Short chapter, folks, sorry.
Back at Coruscant
Connan squealed, picking up Ani and whirling him around.
"Good goin, Ani!" Called Jar Jar. Connan set him down on the ground, letting Padmé embrace the boy.
"We owe you everything, Ani." She said calmly. Shmi bent down and smooched his face.
"It's so wonderful, Ani." She encouraged, lacing her arms around his shoulders. "You have brought hope to those who have none."
"Gee, thanks." Connan gurgled, crossing her arms and looking away, a pout on her face. She was ignored.
"I'm so very proud of you," Shmi went on.
Connan giggled, hugging tightly to the boy.
"You won! You won, you won, you won!" She cried. "You're great! This is enormous! Oh, if Carth had been here to see this, he would've—"
"Connan." Connan froze, letting go of Anakin and rubbing his hair. Quai Gon stood behind the boy, with his arms crossed and an impatient look on his face. "We have somewhere we need to be."
"Oh, that's right! The bet!" She snapped her fingers. Anakin raised an eyebrow, obviously perplexed. She flicked his nose playfully. "We'll be back soon, okay?"
-----
Watto was giving money to betters next to him, griping as he did so.
"Oy chuba no." He insisted. Which either meant, "Take your money and skee-daddle," or "Get out of my sight, free-loader." Neither sounded appeasing. Connan chuckled, smirking at the now-poor Toydarian. He snarled at her.
"You." He said, pointing a finger.
"Yes, this is me." Connan remarked. He growled, continuing his statements.
"You two swindled me!" Connan giggled. "You knew the boy was going to win. Somehow you knew it." He groaned. "I lost everything."
"Yes, well, that happens sometimes." Connan shrugged.
"Whenever you gamble, my friend, eventually you'll lose." Quai Gon quoted. Connan circled the Toydarian.
"Bring the parts to the main hangar." She instructed. "Quai Gon will come by the shop later so you can release the boy."
"Hnnn, you can't have him!" Watto declared. Connan glared. "It wasn't a fair bet."
"I'll show him a fair bet!" She screamed inside her mind, her fingers finding her lightsaber with anticipation. Quai Gon stepped in front of her.
"Would you like to discuss this with the Hutts?" He asked. "I'm sure they can settle this." Connan got close to him.
"What are you thinking? We can't let the Hutts know we have Pad—I mean, the Queen with us!" She hissed. "That's what the Captain was trying to avoid in the first place."
Quai Gon held up a hand, quieting down Connan for the time being.
Watto grumbled, staring at the floor in defeat. "Take him." He stated. Connan's relief washed over her quickly, as she bowed and left the room. She hooked her arm onto Quai Gon's and pulled him with her.
"And they say I'm the reckless one." She declared.
-----
Connan and Obi Wan stood looking up at Quai Gon, who sat on a beast, blocking the suns out of the two's vision.
"Well," he said. "We have all the essential parts we need. I'm going back. Some unfinished business; shouldn't take long."
"Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic-life form?" Obi Wan remarked. Connan elbowed him.
"I wouldn't call this boy pathetic. He's quite the little mechanic. Even HK-47 was astounded with the tenacity of him." She chided.
"It's the boy who's responsible for getting us these parts." Quai Gon answered. He handed Connan a chip. "Get this hyperdrive generator installed, and punch in the coordinates on this chip into the pilot's console."
"Yeah, that shouldn't take long." Connan said.
"Are you sure you don't want to come, too?" Quai Gon asked.
"No, really. I feel like I'll be better used here. Something's happening." She rubbed her arms.
"It hasn't been three days yet. Could the viceroys have found us already?" She thought.
"I don't think it's the viceroys we should be worried about," Her mind answered.
"Come on, hup!" Quai Gon steered the beast away. Hooked onto it was another of the beasts, set up for Anakin's ride back.
Connan sighed. Why wouldn't this irking feeling along her spine shatter? There was nothing to worry about. The boy was coming with them, they'd go back to Coruscant, this Council would summon her Council, and her Council would send her back. Easy.
Almost too easy. What was the catch? There was always a catch. There had to be something Connan was forgetting about that would prevent her from returning to Carth.
She gasped.
Darth Maul. He was on Coruscant last time she'd had a Precognition, but that could have changed. He could have jumped onto a shuttle and gotten there quicker than expected.
"I—" She took a step backward, raising her eyebrows as she felt her brow perspire. Obi Wan glanced at her quizzically. She handed him the chip. "Do what Quai Gon told me to do, okay?" She asked. "There's something I have to do."
"What's that?" Obi Wan asked, gripping onto the chip delicately. Connan shrugged.
"Find a man in black." She answered.
"In these suns? The fool." Obi Wan sneered. He sighed. "Yes, I'll put the hyperdrive generator in for you and type the coordinates in."
"Thanks." Connan winked at him, running up the ship ramp.
She didn't know if the Sith Lord was even there. It could just be another sandstorm feeling. But the last sandstorm feeling didn't feel like this felt. This felt like…. cold. The picture of Hoth—a planet so cold, you'd freeze to death in twelve point fifteen seconds without the proper wear—came into her mind. It was like standing in the middle of Hoth without any clothes on at all, and a taun-taun trying to bite at your frost-bitten toes. No, this couldn't have been a sandstorm. It was something else.
Tuskan Raiders?
No, the Sand People are not intelligent enough to be sending a wave like that. Sand People can't become Jedi simply because they can't learn anything beyond than the primitive instincts they were born with. Something else.
Krayt Dragon?
No. The last dragon they'd seen on Tatooine was the one that the Twi'lek killed so they could get the Star Map. Even if Krayt Dragons were among the Dark Side creatures, they most certainly wouldn't have been that Dark Side. It was something different.
Rancor?
Connan passed by the notion without another thought.
The only thing the Jedi could have thought of doing was meditating. She groaned, sliding to the floor using the wall as a brace. She crossed her sore legs and closed her eyes. She envisioned her surroundings through the Force, focusing on the dark blue walls. No Force tampering there. She stretched her mind out to the desert before her. She stopped a moment to stare at Obi Wan, who shone a bright blue, signaling that he was indeed a Light-Sided Jedi. Moving on, Connan spotted Jar Jar not far away. He glowed a murky sort of green, as if moss had been thrown next to a giant, Kashyyykian Tree. Obviously it said that he was a very non-Force Adept. He couldn't feel the Force if it was pounding on his head with a mallet.
Wafting quietly past the Gungan, however, was a dark red wave. It pulsed into Connan's mind and caused her to shudder. That was it! That was what was making her shiver so much. It was a Dark Sided aura, coming from deeper into the desert.
Connan bolted from her position to the sand outside.
"Connan!" Obi Wan called in surprise. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be back in a bit." She called, running past Jar Jar, who watched her go by.
"Bye-bye, Connan!" He bid, waving. "Mesa be seein' yousa later!"
She waved him off. Jumping onto a nearby speeder, she sped off into the desert.
-----
His speeder came out of nowhere. She was certainly surprised to see it. Connan was just as surprised, though, to see a lightsaber in the hooded man's hand. The man was closing the distance between the two of them quickly. Connan swerved her bike, pulling out one of her own lightsabers and attempting a swing at the enemy's speeder. He swung around, too, striking at Connan. Her speeder almost flipped over as she tried to dodge the attack.
Once Connan reorganized herself, she stabbed at the hooded man, who lunged back. They locked into battle. The man swung at her chest. Connan parried and rode to his other side, trying to throw him off of his bike while thrusting at his chest. It didn't work. The man turned his speeder on high and sped toward the Nubian.
Connan followed, catching up with him and reinstated the battle. She fought to control the battle and keep the speeder intact while she kept herself alive. She swore openly.
"Go away!" She cried, thrusting at him again. He blocked and chuckled. He slapped at Connan's chest. Connan swerved the bike, nicking her shoulder on Maul's blade. She screamed as the speeder lost control. It spun around in circles, blurring Connan's vision together. She let go of the handles and closed her eyes, attempting to steady the speeder with her Force. The whirling slowly came to a stop, and Connan shook her head. She sped off for Darth Maul, nearing the Nubian.
She caught him once again easily enough, but didn't have time to attack once more. Connan froze as the sound of a little boy rang in her ears.
"Quai Gon, sir. Wait! I'm tired." It was Anakin. He was standing barely fifty feet in front of their speeders. Quai Gon saw the speeders and gasped.
"Anakin, drop!" He ordered. With perfect timing, the boy fell onto the sand, crying an "Ooof!" in the process.
Darth Maul let go of his speeder and flipped close to Quai Gon. Connan flipped her bike over onto itself, imploding as she leapt into the battle. All three Jedi had their sabers out and clashing.
"Go, Ani!" Connan ordered.
"Tell them to take off!" Quai Gon finished.
Connan was getting tired. Her shoulder seriously needed attention, as the cut seemed to be getting deeper, and her stomach was still very queasy from that fun little "spin" Connan took moments before jumping off of her speeder. She glanced at Anakin as he bolted to the ship.
"And tell HK-47 I said aim for the black-hooded one!" She called. Darth Maul struck her shoulder with his hilt, causing her to cry out and drop. She spun around and tripped him as he lunged at Quai Gon. He flipped over, hitting Connan. She parried and kicked his stomach.
Quai Gon pulled Connan off of the ground during the pause in the battle and heard the clicking of the ship's flight starters.
"We've got to divert him so we can get on the ship." He hissed into her ear and Darth Maul came back with another rap of attacks. Connan and Quai Gon relentlessly parried and struck back.
"I've got it covered, hopefully." She answered. She held her lightsaber to Darth Maul's and struck her head onto his. He fell backward, not uttering a sound. His legs jolted and he was once again up, and rearing to attack.
"Hurry up, you stupid droid!" Connan griped, panting as she entered battle once more. "This is what happens when one doesn't get practice in six weeks." She uttered.
A shot was fired from the ship, aimed at the Sith apprentice. He jumped back as another was launched. Connan rubbed the spot on her head where she'd hit him.
"Now!" She called. She and Quai Gon jumped onto the ramp, watching Darth Maul close his lightsaber and disappear.
Connan sank to the floor alongside Quai Gon, cradling her shoulder and panting as her lightsaber constricted. The door next to her opened as Anakin and Obi Wan ran out.
"Are you alright?" Anakin asked. Connan sighed.
"I'm getting too old for this…." She insisted. Obi Wan knelt down beside her.
"There's red paint all over your forehead." He said, licking his thumb and rubbing her temples thoroughly. "And that shoulder wound looks deep." Connan waved him off.
"I'm alright. I've had worse." She insisted. She looked to Quai Gon. "What about you?"
"I think I'm alright," He said, propping his arms up behind him.
"What was it?" Obi Wan asked.
"I'm not sure, but it was well-trained in the Jedi arts." Quai Gon said.
"He was a Zabrak." Connan answered. "I'd remember that face structure anywhere."
"You've met a 'Zabrak' before?" Quai Gon inquired. Connan nodded.
"It was…. Three thousand nine hundred ninety eight years ago, I think. I had a few Zabrak technicians in the Mandalorian Wars with me." She answered. Anakin sputtered.
"Huh?" He asked. "Three thousand years ago? How is that possible?"
"I'll tell you later." Connan promised.
"Well, whatever it was, my guess is it was after the Queen." Quai Gon continued. Connan looked away unexpectedly.
"What are we gonna do about it?" Anakin asked with anticipation. Connan giggled at him. Quai Gon sighed, trying his hardest to hide a grin.
"We shall be patient." He said, holding out his hand. "Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi Wan Kenobi."
"Hi." Anakin greeted Obi Wan warmly. His eyes popped out of his head. "You're a Jedi too? Pleased to meet you!"
It was too much for Connan to handle. She wrapped her arms around Anakin and pulled him into a hug.
"You're just too cute!" She cried. She exchanged glances with Obi Wan and Quai Gon, who were both sniggering.
-----
Told you it wasn't long! Ha. I was trying to hurry up Tatooine. I was getting tired of it. I'm already half-way through the movie! O.O Whoa. I'm on chapter twenty six and I've gone through one hour, eighteen minutes and thirty five seconds. I'll try my hardest to update next Sunday! Please review!
Oh yeah! I'm going to start a new fic sooner or later, once I plan it out. It's going to be a funny one. Can you believe it? Me, writing humor? What is this world coming to? Lol. Thanks so much for your reviews, they really help me.
