A/N: So here's another action-packed chapter, and I hope you like it. We got plenty of familiar faces and a few creatures that I hope you'll be able to recognize. They're one of my all-time favorite animals of all time, and we'll be seeing more of them over the next few chapters, so I hope you like them. I'm also playing around with character ages again, so I hope you don't mind. I don't know when the next chapter is coming out because school is starting again, and I have a lot I need to do in a short amount of time, so please be patient with me. If you've read any of my other stories, you know how slowly I can update chapters. But until next time, please read, review, and enjoy!
Fugitives on the run! Disguised as the Jedi killer Rako Hardeen, Obi-Wan Kenobi works undercover to solve a Separatist plot against Chancellor Palpatine. Obi-Wan meets the plot's mastermind, Moralo Eval, breaking him out of jail to gain his trust. But now Kenobi faces another obstacle: bounty hunter Cad Bane. Can Obi-Wan Kenobi overcome Bane's suspicions? Or will the ruthless criminal see through his disguise and expose the Jedi? Only time will tell….
With Obi-Wan gaining Moralo Eval's and Cad Bane's trust on Nal Hutta, the Jedi suddenly had a breakthrough in tracking down Seeker. She had been sighted on the Inner Rim planet of Pasher, leaving a tavern, and a communication relay station had picked up the signal from Kit's lightsaber and tracked her to Jakku. Now Adi Gallia, Plo Koon, Aayla Secura, Luminara Unduli, and Ki-Adi Mundi were there to find her. The signal had led them to a junk outpost named after the Hutt Niima, and when they landed, they saw why it was called a junkyard outpost. Parts and weapons were being traded and sold for food and supplies, and all sorts of people were lingering. They all looked up as the Jedi walked through the barren streets before putting their heads down and continuing with what they were doing. Seeing this, Adi asked, "What is Seeker doing here? There isn't anything of value here for her," looking at the broken pieces of a clone rifle on a table. The trader selling it looked at her before going back to what he was doing, which was attempting to put another rifle together into something usable.
"I don't know," Luminara said, "But let's find her and find out. And then get out of here. There is something wrong here."
"Yes," Master Plo agreed, "It's the Dark Side. It's stronger here for some reason."
The others nodded as they sensed it as well, but seconds later Adi said quietly, "She's here," walking faster towards the center of the outpost as the others followed her, them exchanging glances as they did so. Ever since the mission to Kef Bir, Adi had been more intent on finding the half-Nautolan, and whenever there was a solid lead she had been more than willing to drop what she was doing and look for her.
Following the Tholothian, the others caught up with her at an intersection just as Seeker appeared from another street. She was walking intently through town, and everyone that saw her gave her a wide berth. Even if she hadn't had her lightsaber and Kit's, she would still have looked like someone that shouldn't be messed with. Now that she had them, she was even more intimidating, and it looked like no one in this town was brave enough to cross her.
She was looking around carefully, clearly looking for something, and didn't seem to have noticed the Jedi. But she knew they were there; she just didn't care. After a few seconds, she kept walking and eventually came to a stand that was a bit more permanent than other structures in the outpost. A hastily made sign had the words "Concession Stand" written above the main desk, and behind that desk was all manner of mechanical bits and pieces, from guns to gears. Behind the desk was a large Crolute with a large nose and massive forearms. Nearby stood hired thugs and mercenaries, but that wasn't a bother to Seeker as she looked them all over before calling out, "Rey!"
The Crolute looked up when she called that, and seconds later, a young girl, maybe five or six years old, ran out from the stand and looked at her. She was dark-haired with hazel eyes, and those eyes were filled with hope as she stared at the half-Nautolan. Seeker smiled at her before looking up as the Crolute left his stand and asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
Seeker raised an eyebrow, "Collecting Rey. She was left here for me to take," motioning the girl to stand behind her and stay out of the way. The young one did, holding onto her leg and hand as the half-Nautolan confronted the Crolute, who was easily twice her size.
The Crolute didn't appreciate that and said, "No, she wasn't. I bought her, and I paid for her. She stays," motioning his mercenaries closer, but Seeker wasn't having it as she said, "You were paid to keep her safe until I got here. Now that I'm here, I'll take charge of her. Your work here is done."
"I said I bought her and I paid for her," the Crolute said menacingly, "She stays. You don't want to challenge me," as Seeker looked at the mercenaries standing around, clearly bored as she took in the Weequay and Trandoshans standing there with their blasters and rifles out.
The half-Nautolan only looked at the Crolute and said, "You don't want to do this. You might find yourself short a few thugs by the end of this."
The Crolute only laughed and said, "Kill her," and the mercenaries charged forward. Seeker only shook her head before leaping forward, Rey letting go and hanging back to stay out of the way. Moments later the fight was done, the mercenaries lying and groaning on the ground as Seeker turned to the Crolute, who was now backing away in fear. The half-Nautolan turned to him slowly, the menace more than clear in her eyes, and he beat a hasty retreat when he saw how unwilling she was to put up with him and his antics. The second he was gone, the menace went away from her eyes and she turned back to Rey, who looked at her and asked, "Who are you?" still a bit scared.
Seeker smiled and kneeled in front of the girl, "A friend of your parents. They asked me to come get you," reaching up and showing the young girl the bracelet on her arm. Seeing it, Rey reached out and touched it gently before nodding.
Rey then asked, "Are you taking me back to them? I miss them," as the Jedi approached and watched as they talked. They were interested in taking Seeker into custody, but they didn't want to hurt the girl in the process. They needed to separate them.
Seeker hesitated before saying, "I don't know for sure, but we are definitely leaving this planet. How does that sound?" Rey nodded enthusiastically as Seeker stood up and took her hand, leading her away down a street nearby that led out of town.
The Jedi followed behind them, and it was quiet for a bit until Seeker started getting noticeably anxious. She was looking around and her eyes were narrowed, looking for something only she could see. Seeing this, the Jedi immediately split up, with Adi and Luminara still following while the others ran down another street to get ahead of Seeker and the girl and see what was waiting for them.
Seeker didn't seem to notice, but she did notice there was a menace laying itself over the town and knew what it meant. After a few more moments, she turned to Rey and kneeled down, asking, "Hey Rey, do you like to run?" not wanting to scare her.
Rey nodded excitedly, "I run really, really fast!" and Seeker smiled and chuckled before saying, "Really? How about a bit of a race?"
Rey nodded again, and Seeker said, "Alright then, I want you to run down this street as fast as you can and not stop until you get to the outskirts of town. Once there, you'll see an animal to your right. I want you to climb on his back and hold on tight. He's going to keep you safe."
"What kind of animal?" Rey asked, and Seeker said, "You'll know him when you see him. He'll be lying down so that you can get on. He has a bridle with reins, so just hold onto those and squeeze with your knees to stay on, okay?"
"Is he mean?" Rey asked worriedly, and Seeker shook her head immediately, "No, he is very nice," she looked up suddenly before asking, "Are you ready?" as she turned back to the girl.
Rey nodded, looking a bit scared but trying to be brave, and that was when Seeker said, "Don't look back," before pointing down the street. Rey immediately took off running as Seeker stayed behind and watched before standing up and turning to her right, her eyes still scanning for whatever it was that had made her send Rey on alone.
Adi activated her comlink, "Master Plo, Seeker just sent the girl ahead by herself. Look out for her. Something's going on. Maybe –" but wasn't able to finish as she and Luminara were suddenly thrown back by the Force. They landed hard and had to pick themselves up as Sith suddenly appeared. The two Jedi were quick to ignite their lightsabers, Seeker doing the same and fighting them with everything she had. Luminara and Adi were able to hold their own as well, but seconds later a few Sith broke away and headed down the street after Rey. Seeing where they were going Adi activated her comlink again and said, "The Sith are heading your way, Master Plo!" ducking a blow from a Sith's lightsaber as she said this.
Seeker had noticed as well and wasn't pleased with the situation, and seconds later the Force felt like it exploded as a rush of power and energy surged out of the half-Nautolan into the surrounding area in a flurry of sand and dust. A piercing whistle was heard, and as soon as the dust settled Luminara and Adi looked around for any more Sith.
But the Sith were dead and Seeker gone, with a building torn to pieces nearby. The two Jedi looked at each other before racing down the street, hoping they wouldn't be too late.
Reaching the edge of the outpost, Rey finally slowed down after running as fast as she could. She looked behind her but didn't see her new friend, and for a second thought she had been abandoned again. But seconds later she heard a snort that caught her attention, and she looked to her right where some barrels and boxes were stacked. She walked over slowly before going around them, and that was when she saw the animal her friend must have told her about. She hesitated only a few minutes before walking closer, disappearing behind the crates just as Master Plo, Aayla, and Ki-Adi appeared from the other direction.
Having received Adi's first transmission while they were running and the second only moments ago, they were desperate to find the girl and make sure she was safe. But there was no sign of her and Aayla said quietly, "We may be too late. The Sith could have already come and grabbed her."
Master Plo nodded slowly, but that was when movement caught his eye and he looked over at some discarded crates and barrels stacked on the other side of the street.
"By the Force," Aayla said, her voice unable to hide her shock as an animal stood up from behind those barrels and backed up before walking out into the street. Riding the animal was the girl, but that wasn't what surprised the Jedi.
In all their years of traveling, they had never seen anything like it.
Four long legs ended in strong, sharp hooves, and those legs were strong and muscular. They came down from a large body, the hind legs having large muscles that rippled and moved smoothly under the skin and hair that covered the animal. The front legs looked almost too thin to hold the animal's massive size, but that wasn't a problem for the animal as it kept walking. A long tail made of long, coarse hair flowed almost to the ground, and more coarse hair sprouted from the top of the neck. The neck itself was arched and graceful, the head long and beautiful. Two large ears swiveled around to catch sounds, and the eyes were large and on both sides of the head, thick lashes keeping dust out of them. There was likely a blind spot right in front of the animal, but it didn't seem to mind as it kept walking. The head ended in a tapered muzzle with two large nostrils and its mouth. On the animal's head was a bridle that went over the bridge of the nose and up behind and in front of the ears, the bit inside the mouth, and two long reins were going from the bit back to the girl's hands. She was holding on tight to the reins and the long hair on its neck, and was a bit scared, especially when she looked down at the ground. The animal was almost two meters tall at the shoulder and had a deep chest and powerful build. It looked over its shoulder at the girl before reaching back and nuzzling her foot and swinging its head back around to face front, and the girl relaxed and sat up straight, squeezing with her knees and holding onto the reins more easily, clearly not as scared as before. The animal shook its head before snorting again, chewing its bit for a few seconds before stilling, standing there and waiting for whatever came next. It stamped a hoof as it did so, and the Jedi were able to sense it was a rather mild-mannered creature that was aware of how nervous the girl was and didn't want to scare her any more than it had to.
All this would have been striking by itself because the Jedi had never seen such a creature before, but the animal's coloring was likely the most striking thing about it. Its hooves were striped, white and black, and there was a white mark on its forehead shaped like an island with a curved peninsula at one end pointed at its left eye. Another mark on its nose between its nostrils was also white, and that mark went into both nostrils. Little specks of white were around its eyes and muzzle, and it had one blue eye while the other was brown. From there the animal was a coppery-brown, with white on the lower quarter of its front legs down to its hooves. The long hair on its neck was more copper than brown, and its tail was also copper shot through with white. The animal's haunches were white, though, and there were brown spots all over them in no pattern whatsoever. The white and the spots stopped midway down its back and went all the way around its belly but only about halfway down its back legs.
The animal's coloring was so striking the Jedi were almost mesmerized, but that went away seconds later as the animal snorted and threw its head up before suddenly rearing onto its back legs as the girl held on tight. It let out a whinnying cry, pawing the air as it did so, before coming back down to all fours as the Sith appeared. The Sith were also surprised to see the animal, but they overcame their surprise more quickly than the Jedi.
Their task was the girl, and destroying anything and anyone that got in their way.
The animal wasn't having any of it though and spun on its heels, attempting to take off running. But before it had gone more than a few steps the Sith leaped through the air and landed in front of it, making it shy away and cut to the right with an agility that was surprising because of its size. Rey held on as tightly as she could as the animal kept moving, not letting the Sith get close enough to grab her. The ears were now pinned back and the animal actually looked unhappy, kicking out with its back legs to stop them from getting too close and lashing out with his front hooves whenever he could. One of those kicks hit home and the Sith fell to the ground, wincing in pain and moving his cloak to see the hoof-shaped dust mark that had been left on his tunic.
As this was happening, other Sith had engaged the Jedi, keeping them from getting to the girl, and it was turning into a massive fight. The animal was doing its best to keep the Sith away from the girl, even biting a few times when the Sith grabbed its reins, and those bites drew blood. He grabbed one Sith by the shoulder and shook him before throwing him to the side. The animal's teeth may have been flat and meant for grazing, but it would still deliver a powerful bite if provoked.
And right now it was very provoked, but seconds later there was another whinnying call, almost like a whistle, and then an explosion of black. The Sith were bowled over as another animal similar to the first suddenly appeared, but this animal was completely black and a bit bigger. There wasn't a white hair to be seen anywhere, and this animal was pure power and muscle. While those there had been able to sense the first animal was a male, this black one was a female, and she was furious. She raged through the battle, rearing and screaming, not letting the Sith anywhere near the male. She stilled for the briefest of moments and they were able to see she was wearing a bridle as well, and on her back was the half-Nautolan. Seeker was riding the animal with strength and skill, but letting her have her way for the most part. Seconds later a Sith made a grab for the male's bridle and reins, and the black one charged forward those few steps and reared up again. Her front hooves came down on the Sith's head and he fell to the ground. Her hooves followed him down, and then there was blood on them and her front legs as they went into his head.
Seeker pulled back on her reins and the animal backed up, which was when she looked around at what was happening. The arrival of Adi and Luminara didn't escape her notice, but she knew this was turning into an uneven fight. Suddenly she called out, "Plenty Coup!" and the male animal turned to her and whinnied. He kicked out instinctively at the person behind him, who happened to be Ki-Adi Mundi, but the Jedi Master was able to dodge the kick immediately.
"Time to leave!" Seeker yelled, kicking her animal in the sides and sending her over to Rey and her animal. Seconds later, the Sith were pushed back with the Force, and she was grabbing the male's reins, guiding him out of the circle of fighters and into the desert beyond. They didn't stop as they picked up speed, and seconds later they were racing into the desert and leaving the Jedi and Sith behind. Seeker let go of the male's reins then as Rey found her balance, and then they were gone as the Sith broke away from the fight and grabbed nearby speeders, racing into the desert after them and leaving the Jedi to regroup for the briefest of moments before also grabbing speeders and racing off after them as well.
As this was happening, Obi-Wan seemed to have gained the trust of Eval and Bane, and they were leaving Orondia and heading for Serenno. Unknown to them, their follower had decided to cut his losses and head for Serenno as well, knowing there would be an intense competition when they arrived and not wanting to miss it.
Or the reward that would be given once he got there.
Obi-Wan Kenobi in disguise! Working undercover as assassin Rako Hardeen, Obi-Wan leads a secret mission to uncover the Separatist plot against Chancellor Palpatine. Using cunning and courage, he gains the trust of bounty hunter Cad Bane and criminal mastermind Moralo Eval, earning him entrance into the stronghold of Separatist leader, Count Dooku. Now, it is here on the beautiful planet of Serenno that a barbaric contest will determine the fate of Obi-Wan Kenobi and possibly the Republic itself….
Seeker and Rey, along with their animals, had gotten far enough ahead of the Sith that they were able to stop and give their animals a rest. The animals were breathing hard and sweating harder, clearly tired and needing a quick break. Seeing this, Seeker turned to Rey and asked, "Are you thirsty?"
Rey nodded immediately, and Seeker smiled and said, "They are too," nodding down at her animal, "Let's find something to drink."
Rey nodded eagerly, and the two animals kept walking, eventually coming to a large dune with some Tuanulberry bushes at the bottom. Seeker guided them in close to get them under the shade cast by the dune before dismounting and coming around to help Rey off. They had been running hard for several hours, the animals more than capable of handling the endurance and stamina required, but now it was time to let them rest and drink. Rey had actually done a good job with riding, easily finding her balance and learning quickly to go with the animal's movements instead of against them. Following Seeker to the bushes, the young girl asked, "Why are we stopping here? There isn't any water."
Seeker smiled before shaking her head and turning to the girl, "Where there's life, there's water, Rey. And where there's water, there's life. Watch," as she crouched down and started digging under the plants. After a few minutes of this water suddenly appeared, and Seeker turned to Rey with a rather smug smile. Rey smiled back and reached down to collect some of the water to drink, but before she could Seeker stopped her, "No, Rey," and the girl looked at her in confusion.
Seeker only said, "We let them drink first," nodding at the animals, "They've carried us all this way in this heat, they get to drink first. It's only fair," using the Force to pick the water up from the ground and clean it of sand. She collected it into a swirling eddy in the air, and the animals came forward eagerly and drank their fill quickly. After they were done, Seeker invited Rey to drink as well. Once they were all finished Seeker said, "We have a few more hours of riding, and then we'll get to the ship. I had to change the rendezvous when things went crazy back there," she looked at Rey, "You think you can handle it?"
Rey nodded and turned to the animal that had carried her all this way, stroking his face and saying, "I like him," giggling as he returned the petting by nuzzling her ear. Seeker smiled when she saw that and said, "He likes you too. Come on, I'll help you up," and walked with her to his side. Seconds later Rey was back on his back, and then Seeker was mounting her animal and leading them away from the dune and deeper into the desert. The animals walked, resting their breathing and conserving their energy, as Seeker looked around carefully for any sign of danger. After about an hour she sensed something coming behind them, and turned her animal around and stopped for a brief moment to reach out and sense what it was. Seconds later, her eyes widened as her keen eyes saw the speeders moving towards them at breakneck speed, and she looked back at Rey. The girl was oblivious to what was coming, and Seeker didn't want to scare her any more than she had to, but there was no way to avoid those speeders.
The unfortunate thing about using these animals was that they left quite a distinctive trail, which was hard to cover.
Knowing there was nothing else to do, she looked back and reached into herself for the power at her disposal. She let it build, greater and greater, until it flowed out of her and through her animal into the ground below. It started a great rumbling deep within the ground, and that was when the speeders were suddenly swallowed by the ground and the riders suffocated by the sand. The Jedi behind them were unharmed, and then Seeker was continuing on, nudging her animal into a trot to catch up with Rey, who was none the wiser.
Behind them the Jedi flew over where the Sith had been swallowed, unaware of what had just happened, while high above them, more Sith were sent down to the planet's surface to get to Seeker's rendezvous point before she did.
As this was happening, Obi-Wan was still disguised as Rako Hardeen. He, along with Cad Bane and Moralo Eval, had finally arrived on Serenno and were waiting around to see what Count Dooku had planned. Bane had already killed one hunter, an Ithorian, for his hat. There were even more gathered around, waiting for whatever contest Dooku had planned. Obi-Wan and Bane hadn't been waiting long after Bane killed the Ithorian when Dooku and Eval finally appeared, with Dooku saying, "Welcome to Serenno," as he walked over and the bounty hunters gathered close.
He continued, "You have been invited here because you are the best bounty hunters in the galaxy," making introductions by starting with a female Weequay, "Kiera Swan, two-time winner of the Obsidian Sphere," moving on to a Parwan floating next to her, "Derrown, known simply as The Exterminator. Sixtat, the Outlands Butcher," the tattooed Sikyan nodding as Dooku moved on to a familiar Kyuzo, "Embo, your bounty tallies were second only to one last season. Cad Bane, who needs no introduction. Rako Hardeen, the marksman of Concord Dawn," the disguised Obi-Wan nodding as Dooku turned to the Rodian standing next to Obi-Wan, "Jakoli, known for never bringing anyone back alive," the Rodian laughing quietly when he heard that as Dooku turned next to another Ithorian, "Onca, you and your brother have been a legendary team. This challenge may prove difficult for you alone," as Onca looked behind him at his dead brother. Dooku continued with the Frenk, "Twazzi, your acrobatics once earned you praise from Chancellor Valorum. Sinrich, inventor of the holographic disguise matrix," the Snivvian grinning as Dooku moved on to their final contestant, a Selkath, "And, finally, Mantu. Your people were once a peaceful race," the Selkath chuckling cruelly when he heard that as Dooku shook his head and said, "How far they have fallen. In a few moments, all twelve of you will enter what we call The Box," gesturing behind them at a massive box floating in the air.
All looked behind them at the giant box that had been constructed, but Bane noticed something and turned back to Dooku, "You need to learn how to count, Dooku. There's only eleven of us now," he smiled suddenly, "Unless you count the dead as well," nodding at Onca's dead brother.
"Is there?" Dooku asked, "I must have forgotten our last contestant," looking over at the shadows near a storage container someone was leaning against. The hunters gathered all looked as this hunter stepped out of the shadows, and Obi-Wan immediately became wary. It was a Nautolan, his long head-tentacles covered in spots, and his skin was a near slate-gray. He had two blasters on his hips, and a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, and looked over all there with nothing to be seen on his face. His gaze didn't linger on any of them as he stared with his arms crossed, and that was when Dooku said, "Tivann Fisto, one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy. His tallies were second only to his brother Kailan's, who is the best in the galaxy. He wasn't interested in this competition, so Tivann agreed to fill in for him."
Hearing that, Obi-Wan looked at Tivann warily. This was one brother he hadn't met yet, and it was difficult to judge him. But there was no time as Dooku suddenly said, "Tivann Fisto, your brother is a Jedi, and yet here you stand. It will be interesting to see what your fellow bounty hunters think of that," causing Kiera Swan to glare at the Nautolan, while Embo stared at him warily.
"Seriously?!" Bane said suddenly, "We're getting into a contest with that guy?" pointing at Tivann, who only looked at him with a raised eye-ridge, "Are you trying to blow your plan to hell, Dooku? He'll tell his brother what we're doing as soon as he gets the chance!"
"Considering the fact his brother is in a coma and half-dead, if my sources are to be believed, I don't think that will be a problem," Dooku said snidely, but Bane and the others didn't believe him and clearly considered Tivann to be a threat to the plan and a payday.
"Shouldn't keep him alive," the Rodian, Jakoli, said, "He's trouble," reaching for his blaster but wasn't fast enough as Tivann grabbed his quicker than lightning and killed the Rodian without a second thought. He put his blaster back in the holster before saying, "Anyone else got a problem with me coming along for this contest?" his voice deep and accented.
Everyone was quick to shake their heads, and then Dooku said, "Now that that's settled, let's turn our attention back to the Box," and the hunters gathered a bit closer to hear what he had to say, Tivann coming over as well. Now in the light, Obi-Wan could see that one of his tentacles was half the length of the others and looked as though it had been cut off by a lightsaber if he had to guess, and he had ten black bands, two gold, six brown, and three silver around another, marking him as an incredibly dangerous opponent and fighter. Dooku speaking caught his attention then, and Obi-Wan turned back in time to hear Dooku say, "Some of you will not make it out alive. For those who do, we are looking for the five most skilled among you. Any additional survivors will be eliminated to preserve the integrity of the job that awaits you," as his Magnaguards came with a hover table between them and said, "Place your weapons here."
As the bounty hunters disarmed themselves of their blasters and rifles, with Tivann keeping a single blade hidden in his boot for an emergency, Dooku continued, "For those we choose, you will, of course, be paid most handsomely. But more than that, you will be a part of an operation remembered as a turning point in the Clone Wars. And when we succeed, we will bring the Republic to its pitiful knees," clenching his fist as he said this while Tivann rolled his eyes, a move Obi-Wan caught. It seemed Tivann didn't care about politics and was only in this for a payday. That was good for him, Obi-Wan realized; it may mean Tivann wouldn't rat him out if he caught on to who Rako Hardeen really was.
"Listen up!" Eval said suddenly, taking over speaking from Dooku, "The Box was designed by me, Moralo Eval, to simulate certain," pausing as he looked for the right word, "situations that might happen on the job. Go now, enter The Box, if you have the courage," the bounty hunters heading for the entrance to the box. Eval went with them to encourage them inside: "That's it, everyone inside. Keep moving," once all were on the platform it took them into the Box, with Bane and Obi-Wan looking at each other when they were finally inside. The Box wasn't all that impressive; white walls of uniform squares surrounded them. But moments later Eval's face took up all four walls as he said, "Before we begin our first challenge, let me say there is only one rule inside The Box: there are no rules."
Embo didn't see the point and said something, causing Eval to answer, "The point, my friend, is to escape and quickly, because only the survivors will advance to the next challenge," his face and voice disappearing.
Nothing happened at first, but seconds later a hole appeared in the floor and a green gas started coming into the room. A gas Obi-Wan recognized as he put a hand over his helmet and said, "Dioxis! Breathe it and you're dead!"
Everyone quickly backed away from the gas, but then the floor started moving as rising columns appeared. Sixtat quickly made the connection and jumped onto one of the platforms, saying, "Every man for himself!" only to be kicked off the platform by Embo. The others quickly followed their lead, although Tivann didn't climb up at all, leaving Bane to shrug. If that Nautolan killed himself now, it would save them the trouble of doing so later. Once they were out of the way of the gas, Sixtat said, "That wasn't so hard."
Seconds later, things went from bad to worse as the platforms suddenly started rising and caused them all to have to move out of the way or get crushed. Seeing this Obi-Wan realized something and said, "The way out isn't up. It's down. The filters in my helmet can protect me for a short time. I'll scout a way out," jumping down into the gas. From above he was barely visible, but Obi-Wan didn't notice as he looked around and eventually found a hole. He jumped into the hole and looked around, seeing a tunnel that led somewhere. Deciding this was the best option he called back up, "There's a hole in the floor which gets you below the gas line. Jump down the hole and follow the tunnel!" before dropping to his hands and knees and starting to crawl.
Above him Sixtat wasn't so sure about this idea, "What if he's wrong?" but Bane didn't see another way out of the situation and shot back, "You got a better idea?" before jumping down as the others followed. They found the tunnel and followed it, eventually climbing into the second challenge, a darkened room. Obi-Wan, or Rako, was already there, and he turned to help Bane out of the tunnel, asking, "What took you so long?"
Bane only pushed his hand away before standing up on his own, and Obi-Wan nodded at the far wall. Tivann was leaning against the wall, looking at them in amusement, and said, "You took your sweet time getting here. I was just about to settle down for a nap."
Bane glared at him while Mantu hit his clenched fist for a few seconds, but there was no time to think about it more as Eval's face again appeared, "Moralo Eval is impressed. No casualties on the first challenge," chuckling slightly as the platform they were standing on sunk to the ground, "I guarantee you that will not be the case in the next."
The hunters started looking around for what could be the next challenge and were quick to figure it out when the walls began sending out horizontal columns with a laser tip, much like a lightsaber, except it was yellow. They were quick to start dodging as the columns came faster and faster, and that was where the first casualty was when Onca found himself trapped between columns and against the wall. He fell to the ground, dead, as the others looked around and avoided the lasers.
Up in the control room, Dooku was watching everything closely with Eval, and as he watched, he couldn't help but notice something different. It wasn't Tivann who seemed to have a talent for dodging the lasers and finding the way out, since he was waiting up near the exit for the others this time. Dooku stared at Rako Hardeen for several moments before saying, "Impressive. I sense something different about that one. Tell me what you know about this Rako Hardeen," turning to Eval, who was enjoying watching the bounty hunters avoid the lasers.
Eval turned to his computers then and said, "He killed the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. But only with a sniper rifle," before turning back to monitor the test, causing Dooku to ask quietly, "Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
Back in the test, Obi-Wan looked around as the room started getting smaller and the columns kept coming. But he noticed something interesting as he watched the columns and saw that Tivann was already up at the exit, "I know how to get out!" he said a few moments later.
"Show me," Bane said as he turned to him. Obi-Wan quickly explained, "There's a pattern to the blades. Watch, that one's next," pointing at the column in question, and Bane was able to see it move just as Obi-Wan said it would, "If I can time it right, I can climb up to that exit shaft. Just follow me and time your jump."
"Go!" was all Bane said, and Obi-Wan started his run. He climbed from column to column, getting higher and higher before turning back and calling, "Get moving!" to the others.
Bane only adjusted his hat as Keira Swan tried to sneak up on him but was impaled on a laser, and then he started his run. A few others followed him, and soon they were heading up out of the danger area, even though Obi-Wan had to dodge a few more lasers. Down below Sinrich was lost, but again Obi-Wan was the second one to reach the exit. Tivann was still waiting for them, and as Obi-Wan came closer he raised an amused eye-ridge before leaping up into the shaft and disappearing, Obi-Wan able to feel the Force move just a bit to help him out.
In the control room, Dooku was once again impressed. Even though Tivann was staying ahead of the others and clearly too skilled for this game, Hardeen was using his brains to figure out the solutions while Tivann just went straight for the answer since he already seemed to know it. The Nautolan may be unarmed, but Dooku could feel him using the Force, something he couldn't stop. But he was still impressed by Hardeen and said as much, "Hardeen has done it again," as he crossed his arms, "I'm beginning to think he may be the best one to lead this operation."
Eval wasn't pleased with the situation since it was making him look terrible but only said, "Hardeen is crafty, I will grant you, but let's see what happens when he is not the key to their survival," typing away at the controls to set up the next challenge.
As for the hunters, they had reached a red-lit room and were looking around for what the next challenge could be. Seconds later, Eval's face was again on one of the walls, and he said, "To reach your final challenge, you must pass through my ray shield," as three of the walls activated red ray shields and the fourth had a smaller one with a switch behind it. Eval continued, "The switch to turn it off is on the other side. The syringe on the platform contains a highly electrolytic serum that will allow you to pass through the shield," as a platform and syringe appeared. Sixtat headed straight towards it and almost took it, but that was when Eval added, "However, it is toxic to all but one of you," before laughing and going away.
Embo apparently wasn't impressed by this and possibly recognized it as an impossible situation since Obi-Wan replied, "So it would seem."
As the ray shield got smaller and smaller, the hunters started looking for a way out, but this time Tivann didn't wander away. He stayed close to the raised platform as he looked around, guessing it was the safest place. That proved true when Mantu and a few others headed for the walls to look for a way out. Suddenly more of the floor started to rise, and they immediately headed back for the safe zone. But Mantu was a little slow, and before anyone could think of helping him a ray shield on the floor activated and he was electrocuted to death. Seeing this, Tivann raised an eye-ridge and said, "Eval certainly likes his twisted games."
But that was all he said as a pathway of rising columns was made to the switch — seeing this, Derrown turned and looked around before heading for the syringe. Seeing him, Tivann smiled slightly, knowing what he was doing. But Bane clearly didn't, since as Derrown grabbed the syringe Bane was quick to snatch it out of his hands, asking, "Hey, who put you in charge?" Derrown answered, but it was clear Bane didn't know what he was saying since he asked those gathered around, "Does anyone know what this gas bag is saying?"
"I do," Obi-Wan said as he grabbed the syringe and held it out to the Parwan, "He can get us out of this," Derrown took the syringe as Obi-Wan added, "He's a Parwan. His blood can take the electrolytic serum."
Derrown turned to Bane and said something in his language that wasn't anything kind, leaving Bane to ask, "Are you certain?" as Derrown floated away towards the switch.
"Fifty-fifty," Obi-Wan said with a shrug, "Depends on the blood type of the Parwan."
"Great," Bane drawled as they watched the Parwan. A few moments later, the ray shield was smaller than it had been before and was only getting smaller, and the platform was smaller as well as a few sides sunk down and they were forced to share columns, prompting Obi-Wan to call out, "Hurry, use the serum!"
Derrown did so, able to get through the ray shield and hit the switch just as Tivann, who was in the back, let out a yelp of pain. As the ray shield turned off, the others turned to him and saw that he had been electrocuted by the shield but was still alive. He was breathing heavily as he got the pain under control, but that wasn't the only injury. Sometime during this he must have been hit by the lasers from the previous test, since there was a small gash on his left thigh. But he shook his head suddenly and straightened, and it was clear he was fine. Bane said, "And here I thought you guys could heal at the drop of a hat," making Tivann reply, "I can heal as quickly or as slowly as I want to, Bane. I've just decided not to heal at all right now because I want to survive this."
That was all he said since a doorway suddenly appeared and led them out of the room. Bane only shook his head and turned away, asking Obi-Wan, "His blood. How did you know about it?"
"I used to kill Parwans for a living," Obi-Wan said, having done as much research on Rako Hardeen's past as he could before taking on this assignment. Derrown only let out a sound of surprise before continuing down the tunnel, something Dooku wasn't impressed by when he said, "Your box does not appear to be as much of a challenge as I thought. Perhaps I should put Hardeen in charge of the mission," as he turned away and waited for Eval to protest.
Which he did soon enough, saying, "But this was my plan! You promised me the lead role!"
"You have one last test to change my mind," was all Dooku said, prompting Eval to promise him, "Do not fear, Count Dooku. I will show you who is weak," as he walked out of the control room to confront the hunters personally in their final test. Behind him, Dooku smiled as he watched the monitors.
Reaching their final challenge, the hunters looked around again, wondering what it would be. As always, they heard the voice of Moralo Eval, saying, "The final challenge has arrived," as the floor far below them suddenly came alight with small flamethrowers. Tivann flinched away a bit, not liking fire like many Nautolans, but that was all. A few moments later, they saw Eval in the flesh as Embo asked something and he appeared from the wall and said, "Unfortunately, no," hitting a button on his wrist comm and making the platform the hunters were standing on bigger before making a sniper rifle appear as a holographic target suddenly appeared on the wall across from them, "We are going to test your sniper skills. Hit the target."
Obi-Wan and Tivann immediately headed for the rifle, but Sixtat got there first and said, "Step back, boys, I'll show you how it's done," grabbing the rifle and getting it ready. Unfortunately, he missed one target, and the platform immediately lost a row of squares, causing him to fall into the flamethrowers. Eval laughed in enjoyment at the sight, while the hunters were just shocked.
But the shock didn't last long as Obi-Wan said, "I get it. If we miss the target, this platform gets smaller. Soon there won't be any platform left," turning to get another rifle that had appeared but seeing that Tivann had beaten him to it and was ready for the targets. Eval shrugged and activated them, and that was when Tivann was able to show just how skilled he was with a rifle. He didn't miss any of the targets, but Eval said, "Unfortunately, Tivann, I don't think you're quite what we need for this mission. I don't think your fellow hunters will trust you, considering who your brother is. Perhaps you should look for another line of work now. Oh wait…." he said suddenly, and Tivann's eyes narrowed as he caught on to what Eval was planning, "…..you won't be able to!" suddenly dropping the floor out from under Tivann.
Tivann fell, but at the last second grabbed the blade out of his boot and slammed it into the wall behind him. That stopped his fall, and he was able to climb back up onto the platform, shaking out his head-tentacles and walking towards the wall, knowing that as long as he stayed near a hunter Eval actually wanted he would be safe. As for Eval he was shocked enough to say, "The rules of the tournament said there were no weapons allowed!"
Tivann turned to him with a raised eye-ridge and asked, "I thought there were no rules?"
Eval ground his teeth in rage over Tivann's defiance of him, but a few seconds later, a voice came over his wrist comm: "Leave it alone, Eval," Dooku said, "You can always get rid of him later," Eval nodded and set out another rifle, and this time it was Obi-Wan that decided to risk it, making Tivann raise his eye-ridge again and wonder if a Jedi really was a good sniper.
It was so hard to tell sometimes.
Apparently Jedi were good snipers since a few moments later Obi-Wan had hit all the targets, making Eval raise the platform with the others as he said, "This is not the first time you've saved everybody's skin, Hardeen. Five more hits. Let's see how good you really are," again hitting the button on his comm and narrowing the platform with Obi-Wan down to one row. Again Obi-Wan was able to hit all the targets, or at least, he would have been if the gun wasn't empty on the last shot. Seeing that Obi-Wan realized what it meant as Eval said suddenly, "Oh, what a shame, out of charges. It's also important as a bounty hunter to be lucky, and your luck just ran out," hitting the button again.
One by one, the columns started disappearing as Obi-Wan tossed the rifle into the fire and backed away. But eventually he hit the wall and could go no further as the column he was standing on disappeared. He cried out as he started to fall, but seconds later Bane used his cable to save him, stopping his fall into the fire. Obi-Wan looked up and saw that the hunters standing there were staring at him with respect, Tivann actually nodding with a rather familiar smile on his face.
Eval was furious, exclaiming, "How dare you defy Moralo Eval!" prompting Bane to look over in disgust at such a coward before saying, "If you're gonna kill him, do it like a man."
"You heard him, Eval," Dooku's voice was suddenly heard over the speakers as up in the control room Dooku hit a button that turned the area into a fighting ring, "Show us what you are really made of," as he made Eval fall into the arena. On the other side, a column came out of the ground to catch Obi-Wan. Once released from Bane's cable he got ready to fight, but Eval had no intention of fighting fair as he used his wrist comm. First he made a few probe droids appear out of the ceiling and shoot at Obi-Wan, but he was able to defeat all of them, prompting him to say to Eval, "You're going to have to do better than that!"
"You, my friend, have seen nothing yet!" Eval said in return before hitting the button again and making a maze appear, but Obi-Wan still gained the upper hand and got Eval on his back, saying, "Let's even the playing field," as he destroyed his wrist comm and made the maze go crazy for a few moments before it settled. Again there was a fight, with Tivann watching with interest. Knowing what he knew about Obi-Wan Kenobi, would the Jedi remember his training and walk away when he defeated his opponent?
Or would he truly be a bounty hunter and finish the job?
Apparently he was still a Jedi since he stopped himself from killing Hardeen, even when Dooku urged, "Finish him, Hardeen," but Obi-Wan's Jedi training came to the fore then. He couldn't, leading Dooku to say, "Very disappointing."
"All due respect," Obi-Wan said as he stood up and looked at the Count, "I just wanna do my job and get my money."
"It is unfortunate that your leadership skills are so lacking," Dooku said bitingly before turning to the others there and saying, "And the rest, congratulations on surviving The Box. Tomorrow you will kidnap Chancellor Palpatine at the festival on Naboo. With the leader of the Republic as our hostage, we will demand the release of all Separatist prisoners. If our demand is not met, the Chancellor will be executed. Either way, you will help reshape the galaxy. Once you are all aboard the transport, Eval will walk you through his plan. However, the operation on Naboo will be run by Cad Bane," surprising Eval, who had expected to be leading it since he had thought it up, but he couldn't say anything as Dooku continued, "All of you work for him now," as the Duros bounty hunter walked forward before turning around to face them, arms crossed.
"And we're still one hunter over," Eval said as he turned to Tivann, who stared at him emotionlessly as Twazzi slipped around behind him. But before they could think of killing him, he exploded into a blur of action and speed. He slammed Bane into a wall with the Force as he kicked Embo in the stomach and threw him over his shoulder to the ground. Derrown's electricity had no effect on him and he punched the Parwan in the middle eye, forcing him to the ground. Eval got two kicks, one in the stomach and one in the head, as Tivann used him as a launch pad to backflip into the air. He sent Obi-Wan into a nearby wall with the Force and came down behind Twazzi. Seconds later, she slid to the ground with a broken neck, and Tivann said, "Now we're not one hunter over."
Dooku had been watching the entire time and said, "No, we're not. But you still work for Bane. Does anyone have a problem with that?"
Everyone shook their heads as they picked themselves up, and Bane said, "Now that we're all on the same page, let's get our weapons and get to the transport. We have work to do," nodding at Tivann in acknowledgment of his skills and knowing it would be a bad idea to cross him again.
Tivann nodded back and followed Bane out of the Box, with Eval staring in complete hatred of Tivann, while Obi-Wan shook his head and followed them as well, wondering how long Tivann's silence would be kept. It would mean more trust in him if Tivann did rat him out, and the fact he hadn't yet was making Obi-Wan wary of whatever his plan was. As Tivann passed Obi-Wan, he nodded in respect to the disguised Jedi, and immediately Obi-Wan's defenses went on alert.
There, in Tivann's eye, was a familiar glint that said he knew more of what was going on than he was letting on about.
He knew who Obi-Wan really was.
Far behind Seeker and Rey, the Jedi had stopped for a quick break to get some water and see what they could learn from the bug on Kit's lightsaber. It wasn't yielding anything of interest since Seeker and the girl with her just kept riding the animals deeper into the desert, and that was when Luminara asked, "Where are they going? There isn't any habitation of any kind for hundreds of kilometers. How does Seeker plan to keep them alive? Sooner or later they are going to run out of water. Digging under plants won't be enough," referring to the last time they had checked the feed and seen that Seeker had stopped and was digging for water at the base of a dune.
The Jedi had actually found it and collected water from there as well before continuing, and now that they had stopped Ki-Adi said quietly, "We can keep following them until we run out of fuel and then send for a gunship. Hopefully Seeker lets us catch up with them soon enough. The fact those animals are walking now means they are moving slower. We should catch up with them soon."
The others nodded and continued, all wondering what came next in this adventure and if they were ready for it.
Supreme Chancellor in peril! After surviving the ordeals of the Box, Obi-Wan Kenobi – working undercover as assassin Rako Hardeen – is invited to join Count Dooku's plot against Chancellor Palpatine. Working with a team of deadly bounty hunters, Obi-Wan travels to the planet of Naboo, where the Chancellor will preside over the Festival of Light. Now, as the Jedi Council and Count Dooku finalize their respective plans, a deadly confrontation seems inevitable….
Seeker and Rey had finally reached the mountains and disappeared inside with the Jedi right behind them. Unable to ride their speeders through the mountain pass the two had taken, they had gotten off and were walking them through the dark. Unable to know where they were going Ki-Adi, who was in the lead, said, "These passageways are often unmapped. I can only guess where we are going at this point."
"At least we are out from under the sun for a little bit," Aayla said as they kept walking, but a few seconds later she asked, "Do you hear that? It sounds like…." trailing off as she tried to pinpoint what exactly she was hearing.
"Water," Ki-Adi said as he stepped out of the passage and into paradise. The others were amazed when they stepped into the area, unable to believe a place of such beauty existed on such a barren world. A waterfall fell into a lake on one side, and trees and grass grew wild and free. Some of those trees were fruiting trees, and the grass was lush and thick. Seeing this the Jedi were amazed, with Luminara asking, "How is this possible?" as she looked around.
"A never-ending supply of water," Adi said as she stared at the waterfall, "And the mountains shield this place from the worst of the sun."
"Seeker must have come here because she knew it was here," Aayla said, "This place would be a good place to stop and rest. The fact it's so hard to find means she has been here before. She planned this, like she normally does."
"And is long gone," Master Plo said as he came back from having followed the trail of hoof prints through the area, "There are signs they stopped and rested here for a bit and then continued on. Some of the grass is shorter than the rest; the animals must be grazers and needed something to eat and drink. Another passageway leads out of the mountains that they went down."
"Let's see where they're going," Adi said as she followed Master Plo while guiding her speeder. They entered the passageway and continued, and after about an hour they were clear of the mountains and again out in the baking sun. But as they left the mountains they could see Seeker and the girl on their animals, and they were being harassed again by Sith. The Jedi immediately leaped onto their speeders and raced in that direction, but just as they got close the Ghost suddenly appeared and came in for a landing, the boarding ramp down. Seeing this Seeker called out, "Plenty Coup! Go home!"
The animal in question spun on his heels and raced for the ship as Seeker and her mount kept the Sith from following, Seeker taking out and igniting her lightsaber. She swung it around her hand as she raced behind the other animal, using her lightsaber and the animal she was riding to keep the Sith away, and the second he was onboard, the ramp was raised and the Ghost was taking off and heading for the atmosphere. The Sith tried to stop it, but now that Seeker didn't have to worry about Rey's safety, she could turn her full attention to the Sith and unleash an attack of her own. She called the Force to her and a storm of wind and sand came, blinding the Sith temporarily and giving her a chance to get away. She and her animal raced off, running around a nearby dune, the animal cutting around Adi's speeder with such agility it was incredible, and then they were running into the desert again.
The Jedi were able to follow just as quickly and were able to keep up with the animal for quite a while. The animal's long legs allowed her to have a ground-eating stride, and there were points when she galloped her hooves didn't touch the ground at all. She ran proud and fast, her nose in the air, and her rider was clearly skilled. Seeker rode her well, her body off the animal's back as she held on with just her feet, and her hands were halfway up the animal's neck to give her as much rein as possible. The animal was using everything she had, and as they watched she snorted before opening her mouth and letting out a guttural sound that was half-groan, half-whinny. Hearing this Seeker looked under her right arm and her eyes widened to see that the Sith were right behind them. But she knew what she was doing as she suddenly leaned to one side, and the animal cut to the right and headed west into the setting sun.
Everyone was blinded when she did that, and once their eyes cleared they looked, but she was gone. The Jedi looked at each other while the Sith cut west on their speeders and sped after her. But before the Jedi could do the same their speeders cut out and died, out of power and fuel, and Ki-Adi sighed and said, "We're going to have to call for a pickup. At least from the air we may be able to see where they are going."
The others nodded as Ki-Adi put the transmission through, while Adi got out the macrobinoculars and started looking to see where Seeker may be heading. But there was nothing as far as she could see, leaving her to wonder what would happen.
And how exactly Seeker planned to get off this planet if not even her ship knew where she was.
As this was happening, Obi-Wan was still disguised as Rako Hardeen and on Naboo getting ready to take part in a plot to capture the Chancellor. He, the bounty hunters with him, and Count Dooku had just taken over a warehouse and were getting ready to discuss the plan. Bane was in charge, and Tivann Fisto was watching everything with an intensity and wariness that was rather unnerving. Obi-Wan was positive Tivann knew he wasn't Hardeen, and it was difficult to tell what he would do or what he was waiting for. But there was no time to dwell on that as Dooku said, "This is it, my friends," joining them around their temporary table, "The day of reckoning for the Republic. I have it from a very reliable source that everything will happen exactly as we planned. Execute your roles as you've been instructed, and you will all be immortalized in history. Not to mention, rewarded with enough credits that you will never have to work again. I will let Cad Bane take it from here."
"Listen up," Bane said as he stepped up and flicked his toothpick away, "I'm only saying it once," throwing devices on the table that they all picked up, "Each device tells you your position and essential details about your part of the plot."
"Aren't you gonna tell us how all the pieces fit together?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned back to Bane, who only crossed his arms and said, "Derrown here is going to breach the shield. Moralo Eval is the getaway driver. Two of you will act as guards protecting the Chancellor," pointing at Embo and Tivann, who only nodded as Bane continued, "And you, Hardeen, are a sniper," picking up and passing him a weapon's case, "That's all you need to know. Once we have the Chancellor, the devices will lead you to the rendezvous point. Any questions?" there were none. Bane reached into his pocket and pulled out another device, "Now for our disguises. Everyone step back. This will get us into the inner circle. Step into the shadow hologram and you will receive your new identity," the four hunters doing as he said as he continued talking, "When you leave here, you will have no communication with the rest of the team. All right, then, get to your positions."
They all left then to get ready and blend in. As they were leaving, Dooku took Bane aside and said, "Well handled. I should have put you in charge long ago. A word of advice, though, keep an eye on Hardeen," as the two of them watched the others leave, "There's something about him I do not trust."
"Don't worry," Bane said, "I'm keeping my eye on all of them."
Bane left the warehouse then and started getting ready for his role, leaving the others to get to their positions. Once Obi-Wan was in position he was finally able to get in touch with Mace Windu, who was making sure security was in place. Receiving the transmission he went off to the side, saying quietly, "Obi-Wan, thank goodness you're alive."
"Yes, I've seen better days. I'm here, in Theed," Obi-Wan said as he started setting up his rifle, allowing Mace to ask, "So Dooku's plan is still on?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan said as he looked down the scope of his rifle before attaching it to the rifle, and Mace asked, "How are they planning to attack the Chancellor?"
"Three of the bounty hunters are disguised as Senate guards. One of them is Tivann Fisto, I'm afraid, and I think he knows I'm not Rako Hardeen," far below him, Mace frowned and asked, "Which brother is he?"
"Third eldest, I think, and apparently a rather skilled bounty hunter if Dooku is to be believed. I think he knows I'm not Rako Hardeen, but he hasn't exposed me for whatever reason, but it may just be a matter of time. Eval is the getaway driver and they have a Parwan that can pass through the ray shield. I have a sniper rifle. Don't worry. It's loaded with stun blasts. I'm supposed to immobilize the Chancellor, not kill him."
"Where are you?" Mace asked, trying to see how the pieces would fit together, and Obi-Wan responded, "In a tower overlooking the plaza."
"So the attack is going to take place outside," Mace realized as Obi-Wan stepped out onto a balcony and adjusted his rifle's scope.
"Yes," Obi-Wan confirmed, "From here, I can be your eye in the sky. I'll be able to tell you everything that's going on," using his rifle scope to zoom in on Mace and see where he was standing, "They will try to infiltrate the security area. Make sure you have someone double-check the guards' identities."
"That's going to take time," Mace said, knowing it wouldn't be easy with so many people and guards wandering about and getting ready for the festival. Obi-Wan could only say, "You'll have to do your best, my friend."
Mace couldn't do anything more about it, unaware that another plan was being set in motion. As Tivann slipped through the crowds, disguised as a guard, he made it to the guard staging area and started looking for a target. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for and followed a younger guard out of the area. Once out of sight of the staging area, he deactivated his disguise and kept following the guard, knowing how these things worked out: younger guards always got the lousiest assignments and the most out-of-the-way places to guard.
The rookie's lot was about to work in his favor.
Seconds after reaching his post, the guard suddenly became aware of someone else in the area, but just as he was turning around he found himself suddenly under the powerful control of another, and he wasn't even aware it had happened. The guard turned and walked back the way he came, Tivann taking his place and back in his disguise, watching through the guard's eyes as he met up with the disguised Embo and helped set the plan in motion. Embo didn't seem to mind the continued silence from the guard, and that was because Tivann had been silent for the majority of the last few days. Tivann only smiled to himself as he went back to his post, knowing no one was going to check on him and watching as the guard he had taken over helped further Dooku's plot.
Night eventually fell, and with it the Festival of Light began. Palpatine's speech was well-received, even though Bane thought it could use some work. After that, the Festival began, and it was all going well until Dooku's plan was put in motion, and then chaos broke loose. Even with Obi-Wan coordinating their response, they weren't able to completely stop the attack or the abduction, but they were able to catch on and stop the speeder that would have taken who they thought was the Chancellor. But taking off the helmet revealed the face of a Senate guard, surprising the bounty hunter there, revealing Embo didn't know who this person was either.
"That's not Tivann!" Mace exclaimed as he turned to Anakin, "Where'd he go?"
Anakin shook his head before saying suddenly, "If he's not the Chancellor, they must have another vehicle. Let's go!" turning and heading for another speeder to go after the Chancellor and Bane, while behind them, Tivann slipped through the running crowd like a ghost, no longer disguised as a guard. Minutes later, he was in the hangar where the Chancellor's personal escape ship was, and seconds later the ship was gone with him flying.
By the time anyone noticed, he would be long gone.
The Jedi on Jakku had finally gotten airborne and were searching the surrounding area for any sign of the Sith or Seeker. They were scouring the area with macrobinoculars and had been doing so for some time. It had been almost a day since they had been left behind when their speeders had run out of power, and now they were playing catch up as best they could. As they were flying, Aayla said, "Seeker might have left by now. She knows the area; she must have another rendezvous point somewhere."
"Maybe," Master Plo said, "But we should still do our due diligence."
Aayla nodded while Adi continued to scan the area. Seconds later, she was looking more closely at something before asking, "What's that?" pointing at a spot a few klicks northwest of their position. The others all looked, and it was silent for a few moments before Ki-Adi said, "Pilot, put us down as close as you can get."
"Yes, sir!" the pilot said, and a few minutes later the gunship was touching down between two dunes, and the Jedi disembarked. The clones stayed behind as the Jedi walked through a field of bodies. These bodies were dressed all in black and clearly the Sith who had followed Seeker. Every single one of them was in several pieces, their arms and legs ripped off or badly mangled, and they were all dead. A few had died quickly, while others hadn't. Their faces were frozen in terror and fear at whatever it was they had seen before death took them.
But that wasn't what had the Jedi's attention, even though it was disturbing enough. What had their attention was the sight of Seeker. She was sitting on the ground, the animal she had ridden collapsed on her left side, groaning and clearly in pain. Seeker had her knee on the animal's neck, keeping her still, and was just stroking her neck to keep her calm. The animal suddenly raised her head when she sensed the Jedi come closer, but Seeker calmed her and pushed her head back down onto the sand, and that was when the Jedi could see her left front leg.
It was bent, below the knee, at a strange angle, and there was clearly something wrong with it. There was some blood, but it was hard to tell if it was hers or the Sith from the outpost. The animal shifted and tried to get up again, and that was when Seeker said softly, "Easy, Aineislis, easy. You're okay, you're okay," still stroking her neck and keeping her calm.
The animal snorted and whinnied before groaning again, clearly in pain, and the Jedi felt sorry for her at the sight. They walked over, but seconds later they were recoiling as a force field sprung up and kept them away. This field was made of the Force, like the one Seeker had made around herself on Florrum, but was much larger and stronger. It kept them away, and they could only watch as she stayed with the animal, not leaving her side.
There was blood on Seeker's face and arms, revealing she had likely been the one to kill the Sith scattered around, and looking around the area, Ki-Adi noticed something and said, "I think she fell down the dune," nodding at the nearby dune where skid and slide marks were visible in the otherwise smooth surface. There was a great disturbance in the sand where the animal must have flipped over and snapped her leg on the way down.
Aayla shook her head when she saw that, and they went back to watching Seeker and her animal as Seeker kept her calm. A few moments later, a sudden downdraft caught their attention, and the Ghost de-cloaked as it came in for a landing behind Seeker and her animal. Seeker only glanced over her shoulder for a moment before turning her attention back to the animal, who had let out a squeal of alarm before Seeker settled her. Minutes later, the boarding ramp came down and a being exited the ship.
Whatever race they were was hidden under a cloak, cowl, and fabric wrapped over their mouth and nose. They came over to Seeker, kneeling for a brief moment to stroke the animal's neck with a gloved hand before looking at the mangled leg. They gently picked it up and looked it over closely before holding it between their hands with the Force, and the Jedi could feel the planet's life force come forward as healing energy. That energy rushed into her leg and soothed the pain, but also set bones and repaired torn tendons and ligaments and sinew.
The animal let out another squeal of pain before settling as the pain went away, and seconds later it was done as the cloaked being stepped back. Between them and Seeker they were able to get the animal on her feet without putting too much weight on her damaged leg, and after Seeker had checked it, she nodded in thanks to her companion. The animal only shook her entire body to get the sand off and then followed Seeker onto the Ghost. She was limping heavily and clearly in pain, but she followed her rider faithfully onto the ship. Moments later, the ship had cloaked again and taken off, and the Jedi returned to the gunship, knowing there was no way to track the ship. As they walked, Adi said, "Seeker keeps getting stranger and stranger. This mission it was that animal, and now it was another companion of hers. That wasn't Ventress, so who was it?"
"Someone well-trained in the Force," Luminara said, "And more than capable of healing such a severe wound. And that girl Seeker came here for? What does she have to do with anything?"
"Many questions we have every time we meet Seeker," Ki-Adi said quietly, "And there are never any answers. And there is the question of the Sith; where do they keep coming from? And how did they know she was here in the first place?"
Adi shook her head as they boarded the gunship and it took off, heading for the cruiser waiting for them above the planet, but there were no more answers to be had since the ship that had brought the Sith was gone as well, and they started the journey back to Coruscant. By the time they got there, the mission from Naboo should be wrapped up as well and there would be a report from Master Kenobi to hear.
Far away from Jakku and Kit's lightsaber, Seeker briefly met up with another ship to hand Rey over. After the two ships connected, she led Rey to the docking tube, which opened to reveal another woman. She smiled when she saw Seeker, and it softened considerably when she saw Rey. Rey only smiled shyly before looking at Seeker, who nodded as the other woman said, "Hello, Rey. My name is Sundali Abazza."
Rey looked at her when she said that, knowing that name, and Sundali continued as she crouched down, "Your mother was my distant cousin, and your father was a friend. They asked if I would be willing to take care of you if something ever happened to them."
"They aren't coming back?" Rey asked quietly, and Sundali's expression became pained as she said, "No, sweetheart, they aren't. I wish they were, if only to see you one more time," she paused a moment before saying quietly, "I know I'm not your mother, my dear, and that I can never replace her. But would you like me to take care of you? If not we can find someone else."
Rey hesitated before looking up at Seeker, but the half-Nautolan didn't say anything or even look at her, knowing she couldn't influence Rey one way or the other. After a few minutes, Rey looked back at Sundali and asked, "Are you sure you want me?"
"Oh, yes, I am," Sundali said immediately, "I will be more than happy to look after you. I live somewhere that is incredible and beautiful, and I'm sure you will like it. There are other children there too, so you will have plenty of friends."
Rey was silent for a few more moments before finally nodding and saying, "If you want me, I guess so."
Sundali smiled softly and said, "More than anything, my dear, more than anything," holding out her hand. Rey took it and followed Sundali onto her ship, both looking back at Seeker before the door closed and the ships disconnected. Seeker nodded to herself when she saw that and headed for the bridge where Spitz was getting ready to get them to Home Base.
While they were going to the same place as Sundali, Seeker had decided that Rey traveling with Sundali would give them time to talk and bond while she dealt with the animals she had brought to Jakku.
And there was the fact that when the animals were on board, it was impossible to jump straight into the hangar bay since it would make them fall or hurt themselves, leaving them with no other choice but to go a bit more slowly.
Sundali would probably be back before they were.
Safely back at the Temple, the Jedi and Chancellor met in the communication center. Dooku's plan had failed, and even though he had escaped, he wasn't a threat to the Chancellor anymore. Obi-Wan wasn't there yet but on his way; turning back into himself had taken a bit longer than expected, but as this was happening the Chancellor asked, "What about the guard that took the place of Tivann Fisto? Was he involved?"
"Not willingly, Chancellor," Mace said, "From what we can see Tivann used the Force to take over his mind and do his bidding."
"And was fairly successful," a familiar voice said, and they all turned to see Obi-Wan was back to normal. He joined them, nodding at Yoda and Mace before saying, "I didn't even notice the switch."
"And Tivann didn't tell Dooku you weren't the real Rako Hardeen," Mace said, "That makes no sense to me."
"Me neither," Obi-Wan said as he stroked his beard, "But perhaps that promise he made to his brother held true. Why he would go to all that trouble and then not participate in your abduction still doesn't make any sense to me, though. Perhaps he caught on to Dooku betraying us and decided not to get caught by cutting his losses?" as he looked at the Chancellor.
"Perhaps his brother can tell us?" the Chancellor asked, and Mace turned to Ahsoka, who said sadly, "I'm sorry, Master, but Master Fisto is still comatose."
Mace shook his head while the rest of the Council, Anakin and Rig Nema, murmured among themselves for a few moments. The Chancellor looked sympathetic as he said, "As much as I would like answers regarding whatever Master Fisto was doing, I would like it even more if he survived his wounds. There has been no change in his condition?" as he looked at Ahsoka.
Ahsoka shook her head, "Not since I last checked before the Festival of Light. I was just about to check again when this meeting was called."
"No time like the present, Snips," Anakin said, and with a nod from Mace, Ahsoka activated the feed from R6. The image that appeared on the holotable was the same as before; Kit was still in a coma and unable to breathe on his own. He was completely still and there was no one there, but a few moments later voices could be heard, and then Tivann and Quinlan Vos walked in, Quinlan saying, "So let me get this straight: you followed Obi-Wan, who you knew was disguised as Rako Hardeen, Bane, and Eval, from Coruscant to Nal Hutta to Serenno to Naboo, all to steal a ship?"
The Jedi looked around at each other when they heard that, unaware that Tivann had known about their plan and had been following it every step of the way, but turned back to watching the feed as Tivann shrugged and sat down gently on his brother's bed, "I would have gone after the Chancellor for any price if Tarkin had been there as well. Maybe even for free."
Hearing that, the Chancellor turned to Mace, who said quietly, "That is disturbing to hear. We may need to suggest some security for Captain Tarkin the next time he is on Coruscant."
No one seemed thrilled with that idea because many Jedi felt he was responsible for Kit's current condition, but there was no time to dwell on it as Quinlan asked Tivann, "What are you planning to do with that ship anyways?"
"I've already done something with it," Tivann said as Quinlan settled in a nearby chair, "It's been stripped and everything medically useful has been transferred to Home Base," the Chancellor narrowed his eyes when he heard that since it was his personal ship that had everything it could possibly need in case he suffered a medical emergency during a journey that had been stolen, but there was no time to comment about it as Tivann continued, "Everything else that wasn't of value medically was sold and the money given to those less fortunate on a nearby planet. It will feed them for several months if they spend it wisely."
Quinlan raised an eyebrow when he heard that and asked, "So you rob from the rich to give to the poor?"
Tivann only shrugged before reaching out and resting his fingertips on his brother's forehead and temple, closing his eyes as he did so. Quinlan fell silent when he did that, but a few minutes later he opened his eyes and shook his head, and that was when Quinlan said, "I've already done that but I can't find him. Did you have any luck?"
Tivann shook his head again as he ran the back of his hand gently over his brother's forehead, once again surprising the Jedi that such a ruthless bounty hunter could be so careful and gentle when he wanted to be, "No, I did not. Wherever his mind is wandering is beyond our reach," he looked sadly at his brother before saying quietly, "Where are you wandering, bràthair beag?" before turning to Quinlan and saying, "If he wants to survive, he will have to do it on his own now. There is no one to help him, especially if not even Kailan can reach him. I wish I had done this sooner, but it is never easy after I have killed someone; the Force takes a few days to settle down and make peace with what I did. After he was injured, I was called for a rather messy job in the Unknown Regions, and my employer wasn't the kind of person who tolerated excuses. I was already pushing it by asking to be a few hours late. I only got back a few days ago and then had to do the job on Naboo."
Quinlan shook his head when he heard that but didn't ask what the job in the Unknown Regions was, instead asking, "How do you know how to do that? And better question: the Senate guard whose mind you took over, is he okay? I know you have a habit of destroying minds, did that one survive what you did to it?"
Hearing that the Jedi were shocked that Quinlan would ask such a thing and that it apparently was in the realm of possibility when it came to the brothers, but Tivann only smiled slightly and said quietly, "Yes, he did survive. I only destroy a mind when I don't want anyone to find me. And as for how I can do that, we are all Force-sensitive and have various talents with the Force. I can take over a mind and have it do my bidding while seeing what that person is seeing, some of my other brothers are skilled trackers, Lyzann can look at you and know everything there is to know about you, and Actava can see your future just by looking at you. Naharen can control the weather on any planet from any distance, at any time. It's what he did when Lorelei and her mother lived on Senali for a few months; he used his abilities to create a fog bank that only a few could see through to what lay beyond. And that's just a few of us. The other's abilities are a bit more interesting and more powerful. But they come with thousands of years of discipline and practice. I prefer to take over minds only when I have to, and I usually just erase the person's memory of me so they are oblivious to what I did with them. If I destroy their lives in the process?" he shrugged and said, "Oh well."
"Hence the nickname the Destroyer," Quinlan muttered before turning to look at Kit and asking, "Does he have a chance?"
Tivann stared at him before turning to watch his brother breathe and said, "I don't believe in chance, very few of us do, but he might have a hope. He just needs to decide to fight and wake up, and then there will be no stopping him," Quinlan nodded, but before he could ask more questions Tivann said quietly, "Now, leave me with my brother for a while, please. I would like to speak with him alone. Even if he doesn't hear me, I need to say these words alone."
Quinlan nodded and left, saying quietly, "Come on, buddy, you're not needed for this conversation either," but R6 didn't move for a few moments before seeming to wake up and beep a couple of times. He followed Quinlan, using his little rocket boosters to get up the steps and out into the hallway. Once they were out, Quinlan headed deeper into the base, taking a lift up a few levels and eventually coming to a door that was guarded by two clones. He entered, but before the door closed, he turned to R6 and said, "Sorry, pal, but droids aren't allowed in the command center or the communication center. You'll have to wait out here," before walking in and the door shutting behind him.
R6 didn't respond, looking between the two clones who were watching him intently. After a few minutes of this, Ahsoka had R6 go over to the wall and wait there since it was clear the clones weren't going to let him in. As this happened, Mace said quietly, "It's in the hands of the Force now. Let us hope Master Fisto is strong enough to survive this and come back."
There were nods and murmurs heard all around, and then Aayla asked, "Why aren't droids allowed in those areas of their base? Those seem to be the two places where they would be most needed."
"Perhaps it's to keep information from falling into the wrong hands," Master Plo guessed, "If the droids don't know what is going on in there, then if they're ever captured they can't be used against the base."
It was silent for a few moments before Yoda said, "Despite this, successful the mission was. Safe, the Chancellor is."
The Chancellor nodded and turned to Obi-Wan, saying, "And I must thank you for your work, Master Kenobi. I truly do appreciate it."
"You're welcome, Chancellor," Obi-Wan said with a slight bow of his head, "But there is one thing that did disturb me about this mission, and that was Tivann."
"What about him, Master Kenobi?" Ki-Adi asked, and Obi-Wan said, "Tivann knew I wasn't Rako Hardeen," he looked up at those gathered there, "He knew the entire time and didn't say anything to anyone about it."
"We are aware of this, Master Kenobi," Mace said, and Obi-Wan stroked his beard and said, "After we were done in the Box, Tivann actually nodded at me. I could see that it was a sign of respect, and there was a rather familiar glint in his eyes that said he knew more of what was going on than anyone else. I'm sure we've all seen that glint before," looking at those there, many of whom nodded since they had seen it in Master Fisto's eyes in the past, and Obi-Wan continued, "It was disconcerting; him thinking I was apparently a good bounty hunter even though he knew I was a Jedi."
"Worry about it; you should not," Yoda said quietly, "A Jedi you are, Master Kenobi, not a bounty hunter. A bounty hunter, you will never be."
Obi-Wan nodded but still looked bothered by it and was silent as Master Plo and those that had gone with him to Jakku relayed all that had happened there. When they were done, the Chancellor said, "I would like to see these animals myself, if possible."
"Perhaps Seeker is with them?" Luminara asked, and Ahsoka looked at Mace. Seeing his nod, she switched the feeds to Kit's lightsaber, and they were rewarded with the sight of Seeker leading one of the animals from Jakku through what looked like a barn with stalls, equipment, and feed rooms on both sides. Seeing him, the Jedi who hadn't seen him and the Chancellor were amazed, especially when they saw how beautiful he was with his patterned coat; Mace saying, "I've never seen anything like that before," turning to Yoda, who shook his head at the sight.
They went back to watching the feed and saw Seeker lead the animal to two poles about two and a half meters apart just outside the barn, with shade cloths above to block the light. The poles were set into a large concrete slab. A coiled hose was nearby, and there were buckets, sponges, and various bottles of different shapes and sizes along a shelf on the barn wall. She led the animal between the poles and had him stand there, his reins trailing on the ground. He stayed there as she left him and went into a nearby room full of saddles, bridles, and grooming supplies like brushes and combs. She grabbed a strangely fashioned piece of leather and headed back to the animal. Once there, she undid the bridle straps and removed the bridle, the animal licking his lips as the bit was removed from his mouth. He jerked his head and neck, and Seeker winced when he did that, saying, "Easy, boy, I know it hurts," putting the other leather device on his head and strapping it on. It fit well and was similar to a bridle but didn't have a bit, and there were two large rings on either side near his nostrils and under his mouth. There were also two rings near his cheeks, under his eyes, and one at his throat.
Two ropes were attached to the poles and had clips on the ends. Those were clipped onto the rings at his mouth, and the animal stayed calm as he was left there for a few moments. Seeker went and put the bridle on a hanging rack near the equipment room door, coming back and turning on the hose. As they watched, she started rinsing the animal off, and it was clear the animal was enjoying it. He closed his eyes and sighed, not even minding when the hose stream went between his front and rear legs. One hind leg was cocked and resting, his weight on the other back leg, and after a few minutes of this Seeker faced him and bent the hose so that the water pressure was nothing more than a strong trickle. She then rinsed off his face, making him open his eyes but not react other than lapping up some of the water that made it into his mouth. Seeker smiled when he did that before moving on, filling a bucket with water and some soap from a bottle nearby. There were already sponges in the bucket, and once it was ready she started bathing the animal, scrubbing strongly to get the sand, dirt, and sweat off. He truly relaxed then, sighing heavily, and Seeker said quietly, "You've definitely earned a sigh or two after the day you've had, Plenty Coup. As well as all the spoiling you can get."
The animal didn't react, and Anakin said, "'Plenty Coup' seems like a strange name for a kind of animal."
"I think that's his name, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, "I don't think it's the name of his species."
"I've never seen anything like it," Dr. Boll said as she watched this via hologram, "I'll ask my friends in the scientific community if they know what that is."
The Chancellor nodded before turning back to watch as Seeker kept bathing the animal. She had taken a strange, curved tool out of her pocket and picked up the animal's hoof, cleaning out sand and dirt with it. She did this with all of them, checking his legs for anything abnormal and finding nothing as she washed them, turning his white marks pearly white after getting the sand off. She went to his tail then, taking a comb and combing out the snarls and tangles after washing it with soapy water, doing the same with the hair on his neck a few minutes later, it taking a bit longer because it was twice as long as his neck was wide. As she was washing his belly, taking a handful of soap and cleaning between his back legs as well, she looked up and asked, "Here to help, Rey?" turning and walking over to where the little girl she had taken from Jakku was standing.
The girl looked at her before asking, "What is he?" as she walked over and started petting his nose, and Plenty Coup woke up and nuzzled her hair. She giggled when that happened and he did it again, and Seeker smiled, "He really likes you," she cocked her head then and said, "They're horses. Not from the Forest Moon of Endor or Kef Bir. They come from another planet very far away, where I lived for a few years. They are smart, beautiful, powerful animals that are also incredibly gentle when they want to be. As you can see," as Plenty Coup nuzzled Rey's cheek with his soft lips, "Plenty Coup here is by far our gentlest one. He's so laid-back and easygoing it's hard not to like him. And it's really hard for him not to like anyone. But he's also one of our faster ones, as well as pretty fearless. There isn't much he won't do, and he likes to push his endurance and speed to the limit. His breed of horse is built for agility and endurance, but he's mixed with another breed meant for speed."
"Really?" Rey asked as she played with the bit of long hair resting on his forehead before asking, "What's this?" pulling at the hair.
"That's his forelock," Seeker said, "And the hair on his neck is his mane. He doesn't have any feeling in either, or his tail, so if you grab it too hard or yank it out, it doesn't hurt him. But I wouldn't because it takes a long time to grow back. When we're done bathing him you can help me braid his mane if you like. He's the only horse here that'll let you do it; the others don't really have the patience for it."
Rey nodded enthusiastically and helped as Seeker kept using the sponges and soapy water on Plenty Coup. Between the two of them, they were done pretty quickly, with Rey asking at one point, "Are they called boy-horses and girl-horses?" before laughing as Plenty Coup suddenly shook his entire body and sent water and soap flying everywhere.
"Gee, thanks, buddy," Seeker said sarcastically, wiping soap foam off her face and out of her hair, but there was no bite in her words as she turned to Rey and said, "The males are called stallions; the females are called mares. The babies are called foals."
Rey nodded thoughtfully, but there wasn't much time to think about it as Seeker picked up the bucket of soapy water and poured it all over Plenty Coup, starting from just behind his ears. That was a mistake because he snorted and flung his head up, eyes wide and clearly hurting somewhere, but that was all he did. After a few seconds the stinging went away and he settled, and that was when Seeker said quietly, "Sorry, buddy, I forgot about that," as she took up the hose and started rinsing the soap and water off him. Rey was on the other side while she did this and suddenly squealed and said, "Hey, stop it!" laughing as she did so when she started getting soaked. Seeker smiled when she heard that and kept washing the soap off, occasionally getting Rey wet, and it became a fun game that continued until they were done. Once they were done and the hose was off, Seeker turned to Rey and said, "You better go get dried off and changed. You can finish helping me when you get back."
Rey nodded and almost left before suddenly doubling back and hugging Plenty Coup's nose. The horse didn't seem to mind and let her, and then she was gone. Seeker watched her leave before sighing, her smile disappearing as she turned to Plenty Coup's neck and said, "Now let's see what we're dealing with here," moving his mane from the right side of his neck to his left, revealing a deep cut that was almost as long as his neck. Seeing it, Seeker shook her head before scratching his cheek and saying, "You are a saint, my friend, for putting up with this the last few days and letting yourself be run ragged with it. Let's get this cleaned up."
Plenty Coup only turned an ear back to hear her words but didn't do anything else as she went back into the equipment room and collected some supplies. Coming back out, she used gauze and disinfectant to clean up the cut before taking out a syringe and injecting small doses around the cut. Seeing this, Master Nema said, "That must be a nerve block or something, so he doesn't feel whatever she has to do next."
The others only watched as Seeker capped the syringe and put it down before picking up a needle and suture material. As she was getting it ready, Tristan appeared and said, "Thought I would see how everyone's favorite horse is holding up," stroking Plenty Coup's head as he watched Seeker work, reaching up and massaging his ear, making the horse lean into it for a few moments before a glare from Seeker made Tristan stop and scratch the horse's cheek instead so that his neck wasn't twisted while she was suturing the cut closed.
Seeker still smiled when she heard that, "He's as much a favorite as his rider," as she started stitching the cut closed. Plenty Coup's skin around the cut jumped a little but he didn't do anything else as she started stitching. It was a clean cut, just long and deep, and a few minutes later it was done and she was saying, "Twenty-five stitches later, and he's done. Let's put some antiseptic on it and then we can finish with him. It's time for him to join his friends."
Tristan nodded and stepped back as she rinsed Plenty Coup with the hose again, patting the stitches dry with a clean towel before using a plastic scrapper on the rest of his body to get the excess water off but avoided the cut side of his neck and not doing his legs. Once done with that, Seeker returned to the cut and got some medicine out. She applied it all over the cut, and Plenty Coup sighed and relaxed as the medicine started doing its job immediately. Seeing this, Tristan smiled and said, "I think he's enjoying this," nodding at Plenty Coup's closed eyes and the way his lower lip was hanging. He was also letting his head hang on the ropes, them taking his weight, but both them and the posts held firm.
"I think so too," Seeker said before looking at the cut and frowning, "Now all we have to do is keep the others from licking and chewing at it. Plenty Coup's so mellow he'll let them chew the stitches out. I've got something that tastes pretty bad, but I would have to bandage his neck, and he won't like that."
"How about some of this?" Tristan said as he held up a small container. Seeing what it was, Seeker raised an eyebrow and asked, "Wound-sealer? Are you sure?"
Tristan nodded, "I have more than enough. We just started using the new batch; this is a little leftover from the last one. No one would mind you using it for Plenty Coup. Go ahead."
Seeker stared at him before slowly nodding and applying the wound-sealer to the cut. After a few minutes, it was done and Tristan was saying, "That should keep dirt and dust out for the next couple of months."
"Thanks for that, Tristan," Seeker said as she took a small spray bottle and sprayed the contents around the cut, "And this should keep everyone away from it and let it heal. It might scar, but since his mane always falls to the right, it shouldn't be all that noticeable. The fact it was stitched will help as well," moving Plenty Coup's mane back to his right side.
Tristan nodded as she went into the equipment room and picked up a bottle of something else and some cloth wraps. Coming out, she started pouring the contents of the bottle onto Plenty Coup's lower left front leg after drying it with a towel, crouching down as she did so. She started rubbing it in and making sure it was going all over his lower leg and then wrapped the cloth around his leg. The larger, white wrap went on first and was held in place by a thinner, darker wrap held in place by a long piece of tape. After that, she moved on to the other front leg, repeating the process. As this was happening, Tristan asked, "Why do you do that? Does it really help?" sounding curious about what she was doing and unknowingly asking questions the Jedi wanted answers to.
Seeker nodded as she wrapped the other front leg, "Yes, it does. This feels good to them, overnight, because it keeps their legs from getting swollen. Plenty Coup has good legs," moving on to a back leg, "I mean there's not a lot of wear and tear on them, and we try to keep it that way. We wrap them when we run the horses hard or their legs aren't doing too well. It keeps them from getting swollen or the horses from accidentally injuring them. It's really hard to fix a lame horse, and the injury usually comes back after a while. That's what's going on with Aineislis right now; that leg of hers wasn't that great before, and now it's broken. I might be able to fix it; I might not. But there is no way I'm giving up on her just yet. She deserves better than that."
Tristan nodded and watched as she finished up with both back legs just as Rey came back in a dry tunic. She came over boldly behind Plenty Coup, and Seeker turned to her and said, "Next time, Rey, make sure you run your hand along his side, or the side of any horse you are around, so that he knows where you are. Horses can't see directly in front of or directly behind them, and they usually kick if something is in either of those blind spots. He won't, because it's not in his nature, but other horses might."
Rey nodded and followed Seeker as she returned to Plenty Coup's head and started braiding his mane. Tristan found a box for Rey so that she could reach his mane, and between the three of them his mane was quickly done, tied with white ribbons. Once they were finished, Seeker turned to Rey and said, "Time to let him go have some fun with his friends," she smiled suddenly, "After we give him a little something for being so good and patient with us."
"What are we giving him?" Rey asked, and Seeker smiled again before reaching into a nearby bag and pulling out a long, what-looked-like-orange vegetable. She turned to Rey and said, "This is from their homeworld; it's a carrot. It's his favorite, and luckily for them we are able to grow them here. We would have some very unhappy horses on our hands if we couldn't," easily snapping it in half and catching Plenty Coup's attention. He turned his head as much as possible before the ropes stopped him, ears forward in interest, and started making low nickering sounds in his throat, asking for the treat. Seeker chuckled at the sight before walking over and holding her hand flat, the carrot in the center of her palm. Plenty Coup immediately put his head down and started eating it, crunching and savoring it as the juice ran over his tongue. He finished it quickly and was looking for more, and Rey gave him the other piece the same way Seeker had. The horse ate it quickly but was still looking for more, and that was when Seeker said, "Don't be greedy," but there was laughter in her voice as she attached a rope to the bottom ring on the leather thing on his head before unclipping him from the two posts and turning him around, walking him outside of the barn and away from the shade cloths.
Once outside, the Jedi and Chancellor were surprised to see that the barn was actually a passway building with one exit out into the green area of Home Base and the other that went into the other parts of the base. The green parts of Home Base were actually beautiful, and it looked like there was an actual sky and clouds. All around them was grass and rolling hills, and a lake glinted off in the distance out of range of the lightsaber bug. There were also trees and bushes, and birds and insects were heard all around. Seeing this, Rey was surprised before running off to the top of a hill to get a better look, Seeker and Tristan following along at a much slower pace with Plenty Coup between them. As they walked Tristan suddenly asked offhandedly, "So….did you tell Rey what horses are called? Mares and stallions?"
Seeker nodded, and Tristan smiled suddenly and asked, "Did you tell her what stallions that are no longer stallions are called?"
"You mean geldings?" Seeker asked as she walked, not looking at the Nautolan, "No, I did not. I didn't think explaining what castrating a horse means was the kind of conversation to be had with a six-year-old," everyone watching the feed wholeheartedly agreeing, "You're welcome to it if you want though. Just be ready for a stern lecture about the appropriateness of such a conversation from your mate and everyone else here later."
Tristan nodded but didn't look too concerned before asking, "Is Plenty Coup castrated? He seems too mellow to be a stallion."
"No, he isn't," Seeker said, "But that's because he is so mellow and easygoing. If he were aggressive and overbearing, he would be. He takes after his rider quite a bit."
Tristan nodded again, and it was quiet for a bit longer as they finally reached the nearby hill and Seeker let out a whistle. It was quiet for a few minutes, but then the sound of pounding hooves was heard and she turned to Plenty Coup, "Go ahead, old friend, we'll call you when we need you," removing the leather on his head and letting him go. The horse shook his head before turning his head and nuzzling her hand. He trotted down the hill, his tail held up a bit, and headed for the lake in the distance. Seeing him leave, Tristan said, "You take good care of him."
"He's my father's horse, Tristan," Seeker said quietly as she watched Plenty Coup leave, "I promised him I would take care of him, and I intend to keep that promise."
The Jedi were surprised to hear Seeker mention anything about her family, but Tristan didn't push her on the subject and only nodded as they kept watching the horse, clearly knowing not to ask too many questions. Once he was out of range of the lightsaber bug and apparently out of sight of them Seeker turned to Rey, who looked a bit sad that he was gone, and said, "They won't go far, Rey. They'll appear when it's time for dinner. Horses are creatures of habit and love their oats."
Rey nodded when she heard that and followed them back into the barn. Between the three of them, the barn was cleaned up, Seeker cleaning and oiling the bridle Plenty Coup had used before putting it away, and then Seeker entered a stall while the others hung back. Inside that stall was the black horse she had been riding, so black she almost disappeared into the shadows, lying upright on the ground in a thick pile of bedding. She had a blanket on and her legs were also wrapped, but the injured leg had a bandage instead of a cloth wrap. She had the same bridle-type thing on her head, with Rey asking, "What is that?" pointing at the leather.
Seeker answered, "It's a halter. With it, we can lead them around and catch them without having to use a bit and bridle. Aineislis doesn't like them but will tolerate them if she has to. And right now she has to while that leg heals," turning to the mare's legs. The one she had injured was propped up on a pillow and she was resting quietly. When Seeker kneeled down in the bedding and gently stroked her head she woke up a bit, nickering tiredly before going back to sleep, and Seeker then reached for the leg and wrap. She checked that the wrap was snug and comfortable before adjusting the pillow and rubbing the horse's neck after she was done. Seeing this, Rey asked, "Is she going to be okay?"
"She will be," Seeker said, "She just needs to rest that leg," looking up and smiling as Lorelei suddenly appeared. The Jedi were pleased to see her too, and the Chancellor smiled at the sight of the young girl. She was smiling a bit, but her eyes looked sad, and it was clear she was still sad about what was happening with her father. She was braver than Rey, though, because she went straight into the stall and hugged the horse's neck, who woke up and nickered a little before nuzzling her and going back to sleep. Lorelei turned to Seeker then and asked, "A bheil Aineislis gu bhith ceart gu leòr?"
Seeker nodded and Lorelei breathed a sigh of relief before reaching out. In her hand were a few sugar cubes, and the horse woke up the second she smelled them and eagerly ate them, being incredibly careful of Lorelei's small fingers as she did so by just using her lips to pick them up. Once the cubes were gone, she licked Lorelei's hand, who giggled at the amount of horse slobber covering it. She stood up then and left the stall, washing the slobber off in a bucket of water. Lorelei came back soon enough and started tugging at Rey's hand, saying something the other girl clearly didn't understand.
"She wants you to go with her, Rey," Seeker translated, "and explore the base. There are lots of fun things for you to do."
"I don't know what she's saying," Rey said quietly, and Seeker turned to her and said, "You will soon enough. Go ahead and have some fun. Lorelei can make anyone forget their troubles for a little while. Go ahead."
That encouragement seemed to be all she needed, and Rey nodded before leaving with Lorelei, Lorelei chattering away excitedly. Once they were gone, Tristan chuckled and shook his head from where he was leaning on the open stall door, saying, "Those two are going to the deaths of all of us. Twenty credits Lorelei has Rey out of her shell and pulling a prank in ten minutes or less."
"Forty says the prank in question involves Tazeki," Seeker said as she stood up and brushed the shavings and bedding off her skirt and trousers, "She's the only one that can get away with pranking him without getting a black eye for her troubles," she paused a moment before adding, "Well….her and her father can get away with it."
Tristan snorted when he heard that but then asked, "Aineislis, huh? Interesting name."
Seeker nodded, "I think it suits her."
"'Glorious Stand?'" Tristan translated, "Seems a little on the nose if you ask me," as he stepped away from the stall and let Seeker out, Seeker shutting the door behind her so Aineislis couldn't leave until she was healed.
"Well, I didn't," Seeker said a bit snappishly as they started to walk out of the barn, heading into the base and away from the green area, "And it fits her when she's healthy. I only brought her here a few weeks ago, and you haven't seen her when she's strong and running. Then her name fits her."
"Think that leg will be alright?" Tristan asked, and Seeker shrugged, "I think so, if she rests it enough. Although if it's not better soon, I may take her to a place I know can help. Might bring the others along for some fun as well. I think they'll enjoy getting out of Home Base for a little while."
Tristan shrugged when he heard that before waving goodbye and turning left down another corridor. Seeker kept walking straight but hadn't gone far when there was a sudden crash, followed by someone yelling, "LORELEI!"
Hearing that, the Jedi looked at each other in concern, but Seeker only turned to look behind her for a moment before saying, "Yeah….I don't want to know," and kept walking. Seconds later, Lorelei and Rey charged past her with Tazeki right on their heels, and Seeker smiled in amusement before saying, "Tristan owes me forty credits," as she kept walking.
Seeing this, the Jedi were actually amused, with Luminara saying, "I almost want to know what they did," doing her best to hold in her laughter.
Chancellor Palpatine smiled and said, "Something drastic, I think, if that was the reaction."
Yoda smiled and shook his head when he heard that, and a few minutes later Seeker had arrived outside the doors R6 was still waiting outside of. Seeing him, Seeker raised an eyebrow but kept walking, entering the communication center. The doors closed behind her, and the signal went dead, leaving Ahsoka scrambling for a few moments before shaking her head and saying, "I'm sorry, Master, they must have a scrambler in place to keep us from seeing inside."
"Alright, it is, Padawan Tano," Yoda said, "Saw more than expected; we did."
Ahsoka nodded before falling silent, and it was quiet for a few minutes before Yoda shook his head and said, "Another person there was, on Jakku?" as he turned to Luminara.
Luminara nodded, "Yes, Master, but they were disguised and there was no way to see what race they were. They also hid their presence in the Force, so we couldn't sense if it was a man or a woman. Whoever they are, they know how to hide themselves."
Yoda nodded slowly as the Chancellor said, "Seeker has certainly made things more interesting for all of us if she is from a planet we don't know about. Tracking down her family will probably be as productive as finding Home Base. But since there is no point in me getting a ship that no longer exists back, I think I will retire to my home and get some rest. Thank you for your efforts the last few days, Master Jedi; I greatly appreciate it."
With that Palpatine bowed his head and left, the Senate guards following him and making sure he got home safely. Once he was gone, Saessee Tiin said quietly, "It seems we are falling farther and farther behind Seeker once more. We don't know what she wants with that girl or what the purpose of those animals are, and we are still no closer to finding Home Base."
"Or determining where these Sith keep coming from," Master Plo added, "They are able to find Seeker more easily than we can, and yet I think she knew they were coming after her this time. I think they wanted the girl, Rey."
"Why?" Anakin asked, but before anyone could think of answering or coming up with another question, Yoda suddenly felt something and bowed his head.
"Master?" Mace asked, and a few seconds later, Yoda said, "A disturbance in the Force, there is. Reached out to me, Seeker did."
"What?" Ki-Adi asked in surprise, knowing this was the first time she had reached out to any of them in such a fashion. Everyone else was similarly surprised, but Yoda didn't notice as he said, "On Naboo, she will be. Four days."
"Are you sure, Master?" Anakin asked quietly, and Yoda nodded, saying, "Send a small team we will, see what she wants we will. Detain her, if possible, they should."
"The Chancellor will want to include Captain Tarkin or Captain Thrawn," Master Plo said suddenly, "He will want to make sure everything is carried out as smoothly as possible."
Yoda nodded and said, "Send a team we will to Naboo. Find out what we can, we will, but with caution proceed. Confronting Seeker, dangerous it is. Possibly deadly it is."
The Jedi gathered around agreed and the team was quickly decided on, leaving to begin preparations for the journey to Naboo, while Yoda stayed silent, wondering. Seeker had never reached out to him before, and now she wanted him to come to Naboo. Not anyone else, just him. Whatever she wanted him to see must be important, but he wouldn't fall for a trick from her. Something was going on, and he had no intention of being bait for a trap for her.
If she wanted something from him, she would have to come and get it.
Having arrived safely back at his apartments, Palpatine quickly dismissed his staff as soon as it was polite enough to do so. Once alone, his anger came to the fore, and it was difficult to control it. Once again, that woman had foiled his plans, and he was no closer to catching her or finding her. She knew how to disappear and she knew how to hide, and it was getting harder and harder to keep his rage under control every time she outmaneuvered him. This was getting ridiculous, and it was becoming a bigger problem than he was willing to deal with.
Dooku wouldn't be able to handle Seeker; he knew that, and the Jedi were starting to have less and less trust in him and the Senate after the incident with Kit Fisto and Tarkin. Using them to draw Seeker out was almost impossible because they would never go far enough to beat her, while she would do everything in her power to win. She was much like a Sith in that regard, but he still didn't know what gave her the drive to keep going.
It wasn't Kit Fisto or his daughter; he knew that, so what kept her going? And how could he use that to his advantage?
Maybe the answers were where it all started.
Maybe the answers were on Naboo.
Translations:
bràthair beag – little brother
A bheil Aineislis gu bhith ceart gu leòr? – Is Aineislis going to be okay?