Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.

CHAPTER 10

Rescue


Jedi Masters Aayla Secura and Mace Windu soared up through the gloomy atmosphere of Korriban in hot pursuit of the ship that they knew carried the imprisoned Obi-Wan Kenobi. Pushing her starfighters' thrusters to their full capabilities, Aayla sped after the fleeing vessel in hopes of stopping it before it could reach open space and jump into hyperspeed. Following the Twi'lek Jedi's lead, Mace did the same and they soon found themselves gaining on the Tartan-class patrol cruiser. Unfortunately, they both knew that infiltrating the craft would be no simple feat.

With the increased piracy and seditious activity that had accompanied the unstable times of the devastating Clone Wars, the famed Damorian Manufacturing Corporation had been tasked to develop a warship that would be able to tangle with small, fast-moving targets.

A versatile energy distribution network fed all of its point-defense weapons, allowing increased firepower to be channeled throughout the ship. This reallocation, though, came at the expense of deflector shield power. Early field tests had delivered lackluster results, requiring an advanced and expensive tracking system designed to follow and zero in on multiple fast moving targets at once. However, after numerous adjustments and modifications, the end result had been the very cruiser that the two Jedi were now chasing.

They had both recognized the distinct model of the cruiser the moment they had first laid eyes on it. From facts supplied during past diagnostic reports, they knew that the ship was equipped with multiple, fast-tracking laser cannon batteries and that it was small and agile enough to rival the maneuverability of their starfighters. It held many unique features that could work to their disadvantage, but they themselves had the advantage of being both highly skilled and well-trained pilots. On top of that, their vast knowledge of the enemy vessel could also prove useful. Their familiarity with the Tartan cruiser had taught them where its vulnerable points were located. This information would definitely be valuable once they had closed in enough to attempt to board it.

Tugging hard on the controls in front of her, Aayla whipped her starfighter around into a downward spiral and expertly dodged the blaster fire that rained down on her position before resuming her previous course. The cruiser was no longer a faint speck of silver durasteel shimmering off in the horizon. It was now close enough that she could see the fine details on its reflective hull and she swiftly swooped up towards her desired point of entry to make her advance. She knew that the docking port located directly beneath the base of the ship would most likely be the best way to get inside, and so she wasted no time in moving in to make her rescue. Mace fearlessly trailed just behind her as she pressed on and concentrated her fighters' weapons on the sealed doors of the port, but he broke off a short time later and fell back a safe distance as to not fall into the range of the vessels blazing cannons. They had discussed their intentions prior to their finding the departing ship and he had his role to play, just as Master Secura had hers…he was the decoy. He would create a diversion while she penetrated the cruisers defenses and freed Obi-Wan. They could only hope that their plan would go as simply as it had sounded.

"May the Force be with you," Mace bid his companion farewell while he watched her deftly evade more enemy fire from the cockpit of his starfighter.

Aayla flipped her Delta-7 upside down and dove into a half circle, gracefully skirting the bombardment of cannon fire that very nearly hit its mark. She gritted her teeth when one of the shots managed to graze her wing and the impact violently shook her fighter, almost causing her to falter and lose control. Luckily, her attunement with the Force saved her from bursting into a ball of fire and smoldering debris. Barely avoiding a bolt that would have no doubt torn her fighter to shreds, she had only the Force and the natural instincts that it offered to thank for her narrow escape. Once she had regained her bearings, she proceeded to make her way towards the cruisers docking port and once again unleashed an array of blaster fire on its closed doors. She had more success this time and the port blew to pieces – the metallic doors erupting in a shower of sparks and vibrant flames. Ejecting herself from the pilots seat just before she flew through the now opened passage, Aayla leapt into the air and allowed her momentum to carry her up into the ship while her fighter was sent crashing into the upper regions of the vessel, clearing a path for her in the process. It apparently struck a generator of some importance once it had collided and ricocheted off of the interior walls because a tremendous explosion forcefully rocked the entire cruiser, nearly knocking the Jedi off of her feet.

Quickly stabilizing herself, she called the hilt of her lightsaber to her awaiting hand and hastily surveyed the area for any evident signs of danger. Dozens of dark robed figures lay unmoving on the floor of the port while several others shakily staggered to their feet, but she could tell by one glance that those who were still conscious were too rattled and distracted to pose an immediate threat. She took the opportunity to stealthily slip out of the vicinity unnoticed to begin her search for Obi-Wan. She knew that she had a very limited time frame to work with and she would need to find him fast.

"Where are you, Master Kenobi?" she wondered aloud.


Padme paid the credits that she owed to the driver of her air taxi and stepped out onto the walkway that led up to the Coruscant Detention Center, a very flustered Sabe following in tow and gaping up at the gigantic building that towered into the strings of traffic that darted through the sky high above them. Some called the dreadful establishment a corrections facility, but that was just a more pleasant way of saying 'prison'. Indeed, that was exactly what it was. Criminals from every corner of the galaxy could be found within the confines of the buildings massive walls. Some of the most deadly and villainous beings that had ever lived were presently locked away in the institution – serving life sentences for whatever horrendous crimes or atrocities they had committed, for the people they had hurt or killed. Many of them had been found guilty of truly unspeakable deeds and had since been placed under the highest levels of surveillance and security that modern technology had to offer. Being the capitol of the Republic territories, Coruscant harbored a majority of the galaxies most feared felons. It was on the city-planet that the worst of the worst resided, waiting and biding their time until they were put to death or nature claimed them. Sabe thought her friend a perfect fool for wanting to step foot in such an unnerving and repulsive place.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the retired handmaiden asked.

"I'm sure," Padme replied, not taking her eyes off of the enormous facility. "I told you, Sabe, you don't have to come in if you don't want to. I can do this on my own."

"What, and let you face him all by yourself?" she questioned indignantly. "I think not."

Padme took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before she spoke again. "Alright then…let's get this over with."

Together, the two young women boldly started up the stairs that led to the buildings large entrance and pushed their way inside. At first sight, the prisons main offices gave the deceiving impression that it was just like any other place of business, but they knew that the establishment was anything but ordinary. The foundation and architecture may have looked similar to many of the buildings found around the city of Coruscant, but the appearance was most certainly the only thing it held in common…for it was the lifeforms varying of all races and species whom dwelled inside that made it stand apart.

Spotting the nearest employee, Padme led her nervous friend over to an elderly man who was clad in obvious guard attire and sat behind what she assumed to be the prisons visitor counter. The man glanced up and smiled when he saw their approach.

"May I help you?" he asked once they had reached him.

"Yes, I am here to see a prisoner with permission of Chancellor Organa," Padme stated in the formal tone that she had used so often when addressing the Senate. "I trust he has arranged everything already?"

"Aah, yes, the Chancellor just contacted us," the man replied. Then, rising from his seat, he walked around the counter to join the two women. "If you could hold still for one moment, I'm afraid I am still obligated to follow standard procedure."

"Of course, I understand the importance of protocol," Padme replied while she watched the man retrieve a handheld scanner from his belt.

Seeing as how Sabe was closer, he lifted the device and scanned her first. Once he had thoroughly inspected her, he shifted his attention to Padme and did the same. He slightly frowned when there was a beep.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Padme spoke up, reaching into the folds of her gown and pulling out a single datapad. "The Chancellor has given his approval."

The man skeptically studied the datapad before responding. "I don't recall – "

"You are more than welcome to call him back if you would like," Padme cut him off mid-sentence, not allowing him the chance to finish his protest. "However, he is rather busy. I'm sure he would prefer not to be disturbed."

Giving pause, the man finally nodded his head in resignation after a long contemplation and returned the scanner to its proper notch at his hip. "I wouldn't want to bother him. Follow me, your meeting has already been scheduled for the guest quarters."

Padme flashed Sabe the briefest of smiles before moving to follow the man. Returning the smile, Sabe did the same and strode after their retreating forms. The man was oblivious to their subtle exchange and kept his back to them while he led the way. It didn't take them long to reach their destination and they soon found themselves standing outside a numbered cell door. After following the old man down a series of identical winding corroders, he had eventually stopped walking to pull an access card from his guard uniform and the sound of the door unlocking met their ears a moment later when he swiped it through a panel that was built into the wall directly beside it. Pocketing the card, he casually turned to them and gestured for them to go inside.

"You can go in whenever you're ready," he told them. "A security droid will be watching over you at all times, you have nothing to worry about. Safety is our first priority here at the Coruscant Detention Center."

"Thank you," Padme replied, reluctantly pressing the button to open the door.

She hesitated momentarily before she stepped into the cell. Sabe, however, didn't hesitate in following her friend in and they both found themselves face to face with an old acquaintance. A faint smirk appeared on the face of the familiar man who sat behind the table that was centered in the middle of the room, and Sabe flinched when the door slid shut behind her, leaving Padme and herself alone with the imposing figure.

"It has been a long time, Senator," the man said as his gaze fixed on Padme, a hint of malice in his eyes.

"I am no longer a member of the Galactic Senate," was the retired politicians blunt response. "You may call me Padme."

"My apologies, milady, I don't keep up to date with the current events much in here," he retorted. Looking between his two visitors, he lazily slouched in his chair to get more comfortable as his smirk grew into an arrogant grin. "You are brave to come without an escort."

"I'm not like everybody else, Mister Fett, I do not fear you," Padme firmly countered. "I don't need the protection of guards to carry on a conversation. Besides, I have heard you are in no position to present much of a threat at the moment."

Padme nodded towards the ominous security droid that floated in the far corner of the cell to emphasize her words.

Jango Fett let out a low chuckle. "Yes, they have not been so willing to place their trust in me it seems."

"Have you given them reason to?" Padme asked.

Jango glared at the ex-Senator for a long time before he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "What do you want, Senator? I don't imagine you've dropped by just to say hello."

"No, I can assure you I haven't," Padme confirmed. "I have come for your…expertise. Tell me, what do you know of the Horuset system?"

"Are you daft, Senator?" Jango spat in disdain. "You tell me something, hmm? What ever made you think I would do anything to help you? You're married to the cursed Jedi that put me in this place. I'd just assume see both of you dead."

"You know a lot for not keeping up to date on current events, Mister Fett," Padme pointed out as she returned the bounty hunters' intense glare. "Listen, I did not come here to argue."

"Then what did you come for?" Jango huffed.

Padme only stood and stared at the assassin for what seemed like hours to Sabe – the tension in the air so thick that it could be cut with a vibroblade. Then, pulling out the lone chair that sat directly across the table from Fett, her friend took a seat and plopped the datapad that she had been carrying down in front of him. He glanced at it in mild interest for a second, but dismissively looked back up at Padme and acknowledged it no further.

"Don't you want to read it?" she questioned.

"I would, but I fear I have nothing to give you in return," Jango mocked, his arrogant grin resurfacing. "If I knew we were going to be exchanging gifts, perhaps I could have come better prepared."

Padme's jaw tightened. "What do you know about the Horuset system?"

Jango's grin vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. "Never heard of it."

"In the system, there's a planet called Korriban," Padme continued as if she had not even heard his reply. "It has recently come to my attention that countless illegal trade rings have operated from it using hidden routes and secret passages known only to a select few. It has also come to my attention that bounty hunters have been known to go there in order to stay out of the limelight and lay low until it is safe for them to emerge again. Is this true?"

"I don't know anything about it," Jango calmly replied.

"But surely it would be an ideal world to hide on, wouldn't you agree?" Padme persisted, her determination not wavering. "The entire system is practically devoid of life. Wouldn't you or your associates find that – "

"What do you want from me, Senator?" Jango interrupted, his patience beginning to wear thin. "I have already told you that I can't help you. Why don't you just go back to your Jedi and leave me be…"

Padme answered by sliding her datapad further across the table. "Read this, Mister Fett, and we will go."

The bounty hunter didn't move. "I'm not much of a reader."

"Well, I apologize then. I must have made an error in judgment in coming here," Padme said as she rose from her chair. "Perhaps Boba will be able to assist me."

"What?" Jango growled, jumping up from his own chair. He abruptly halted his actions when the security droid in the corner hovered forward in warning.

Padme's features hardened when he returned his focus to her. "Will you please just read the datapad, Mister Fett."

Jango furiously plucked the datapad from its place atop the table and sank back down in his seat, causing the alert droid to slowly drift back into its designated corner.

"It seems that your son has taken up the family business. That is a list of every bounty that has been placed on his head," Padme said while the enraged assassin anxiously read through the datapads' contents. "He is as wanted as you were before your capture. I have come here to make a proposition. Tell us what we want to know and I can make his warrants disappear."

Visibly startled, Jango ceased his reading and gazed up at the woman that stood before him. "You aren't even a Senator anymore. What kind of weight can you pull in such matters?"

"I may not be a representative in the Senate any longer, but you do not lose your voice over night when you have been in politics for as long as I have," Padme stated matter-of-factly. "I am fully capable of fulfilling my promise – I would not be here otherwise. So, is it a deal?"

"You would have to be a fool to risk your life on Korriban just to stay under the radar," Jango mumbled as he tossed the datapad back onto the surface of the table in front of him. "Lucky for you, there are plenty of fools in my line of work…"


Suspended several feet above the rocky caverns' shadowed floor in an illuminating energy field of light, Anakin Skywalker remained bound and helpless to even scratch his nose if he so wished. In fact, he had needed to do just that on several accounts, but his shackled wrists and ankles would not allow the movement. His untimely incarceration in the dark cave had left him little to no freedom to move as he desired. He had fought and pulled at his restraints for hours on end, but it was no use…the realization that he wasn't going anywhere unless the energy field that surrounded him was deactivated had finally deterred him from continuing with his vain struggles. At last, he had admitted to himself that he was trapped and at the mercy of his captors. However, he would not be bending to their whim as they seemed to think he would so easily. The Respian had been sadly mistaken in that assumption.

"Still denying your true place, are you?" a wicked voice suddenly pierced through the silence of the room.

Anakin's gaze found the source of the noise standing just inside the one doorway that led in and out of the cave in which he had been stowed away. He admonished himself for letting the figure sneak up on him. It put him all at ease that it was able to conceal its presence in the Force from his detection and he made a mental note to keep a sharper eye in the future.

As the figure roamed out of the cloak of darkness at a leisurely pace, Anakin's hands turned to fists at his sides and he once again cursed the bindings that kept him immobile. It came as no real shock when the image of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine – or Darth Sidious as the Jedi had come to realize a little too late – stepped forward to greet him. The Respian had been visiting him frequently ever since his capture, disguised as another person from his past each time. He had learned that the leader of the Dark Jedi who had deemed themselves The Falard was, in all actuality, a changeling. His ability to shape-shift had kept his true identity a well-kept secret.

"I don't know what you're hoping to accomplish by keeping me here, but you might as well give it up," Anakin spoke with a calmness that he was not feeling. "The Jedi will find me and you will meet your end."

"I think not, my young friend, the Jedi are weak," Palpatine laughed cruelly. "Their feeble attempts to save you will achieve nothing. Why, at this very moment, two of your comrades are falling into a trap that was set by my apprentice. They will try to free Master Kenobi and they will die trying."

"Perhaps you place too much faith in your apprentice," Anakin retorted, no longer succeeding in masking his anger and impatience.

"Perhaps," the reincarnated Palpatine considered with a vulgar smile. "But even if she should fail, she will still serve as a necessary martyr. Whatever fate might befall her, the Sith will soon rejoice and rebuild the Order that the Jedi have strived so hard to dissolve. Either way, you are all doomed."

Anakin's fists clenched even tighter. "Perhaps you place too much faith in yourself as well."

"I am merely an apostle, nothing more," the Respian replied through Palpatine's visage. "My faith is not placed in myself, but in another."

Then, with a careless wave of Palpatine's hand, the bindings that held Anakin at bay unlatched and the energy field that hummed around him faded out of existence. Much to his surprise, the Jedi found his feet back on the ground and he instinctively reached for his belt before remembering that he was unarmed.

"Looking for this?" Palpatine's curled lips questioned as he held up the familiar hilt of his lightsaber. "You want to strike me down, don't you? I can feel it."

Without another word, he tossed the weapon to the ground. However, Anakin didn't move right away. He knew that the creature could not be trusted and he intently sized him up for a long moment before extending a hand, quickly calling the hilt to his outstretched palm and hurriedly igniting its blade. He couldn't hide his shock when the glow of crimson met his unsuspecting eyes, but his expression soon changed to one of pure spite.

"You switched its crystal," he growled.

Palpatine seemed to be most pleased with himself.


Obi-Wan feverishly paced his cell until another explosion rumbled and forcefully vibrated the walls, once again stirring him from his thoughts. He sighed heavily and squeezed his eyes shut while he allowed the Force to calm his nerves. He knew that an attack was being made against the ship that he had been locked away in and his inability to participate in it had left him on edge. He could feel both Master Secura and Master Windu nearby, but they were not quite near enough for him to pinpoint their exact locations. He was certain that they had come to rescue him and he was very eager to lend his assistance, but he had yet to have been given the chance to. The glowing field that shielded him from the outside world was still up and running, taunting him as it pulsated in a purplish-violet wave of energy. He had just about given up hope when he spotted a hooded Dark Jedi just as it was sent sailing through the air and crashing to the floor with a loud thud. His eyebrows lifted.

It was not long before another of the Dark Jedi slammed into the energy field to the tiny room – causing it to spark and sputter upon contact. After a short shock, the robed figure collapsed to the ground in a heap of limp limbs, hitting the floor hard with a thud that was even louder than that of his accomplice.

"Fancy meeting you here, Master Kenobi," Aayla Secura quipped as she rounded the corner with her lightsaber in hand. "Must you keep getting yourself into trouble?"

A relieved grin lit Obi-Wan's face. "Now, Master Secura…if I were to refrain from getting into these messes, you would never get to perform these daring rescues."

"That is rather thoughtful of you," Aayla replied, plunging her lightsaber blade into the cells control board. The energy field was gone a second later. "Come, there isn't much time."

"There is even less than you think, Jedi."

Both Masters spun around when a voice suddenly spoke up behind them. Coming face to face with the red blade of Darth Palomeir, they instantly took to defensive stances. Aayla braced herself for the assault that was sure to come while Obi-Wan used the Force to acquire the lightsaber of one of the fallen Dark Jedi, not at all happy about the crimson hue that sprang to life from it.

"Blasted thing," he muttered to himself.