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The speeder raced through the packed lanes of Coruscant, weaving in and out of other transports and ships. They had managed to keep a close tail on the assassin, and thankfully the speeder had finally stopped lurching. Anakin had fumbled around with the controls for awhile, and at least they were finally steady.
Some color had returned to Sarah's face, though she still looked as though she might be sick. They chased the assassin for so long that Anakin got fed up. He finally told Sarah to stall for a moment, and then, carefully calculating his next move, he dropped out of the speeder and onto the assassin's.
Sarah looked out to where Anakin had dropped, angry that he had once again left her alone to deal with the speeder, "Of course. Leave me with this Force-forsaken hunk of junk why don't you?" She took a deep breath and began the chase once again.
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Meanwhile, back at Padme's apartment, Obi-Wan rushed in. She was still sitting in her bed, stunned. Obi-Wan observed the severed Kouhuns and the broken window. "What happened?"
Padme said in a anxious voice, "I was- I was just sleeping, and then Anakin and Sarah rushed in and killed those...things with their lightsabers. Anakin jumped out the window, I never saw what was out there, and Sarah took off through the apartment. I- I don't know where they went."
Obi-Wan nodded. He bent down, "Kouhuns...very poisonous." He glanced at the Senator, worried. "I'm afraid that it is no longer safe for you here, Senator." Padme swallowed.
"I must consult the Jedi Council. You should not stay on Coruscant."
She swallowed again. Obi-Wan could tell that underneath her fierce resolve and politician facade, there lay a great amount of fear.
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Sarah managed to stay close to the assassin's speeder as Anakin crawled over it, igniting his lightsaber and shoving it through the glass. But another speeder hurtled past them, and the sudden shock sent Anakin's lightsaber flying out of his hand.
He almost got knocked off the speeder again, and it did not help that the assassin was a good flyer, and she kept trying to throw Anakin off with sudden jerks and changing directions. Anakin could not help muttering, "Force, if I didn't know better, I would say that Sarah was flying." He tried to rotate and grab the assassin's arm, but she had a blaster. She pulled the trigger, but the aim was bad, and it hit the control panel. The next thing that he knew, he was falling once again.
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Not far from the assassin's speeder, Sarah zoomed along, when she saw the metal cylinder plunging through the air. She raced after it and caught it deftly, "He's lucky Obi-Wan isn't here," she could not help muttering.
She continued to chase after the speeder when she saw it fall. It continued to plunge into Coruscant's underbelly. She pushed her own speeder after it, and landed, quite bumpily, in the midst of the crowd. She made sure that she had Anakin's lightsaber safely tucked away, and she took off running into the crowd.
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Anakin fell hard on the grimy ground, he quickly got up and began to chase after the assassin, running as fast as he could and knocking people out of the way. He saw her dash into one of the seedy clubs when he heard a familiar voice shout, "Anakin!"
He looked to his right and he saw Sarah running toward him. He paused and when she caught up, he said, "She went into that club!"
Sarah nodded, and pulled his lightsaber out of her tunic. He was relieved to see it, but when he reached out for it, she pulled it away. "Oh, come on Sarah, that's not funny."
She then said, in her very best Obi-Wan impression, "Now, Anakin, this weapon is your life."
He reached out for it again, glaring at her, but she pulled it away with lightning fast Jedi reflexes. "Listen to me my young Padawan learner, you must take better care of it. I cannot always be there to save you when you lose it. You are a Jedi. You must be responsible."
He continued to glare at her. Finally, with a small smile, she relinquished it to his grasp, and they began to walk into the club. "Hilarious, Sarah, just hilarious," he said under his breath, and before they entered, he grabbed her arm and said quietly, "Look, you really don't need to tell Obi-Wan about this."
She looked at him, her blue eyes twinkling, "Oh no, I will definitely tell Obi-Wan about it." She smiled innocently and strode into the club, Anakin not far behind. She shouted back to him, "That's what you get when you make me fly."
All that Anakin could do was shake his head and follow.
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They entered into the nightclub and bar, looking around, searching for the assassin's presence. The two Padawans glanced at each other, and the message was clear. Split up. They each went opposite directions, searching nonchalantly.
A few very scantily clad women tried to catch Anakin's eye, and he felt supremely uncomfortable. He walked around the club a few times. He could feel her presence, but he could not see her.
Sarah walked in the opposite direction, the loud music pounding in her ears. She could feel the presence getting closer. She decided to sit at the bar, perhaps it would lure the assassin to her. It was then, that with her senses heightened, she heard the distinct sound of a blaster leave its holster. She ignited her lightsaber as she whirrled around.
Anakin knew what would happen seconds before it did. He saw the blue flash of Sarah's lightsaber as she stopped the assassin, and the club went silent, except for the pounding music in the backround. Anakin said loudly, "Jedi buissness. Go back to your drinks," he eyed the muddy substance in one patron's glass as he went to help Sarah carry the assassin outside.
As soon as they were out the door, Sarah could not help muttering to Anakin, "Jedi buissiness? You could not think of anything at least a bit more creative?"
"Well, what would you have said?"
She did not answer. She was staring at the assassin. As soon as they were outside and had laid her on the street, Sarah asked, "Who are you? Who hired you?"
The clawdite only glared at the Jedi, but there was fear in her eyes, "I was supposed to kill the senator from Naboo." She was now gasping for breath from the pain of the lightsaber.
Anakin said, in a more gentle voice, "Who hired you? Please tell us." When the assassin had no reply, he shouted, "Tell us now!"
The changeling was beginning to shift forms. She continued to glare up at the Jedi. "It was a bounty hunter called..." And the toxic dart hit her in the neck, and before she could finish her sentence, she was dead.
The Jedi Padawans both glanced up in the direction of the dart, and they saw a bounty hunter blast away into the night sky. The Jedi let out a collective breath. They had been so close...Anakin grabbed the dart out of the clawdite's neck, and the two Padawans walked back to the speeder, eager to get back to Obi-Wan and away from Coruscant's night crowd.
They approached the speeder, and Anakin paused for a moment. With a completely serious expression on his face, he said, "Sarah, look, this night has just worn me out entirely. Maybe you should fly."
The next thing Anakin knew, he was being Force-pushed into the door of the speeder. Sarah gave him a wily grin as she hopped into the passenger seat. Anakin shook his head slightly and rubbed his arm. Before he took off, he said, in his nicest voice, "Sarah? You really don't have to mention the whole lightsaber thing, it was just an accident...you know."
All that Sarah could do was smile, as they took off into Coruscant's bustling traffic, back to Padme's apartment.
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