's throne room. The Hutt was seated on a large dais, and was currently feasting on live gorgs. Even Felix was disgusted by this, but he approached Jabba nonetheless.

Sabé reluctantly followed.

Jabba began to speak in Huttese "(Felix Redblade; your arrival is overdue,)," he stated.

"I know, Jabba; but I've been busy. Now that Palpatine has executed order 66, there have been a whole lotta Jedi to track down."

"(And who is this—a gift for me?)"

Felix was quick to shoot that down. "No Jabba; she's my companion. Now who do you want me to track down?"

Jabba chuckled. "(Straight to business, I like that. A dancer escaped, she cannot be far, seeing that she is quite docile. But she is from Naboo, which makes her rare and very valuable. I suspect that she is in Mos Eisley.)."

"Sounds like an interesting job, but I'm not tracking down anyone until you give me a good price," stated Felix, folding his arms across his chest.

"(One thousand credits.)"

"Higher," Felix pushed.

"(Three thousand,)," the Hutt argued.

"Not enough; if you aren't going to pay me a decent sum, I can always find business elsewhere."

Jabba sighed. "(Ten thousand.)."

A smile spread across Felix's face. "Perfect; now if you'll just pay me up front…"

"(If you continue to prod me, your luck will run out!)" Jabba snapped.

"Alright, alright," Felix said. "We'll show ourselves out."

He didn't even have to motion for Sabé to follow him; she was so desperate to get out of the palace which reeked with the stench of Gamorreans.