As always thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I was supposed to update last week but realized I had to rewrite a fight scene. Warning, I'm sure many of y'all will be disappointed with part of this chapter, but it had to happen for this story, sorry if you disagree. There is drama but also some fluff and action. There should only be about four more chapters before we hit the events of AotC, so thanks for staying with me during these interlude chapters as I experimented with writing. In case there's any confusion, there is a large time skip between this chapter and the last.
Interlude VI – Percy
Percy guided the ship away from Naboo as Annabeth entered the coordinates into the navicomputer for the jump to hyperspace. The Blackjack was literally the best starship money could buy. The BC-714 had cost a large chunk of the fortune Annabeth and he had accumulated over the past three years. The Banking Clan was reluctant to part with one of their precious starships, but everyone had a price, particularly greedy bankers.
Luckily, money wasn't a problem for Percy and Annabeth anymore between Daedalus 2.0's extremely accurate investing algorithms and the generous donations of wealthy politicians who supported the fight against slavery. During one of their trips to Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine had introduced them to several Core World senators who were sympathetic to their cause. Percy still didn't like the man exactly, but Annabeth had been right about him being useful. Besides finding them financial sponsors, Palpatine had also managed to organize two more secret meetings with Anakin over the years, so Percy had learned to play nice on their occasional visits.
Usually, a BC-714 needed a much larger crew to operate, but Shmi and Annabeth had spent a year rewiring the luxury transport so that it could be easily manned by three people or even two in a pinch. The original ship didn't come with weapons since it relied on its speed and its heavy shields to avoid pirates, but Percy and Annabeth weren't avoiding pirates. They were technically pirating slavers, so they had installed a hidden proton torpedo launcher and retractable quad laser cannons. They had also painted the ship black and gold because it looked cooler (Percy had forgone blue in honor of his faithful steed's coloring). And so, Percy would become the first ever son of Poseidon to be a pirate in space. He'd never seen that one coming.
It was all part of Annabeth's five-point plan to end slavery on Tatooine:
1) Spend a few years hunting known slavers across the galaxy and freeing their captives. According to Annabeth, this would limit the supply of slaves making it difficult for any evil master to just get more slaves once they'd freed them. Already the higher bounties on slavers had made a decline in that particular occupation, but there were several operations that bounty hunters didn't dare touch which was where he and Annabeth came in.
2) On Tatooine, use fossils of ancient sea creatures to create a temporary saltwater lake. This would give the slaves hope and the strength to rebel. It should also freak Jabba out quite a bit.
3) Approach Jabba as the physical form of Da Soocha and demand that he frees the slaves or face the wrath of the "Living Ocean." This was Annabeth's attempt to avoid all-out revolution and would give Jabba's enemies in the Hutt Council an excuse to accept their coup as the divine will of the "Waking Planet."
4) Free the slaves of Mos Espa, so Jabba knows they mean business.
5) All-out revolution, assuming Jabba's a stubborn slug, until the slaves on Tatooine were free.
In order to actually win an all-out revolution against Jabba, Annabeth planned to convince Jabba's nephew, Gorga, to help with the coup under the agreement that he would take over Jabba's territory if he abolished slavery on Tatooine. Personally, Percy didn't like the idea of giving Tatooine back to the Hutts, but Annabeth had argued that the removal of Jabba would create a power vacuum in the Outer Rim. Even though Tatooine wasn't exactly prime real estate, it did have access to important hyperlanes that connected the Outer Rim with the rest of the galaxy. Any freed slaves, who wanted to stay on Tatooine (Hades knows why) and build a life, would be vulnerable without someone to protect the planet from even worse crime lords or other galactic powers. Unfortunately, Tatooine wouldn't be able to join the Republic under these circumstances without it appearing like a hostile takeover by the Republic which could cause a war between the Hutts allied with other non-Republic systems and the Republic. And a galactic war was the last thing they wanted to cause.
This way the Hutts could keep the planet and be happy while Percy and Annabeth could pick a better ruler than Jabba. Gorga was relatively reasonable for a Hutt since he valued money above anything else. Annabeth was certain she could prove to him that he would actually make more money by using droids instead of slaves (particularly since the price of new slaves would have sky-rocketed) and paying the people that did work for him a decent wage. At least this way, the people who wanted to stay on Tatooine would have a chance for a better life which was the only reason Percy had finally agreed to that part of the plan.
Percy double checked the readings on the screen to make sure they were far enough from Naboo to make the jump to hyperspace. "I'm ready when you are," Percy reported dryly refusing to look anywhere but straight in front of him.
He heard Annabeth press a few more buttons from the seat next to him before she coolly stated, "Engaging the hyperdrive to initiate the jump." A few seconds later, the familiar streaks filled the window as they jumped into hyperspace.
"Now, we wait," Percy snapped back with extra emphasis on the last word. Annabeth huffed loudly and turned her chair away from him.
"Wow, what's with you two love birds today?" Porro Dolphe asked from behind Percy in an amused tone. "Between the both of you it's colder than Hoth in here."
Percy clenched his jaw in frustration but managed to say, "Nothing," at the exact same time as Annabeth. He glanced at her and caught her grey eyes with his before they both quickly looked away. Blue the droid of course had to beep in his two cents, but luckily, Percy didn't know binary which meant he could continue to ignore the droid's sassy commentary.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Annabeth pull up charts to monitor the ship even though there was literally nothing to check right now. Porre wasn't fooled. He whistled appreciatively when he caught sight of her new ring, "Shiraya's word Jackson! Even the queen doesn't have a night pearl like that." Percy ignored the comment, but when he had taken the dark pearl with the silvery glow to the jeweler, the man had offered a lot of money for it. "So, she's wearing the ring and according to your strange customs that means she said 'Yes,' right?" Porro asked him. Despite all of Naboo's crazy traditions, engagement rings and wedding bands weren't one of them.
"She said wait," Percy replied though it came out more like a growl. Although he had turned his co-pilot's chair so he faced Porro, he could still feel Annabeth's death glare drilling into his head.
"I said yes but wait," Annabeth corrected.
"Well that's nothing to get mad about my friend," Porro smiled and gave him a clap on the back. "You two are still young, so how long's the wait going to be?"
"Indefinite," Percy answered before storming off the bridge. He wished there was a door for him to slam.
Percy knew Porro was only trying to help, but right now, he needed space. Really, he wanted to fight some slavers and blow off steam, but they wouldn't reach the Molavar system until the morning. So, Percy settled for the pool. They had removed a lot of the extra luxuries on the BC-714 including the spa, ballroom, executive lounge, and the extra dining room in order to make space for the weapons, brig, and extra rooms for rescued slaves. But at Percy's insistence, they had kept the holothearter and the pool. The holothearter was just plain cool and could entertain their passengers while the pool acted as a last-minute home-court defense if they ever needed it. Plus, Percy could use it if he was injured, so they could save their nectar and ambrosia supplies. The Jedi had given them some prototype synthetic ambrosia, but it wasn't nearly as good as the real stuff.
Without pausing to take off his clothes, Percy dove into the pool and just sank to the bottom trying to figure out how it all went so wrong.
24 Hours Earlier
"Okay, Seaweed Brain where are you taking me?" Annabeth asked. Percy couldn't see her eyes because of the blindfold, but the amused smile on her face made his heart leap in his chest. It felt like pre-battle jitters but in a good way. He had the perfect romantic day set up. Just to double check, he had told Padmé his plans a few days ago to get a female perspective. She had jumped up and down, hugged him, and squealed in excitement like the teenage girl she was and not the serious queen she had to be. So, he figured, his plan must be good.
"It's a surprise," Percy replied, gently squeezing her hand as he led her to the docks.
"I hate surprises," Annabeth grumbled. "Besides it's your birthday, I should be surprising you." Technically, Naboo didn't have the same months as Earth, but they had figured out when their birthdays would be on the Naboo calendar their first year in the galaxy.
Percy laughed at Annabeth's comment. "Well you did give me the most amazing surprise present a guy could ever want last night after the Gungans' celebration."
Annabeth's cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink as she no doubt remembered exactly what they had been doing last night. "It was a rather good present wasn't it?"
"The best," Percy answered and drew her towards him, so he could kiss her.
While she was distracted, Percy pulled the blindfold off and forced himself to back away from her. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped, "You finished it! Percy, it's beautiful."
About a year after they had landed on Naboo, Percy had started working on his own pet project, building an old fashion sailing vessel. Maybe, it was crazy since the Naboo and Gungans had such cool, high-tech water transports, but he found himself nostalgic for the simplicity and elegance of the ancient ships from home. So, whenever Annabeth had to stay late at work and help Padmé put out another figurative fire (he usually secretly helped when there were literal fires), he had worked on his ship. Even with the fancy tools and droids to help, it had taken a long time to complete.
"It looks exactly like that pirate ship we used in the Sea of Monsters," Annabeth noted with a grin. "What was it again. . . the Queen Anne's Revenge!"
"That was my inspiration," Percy admitted, "though this one's a little smaller. Would you join me for her maiden voyage?"
Annabeth made a big show of inspecting the hull, "It will actually sail, right? No holes in the bottom?"
"Are you questioning the son of Poseidon on whether his ship is seaworthy?" Percy asked pretending to be offended.
"Well, it is you Seaweed Brain. I'm sure if there isn't a hole in it now then there will be one in an hour or so."
"Hey!" Percy retaliated with a wave of water playfully splashing Annabeth causing her to shriek.
Once on board, Percy stomped his foot, and the ship automatically responded. Sails unfurled and ropes tied themselves as Percy guided the ship away from the dock. It was a great day for sailing. They had a good wind, and Percy used his powers only a little to push them with a favorable current. After making sure everything was going smoothly, he joined Annabeth leaning against the railing at the bow of the ship.
"This really is a beautiful planet," she observed as they sailed past the coastline. "It's like the best of Earth, like what it must have been like before humans messed it up."
"I don't know," Percy teased, "I wouldn't describe those bug infested swamps as beautiful." Annabeth punched his shoulder. "Hey, what was that for!"
"For ruining another serious moment with a joke," she replied though the smile on her face told Percy that she really didn't mind.
Percy guided the ship to a secluded island he had discovered with a nice white, sandy beach. They swam to shore, and Percy used his powers to float a picnic basket filled with Annabeth's favorite foods. He even included a bottle of her preferred wine although he still refused to drink alcohol. Just the smell reminded him of a terrible combination of Smelly Gabe and Dionysus, not exactly his most favorite people in the world.
After they'd eaten, Percy took her for a romantic walk around the island to see the beautiful tropical birds and bright flowers while also trying to figure out how to pop the question. They looped back around, and he still hadn't found the right moment. He took a deep breath and gave himself a little mental pep talk, "Come on Jackson, you've faced gods and Titans and Giants and practically every monster in the Greek myths. You can ask the woman you love a little question." At the moment though, he'd rather be fighting an undefeatable ghost army in Alaska, again.
He cleared his throat and glanced at Annabeth who had stopped to take in the picture perfect view of the blue water, white sand, and the old fashion ship bobbing on the gentle waves. The golden Greek letters of the ship's name flashed in the sun just like Annabeth's hair. Focus Jackson.
Before he could say anything though Annabeth asked, "Why did you name it The Siren? Was it because of the Sea of Monsters when you saved me?" she sounded embarrassed at that particular memory.
"Partially," Percy admitted. Part of him was relieved that he had an excuse to not ask her yet. "You shared your deepest desires with me, and it was the first time you really let me comfort you." That had been the first time he had created an air bubble for Annabeth underwater. He had just held her then and let her cry into his shoulder under the sea. Exactly five years ago, they had used the air bubble technique for their first underwater kiss.
"But it's more than that," Percy frowned as he tried to put into words what he had felt when he had named the ship. "Sirens reveal what you desire, the perfect world, the impossible dream." Annabeth nodded in agreement. "I guess the ship is sort of like that for me. It's a reminder of home in this super high-tech galaxy. A place that's starting to feel more and more unreachable." In three years, the Jedi still hadn't found anything on traveling to a different universe. Percy knew they were trying because they wanted him gone as much as he and Annabeth wanted to get back.
Annabeth squeezed his hand, "We'll make it back someday, Percy." He nodded grateful for the comfort but not sure if he believed her. He wasn't even sure if she believed herself.
Talk of home made both of them sad still. He tried to steer the conversation away, so he could ask the big question. "I also know that I don't really need desires," Percy confessed. He looked straight into Annabeth's eyes and felt like his whole world was there. "They're just illusions, something to chase after but never reach. But after eight years, I do know that I need you, Wise Girl. No matter what ship I'm on or planet or universe, I feel at home as long as you are by my side." He knelt in front of her and pulled out the ring with the strange pearl.
He hadn't known what stone to give Annabeth. He figured she wouldn't want a diamond because that was too cliché. Instead, he looked for something in Naboo's vast oceans, so that she would always have a part of the sea, a part of him, with her. He'd found this pearl in a particularly dangerous super-size oyster that had tried to eat him. He later learned that Naboo night pearls were one of the rarest gems in the galaxy because they came from evil, monster oysters. "Annabeth Chase will you marry me?"
Annabeth just stood there gaping at him for what felt like a whole minute but was probably only a few seconds. "Of course, Percy!"
He whooped and slipped the ring on her finger before lifting her up and kissing her passionately. He was the happiest man in the galaxy and wanted to communicate all of his love for her in that one kiss, but she pulled away, "But, Percy can we wait."
"Yes, whatever you want." He lowered her back to the ground and kissed her again. In between the kisses he said, "I figured we'd wait till next year at least since we'll be hunting slavers for most of it."
"Percy. . ." Annabeth tried to say, but he interrupted with another kiss. "I want to wait until we return–"
"I guess I can wait until the Tatooine stuff is all over with then," he murmured as he continued to shower her with kisses. "If that's what you want."
She broke out of his grasp then and backed out of kissing range, "Percy, I want to wait until we return home."
Now, it was his turn to gape at her for a whole minute while his love addled brain caught up with what his ears had just heard. "What! Why?" It was like all the joy and happiness he had felt a few seconds ago had suddenly been popped like a balloon.
Annabeth bit her lip before saying, "Because I don't think we're ready to get married yet."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy's shock slowly turned to frustration. "We're 21. That's like a senior citizen in demigod years."
"It's not about our age. I just don't think it's wise to get married here."
"Not wise!" Percy sputtered. For how smart she was, Annabeth could really struggle with emotions. Sometimes she was as bad as the Jedi. "This is about love Annabeth, not wisdom! For once in your life don't over think things. It's a marriage not a battle strategy."
"I know that," she shot back. "But marriage isn't just about love because I do love you Percy Jackson, gods know why! A ceremony won't affect what I feel for you. It doesn't matter if I call you boyfriend, fiancé, or husband because none of those words come even close to describing what you are to me."
"Umm, thanks I feel like that too which is why we should get married," Percy stammered. First yes, then wait, then saying incredible things about how much she loved him. Were all girls this confusing, or was it just Annabeth? "Why wait then? We know firsthand how short life can be."
"Because marriage is about settling down and building a life together, and we are anything but settled here. It might be two days from now or five years from now, but I bet my Yankee's cap that Nemesis will portal us back, probably at the worst possible moment. It's the only logical conclusion to any of this."
Percy snorted, "Yeah because the gods are always logical. Look, I know it's not like we'd planned. It's not New Rome, but we could still build a life for ourselves here. After Tatooine we can settle down on Naboo and raise a family. We won't even have to worry about monsters."
"No," Annabeth snapped, "Instead we have a Sith Lord who likes to send those annual assassins. And unlike monsters, we don't know what he wants. He's playing some kind of long game that only he knows the rules for. And if we had a child, you can bet the Sith would do everything he could to get his hands on it either for the child's potential or to control us. Not to mention the Jedi would probably do the same. There would be no settling, no rest. Plus, when Nemesis does finally portal us out, there's no guarantee that we could take our family with us. Most gods barely take the time to consider their own children much less someone else's. We didn't exactly have time to grab someone or a choice the first go-round. Face it Percy, we don't belong in this universe. We aren't normal. We aren't Jedi or Sith, no matter how good we get with the Force. We aren't even demigods here. What kind of life could we build here as outsiders?"
He hadn't considered that before. The idea that as soon as he and Annabeth had a baby, the child would be in danger here, but he was too angry to admit that right now. "It's not perfect, but I know we could make it work. You're just too busy thinking about what ifs, that may never happen. You need to accept the fact that we live here now. Waiting to go home is just as idiotic as swimming towards the Siren's island."
Annabeth's eyes flashed in anger even as they teared up at the same time. Despite everything, Percy winced because he knew he had gone too far. "So just like that, the great Percy Jackson's given up. What about Frank, Hazel, Grover, and Tyson? What about your mother? Are you just going to accept the fact that you're never going to see her again? No matter what Percy, you will have to sacrifice something, your old life or this new one you're so desperate to build."
Percy felt like Annabeth had punched him in the gut. "I haven't given up," he snarled. "If a portal popped up after I completed my oath, I would jump right in it headfirst." Sure, he would miss Panaka and Shmi and Padmé and Ani and Obi-Wan, but he would be going home. "But there's literally nothing I can do to make that portal show up, and unlike you, I'm not afraid to accept change. You've run from it your whole life, when your dad remarried, when Luke left, even when I first mentioned New Rome. Whenever something changes, you hold on to the past like a shield afraid to face it." Now it was Annabeth's turn to look like she had been sucker-punched. That was the problem when you knew someone so well. You knew exactly what to say to hurt them even if you knew you would regret it later.
"I didn't give up immortality just to waste my life waiting for something to happen," Percy continued. "I want to live it the best I can no matter where I am. I hoped I would live it with you." He stormed past a gaping Annabeth and waded through the water which was no longer calm. He tried to ignore the tears he had seen glimmering on her face. Knowing that he had caused them made it hard to breath.
Unfortunately, Percy couldn't just leave to cool off like he wanted because there was no taxi or Uber to pick up Annabeth from the island. He also couldn't be a gentleman and give her the ship while he swam back because she couldn't sail it herself. Instead, he had a supper awkward trip back to Theed with his sort of fiancé after a disastrous proposal. Annabeth stayed at the bow while he took the helm choosing to manually steer the ship to give him something to do. They didn't speak. The sea reflected his mood and churned angrily beneath the ship as he willed them to go as fast as possible.
Once they reached the dock, Annabeth hopped off not even waiting for the gang plank. She glanced at the ship which was still at full sail, "Are you coming?" she asked stiffly.
Choosing to look at the sea instead of her, he replied, "Go on without me, I need . . ." He wasn't sure how to finish that sentence, time, blow off steam, think.
But Annabeth knew what he met, "Okay," and there was a hint of understanding in her voice that made Percy look at her. "Tomorrow?"
"I'll be there," he told her. For a second something flashed across her face, and she looked like she was going to say something else. But then her expression hardened, and she turned away. He never did go back that night and spent the rest of his 21st birthday alone on his ship in the middle of a sea.
The next day their friends gathered to see them off. Padmé hugged him and told him that he needed to listen to Annabeth and not just shout back at her. Of course, she would take her side in this. Panaka shook his hand and asked, "I trust whatever is going on between you two won't affect you in a battle?"
"It won't," Percy assured him.
"Good, look after each other and stay alive."
Percy tried to smile though it felt more like a grimace. "Don't worry, we're good at that."
Shmi also gave him a hug then smiled kindly and whispered, "Be patient, Percy. She'll come around like Quarsh did, and it will be worth it." Both of them glanced at Panaka, Shmi's new husband, who was saying goodbye to Porro. Porro had volunteered to come with them as another pilot since he wanted to see more of the galaxy and have a few more adventures. "Come back to us," Shmi said and hugged Percy one more time. No doubt she was remembering a different son just like he was remembering a different mother.
With a sigh, Percy boarded the spaceship and wondered how awkward it would be. He and Annabeth hadn't fought like this since before the Battle of Manhattan. Right now, they just needed some time and space. Luckily it was a big ship.
Present
Porro found Percy practicing with his lightsaber and the remote droids in the lounge they had converted to a workout room. "Not bad Jackson," the pilot commented. "And once you're done showing off, you should get to the bridge. We're approaching Molavar."
Their plan to catch slavers was pretty simple. First, they picked a spot where they knew slavers passed. Molavar was perfect hunting ground since two major hyperlanes converged, and it was known for its seedy spaceports attracting all kinds of smugglers, pirates, and slavers. Next, they "parked" their ship just out of signaling distance from the planet but not the ships using the hyperlanes. Then, they sent out a distress signal, switched the ship over to emergency power, and waited. A BC-714 seemingly dead in space was bait enough. Any slaver, pirate, or other illegal entrepreneur would jump at the chance to capture such a luxurious and speedy ship that they usually wouldn't ever have a chance to take.
Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long. Daedalus 2.0 had three years to track and analyze the traveling patterns of known slavers, so within an hour a ship jumped out of hyperspace and after a minute changed course to fly towards them. "There it is a BR-class courier. That's got to be Tillis," Annabeth reported. She glanced down at Daedalus' screen, "And they just scanned for life forms. We better get ready."
Annabeth handed out their ear-comms built using a combination of Earth technology with this galaxy's. As soon as Percy put it in his ear he felt like a real spy. "Okay, just stick to the plan," she leveled a death glare at him, "Right Percy?"
"Yeah, until it goes to Hades, and then I'll improvise," he replied with a smirk. Annabeth rolled her eyes and headed down to the boarding door. A minute later Percy followed her out, and Porro locked the bridge from the inside.
Percy exited the ship's elevator two floors above the boarding door. "Okay, I'm in position," he whispered into his earpiece.
"So am I," Annabeth stated from her spot below him. She was invisible, so as soon as the boarding party passed her, she would sneak into their ship and take command of their bridge. "R2 are you ready?" The droid beeped what Percy assumed was an affirmative. "Okay, I hear them coming."
Percy waited but drew his lightsaber when he saw the elevator light-up. "Alright Blue, do your thing!"
Percy imagined the slavers piling into the elevator to head to the bridge, but Blue would take control of the lift and stop it at his floor. He heard a questioning beep from the droid over his comms and ignited his weapon. "Now, Blue."
The elevator doors opened with a friendly ding. There was a second of silence as five slavers took in Percy blocking their way, and then they started shooting their blasters. Unfortunately for Percy, they fired stun beams instead of normal, deadly blaster bolts. For once he wished people would try to kill him. It would have made things easier. Although stun beams were slower than normal bolts, the lightsaber could only absorb them not deflect them. He figured the slavers must have had orders to take anyone they found onboard alive because any passenger on a BC-714 would be worth their weight in gold for ransom.
Percy deflected two beams with his lightsaber and dodged the rest as he rushed towards the elevator door. With a slash, he cut through the front two slavers' blasters making them useless. He kicked one of them into his buddy in the back right as he fired another beam. Percy retracted the lightsaber. He wouldn't need it in such close quarters, and he figured Qui-Gon wouldn't have appreciated his lightsaber being used for unnecessary maiming and manslaughter. Now in the center of the elevator, Percy ducked, and a beam hit the other slaver in the front. He grabbed the arm of his nearest opponent, some sort of green looking alien with big black eyes, and swung him around just in time to intercept another stunner. He used the unconscious slaver's gun to stun the remaining two
"Alright, Porro, I've got five down here unconscious for you," Percy reported. "Blue, send me down to the first floor and then take the elevator up to Porro." He received an affirmative from Porro and a cheery beep from the droid as the elevator moved down. "Annabeth, what's it like over there?"
Silence. He waited a minute at the boarding tube and was about to rush in before he finally heard Annabeth's voice, "Bridge is secured. Knocked out two of them here. Go through the tube and turn left. There are two of them guarding the slaves in the hold. A third is coming my way. He must have heard the noise on the bridge. I'll shoot him when he opens the door."
"Sounds good, be careful," he replied as he rushed down the connecting tunnel and headed to the guards.
"You too, Seaweed Brain." Percy smiled even though he was in the middle of a dangerous mission. It was the first time she'd used his nickname since their fight.
After the elevator, two guards should have been easy, but he didn't expect the one charging him to suddenly whip out a miniature flame thrower while his buddy rained down blaster fire. Percy managed to deflect the bolts with his lightsaber and duck just in time to avoid the flames though it felt like his eyebrows might have been singed. Before the dude with the flame thrower could adjust his aim, Percy used his favorite leg sweep maneuver to unbalance him before knocking him out with the lightsaber hilt. The remaining guard continued to shoot at Percy until a deflected bolt hit him in the chest.
Things were going surprisingly well, but of course by the law of Percy Jackson, that's when everything went to Hades. An unfamiliar voice rang out over the ship's intercom system, "Stop Jedi, I have your companion. If you don't want me to kill her, come to the bridge and surrender. I'll be watching, so don't try any Jedi tricks."
Styx! What had happened? "Annabeth?" Percy asked glaring at the nearest security camera he could see.
"Just do what he says," Annabeth's voice was an echo between his earpiece and the ship's intercom. He immediately relaxed knowing that she was still okay at least for the moment. "Please don't do anything stupid, like with Clarisse."
As Percy jogged back the way he had come, Porro asked through the ear-comms, "Percy, what's going on? Do you need help?"
"It's improvising time and not yet. Just power up the ship and be ready for anything," Percy replied. He knew Annabeth had tried to give him a hint. She wouldn't have just brought up Clarisse for no reason. She was cleverly telling him to do something in a way that her captor wouldn't recognize. What had he done with Clarisse? It hit him just as he entered their elevator and hit the button for the only other level. The toilet! There must be some sort of water system on the bridge, and Annabeth was telling him to use it, like he had done with Clarisse.
Percy approached slowly to give him time to assess the situation. The bridge door was open, and luckily, the room had enough space that he'd be able to move around in a fight. His eyes locked on Annabeth. She had binders on her wrist, and some big goon was holding her while his friend had a blaster pointed at her. She looked uninjured but extremely angry, probably at getting herself caught. The third guy in the room watched Percy closely. He had leathery, dark gray skin and a hand casually resting on the large blaster in the holster at his waist. Percy recognized him as Tillis, the captain of this particular organization, from the information they had gathered. He was one of Jabba's favorite slavers.
While Percy looked, he also reached out with his sixth sense and found about a gallon's worth of hot water trapped right beneath the bridge. He tried to force the water out, but the containment was strong. He would need more water to generate enough force to be able to bust it out for a distraction. The only openings connected to the water container that he could feel were tiny pipes near the top that seemed to run throughout the ship. For water vapor, Percy realized. It must be the ship's atmosphere control to prevent the air from becoming too cold and dry, like a fancy humidifier. He could work with that, but he would need time to pull the steam flowing through those pipes back to the container. At least it was way easier than collecting water moisture on Tatooine.
"Stop Jedi," Tillis commanded before Percy could actually step onto the bridge. Percy gritted his teeth in annoyance at being called a Jedi but obeyed even as the tugging sensation in his gut intensified as he stretched his power. "Good," Tillis smiled, clearly enjoying bossing Percy around. "Now, slowly roll your weapon to me."
Percy hesitated not wanting to give the smug bastard his lightsaber. Unlike Riptide, the lightsaber wouldn't automatically come back to him. He still did have his trusty pen in his pocket, but it wouldn't do much good in this situation. He briefly considered rushing the slavers, but Annabeth would either be shot or have her neck broken by the brute before he could reach any of them. He was confident that Annabeth could take the brute holding her even with her hands tied, but he needed to distract the slaver with the blaster first.
"Do it, or the girl dies," Tillis snapped.
"Okay, okay," Percy said with a shrug going for a lighthearted, annoying tone to confuse the slavers. "I was just seeing exactly how hopeless the situation is. And it is impressively hopeless." He rolled the lightsaber to Tillis like a bowling ball, and the captain stopped it with his foot before picking it up.
Tillis stroked it greedily, "Ah the weapon of the legendary Jedi. It seems we have quite the catch boys." Goons one and two chuckled, but the blaster on Annabeth didn't move. Tillis hooked the lightsaber on his belt and walked over to Annabeth, "A beautiful female for your species." He ran a hand through Annabeth's golden curls. "Jabba will be most pleased. He likes pretty things."
"Don't touch her," Percy rushed to the center of the room, but Tillis drew his blaster and Percy froze. The pressure in his gut was increasing. A little more, he begged the water.
"And Jabba will pay a great deal for you, Jedi." The hungry look in Tillis' eyes made Percy feel dirty. "He will be most eager for you to fight in his arena."
"Well, hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not a Jedi," Percy said baring his teeth in a smile.
Tillis walked towards him. Keep coming, Percy thought. The pressure from compressing and condensing the water vapors at that temperature was getting unbearable, but he knew the perfect position would be if Tillis was next to the window and away from Annabeth. Percy took a step back, pretending to be intimidated by the slaver, but really, he was putting him in position. The slaver started circling Percy, inspecting him. "I will admit that you don't look like a Jedi. Something we'll have to fix. But you fight well enough to convince Jabba which is all that matters. And if you don't. . ." Tillis smirked. "You will be dead."
Percy turned to face Tillis, hoping to stop his circling. The slaver frowned then, looking around in concern before looking back at Percy, "Why is your nose bleeding? You better not be trying a Jedi mind trick!"
Percy touched his nose to check, but Tillis was right. "Oh, not again," he grumbled. The pressure was too much. He couldn't hold it much longer, but maybe he could do one last taunt. "Thanks for the offer of dying for a slug's entertainment, but I'm not a big fan of arenas, so I think I'll stick to this instead." He gave the scalding hot water beneath him a mental shove, and the bridge exploded.
Percy had just a second to think, Wow I've really outdone myself this time, before shrapnel broke through the window. Everything not bolted down lurched towards the opening as the temperature dropped. Percy just managed to grab a gunner's chair with both hands. He wasn't sure what Annabeth had done to her guards, but they flew past him and out the window into space. She had tethered her belt's grappling hook to a pipe in the hallway and was safe. Tillis though was holding on desperately to a console with Percy's lightsaber still on his belt.
Percy couldn't lose that lightsaber. It meant too much to too many people, including him, so he instinctively reached out with one hand and called to it like he would with water. It flew straight to him, and his fingers wrapped around the familiar hilt. "No," Tillis shouted as one of his hands lost its grip. "You're going down with me, Jedi."
A blaster went off. Percy instinctively swung his body, so the bolt hit him in the shoulder instead of the fatal wound Tillis intended. It still hurt like Hades, but Percy managed to keep his grip on both the lightsaber and the chair. He glanced towards the window, but Tillis wasn't as lucky. It was getting much too cold and hard to breath. Percy clipped the lightsaber to his belt and tried to pull himself up to the wall, but his injured shoulder wouldn't hold his weight. There was no way he would make it before he froze or suffocated. Then the loveliest voice in the world said, "Hold on to me," and he felt Annabeth's arm wrap around him. He let go of the chair and wrapped both his arms around her, trusting her completely.
Annabeth propelled them through the bridge door and punched the controls closing the blast doors and sealing it off from the rest of the ship. The whole thing happened in less than a minute. For a second, they just laid on the floor in each others' arms catching their breath as the ships emergency life support kicked in. Then they were laughing. Percy's not sure which of them started first, but it was the crazy, hysterical laughing when you can't believe that you're still alive.
"I assume by the laughter that you are all good," Porro said in his ear.
"For now," Annabeth replied trying to stop laughing. She glanced at Percy, and her face scrunched up with worry. "Though, Percy was shot."
"In the arm, I'll be fine," Percy reassured his companions.
"Blast Jackson! When you said be ready for anything, I wasn't expecting you to blow-up the bridge," Porro complained. "Panaka warned me that there wouldn't be a dull moment with you two."
"I didn't mean to do that," Percy admitted feeling embarrassed. "I was just trying to make a distraction."
"Don't worry Porro, I'll teach you the Percy Law of Destruction that I use to predict how much damage he will do," Annabeth joked. "You take what the situation calls for multiplied by what is physically possible, and then you raise the product by the power of the Percy constant."
Their good mood lasted until they entered the hold where the slaves were kept. Over thirty individuals, people, were chained to the wall. When Annabeth opened the door, several shrank away in fear. It made Percy sick. There were males and females, adults and children of several different species, humans, Twi'lek, Togruta, and others that Percy didn't know. The one that looked like the boogey man growled at them.
"Oh gods," Annabeth muttered. "This is. . ."
"Evil," Percy finished.
Annabeth nodded in agreement. "Porro please come over with my bag. We're going to need a translator and bring R2. He'll be best with the locks."
It took awhile to communicate to everyone what had happened and even longer for them to understand that they really were free and safe. Annabeth explained while Daedalus 2.0 translated that they were taking them to good people in the Republic that could help them start a new life or return to their homes if they preferred. For many, it wasn't until they boarded the Blackjack and were shown their own individual suites that they realized things were really going to be better. Several had tears in their eyes as they hugged Percy, Annabeth, or Porro. Some of the kids even hugged R2 which the droid seemed to appreciate.
At Porro and Annabeth's bossy insistence, Percy let them handle the jump to hyperspace and headed to the pool to heal his blaster wound. They had filled Porro in on their abilities when he had decided to join them for this quest since it was bound to pop up at some point.
Percy locked the door behind him, stripped to his boxers, and groaned in relief as he eased himself into the water. For a few minutes, he just floated on his back as the saltwater slowly repaired the burnt hole in his shoulder. To his surprise, the pool door opened a few minutes later, and Annabeth slipped in. She sat down at the edge and dangled her legs in the water.
Despite everything they had accomplished in the last few hours, it was suddenly very awkward between them. The silence grew until Percy couldn't take it anymore, "Thanks for saving me from getting sucked into space."
"Well, thanks for coming to my rescue," Annabeth replied with a smile that quickly changed to a look of embarrassment, "though I hate being a damsel in distress."
Percy chuckled, "I think you're the damsel that puts other people in distress. How'd they get the drop on you anyways?"
"It was Tillis. He was the one approaching the bridge. He called out to his men. I thought he would open the bridge door when they didn't respond, but instead he released a knockout gas. He told me later that he had it secretly installed in the bridge in case his crew ever committed mutiny which actually is a pretty good strategy." She frowned in annoyance like it was something she didn't want to admit. "We might want to consider using helmets in the future with air filters, so that won't happen again. Plus, it would protect our identities better. Anyways, my cap fell off when I collapsed. When I woke up, my hands were in binders, and I had three blasters pointing at me."
"You still have it right?"
Annabeth nodded and pulled her Yankee's cap out from a pocket, "Luckily, I managed to stuff it in my pocket when they weren't looking. Otherwise, it would probably be lost in space right now, like the lightsaber almost was. How'd you do that anyways?"
Over the past three years, he and Annabeth had experimented with the Outside Force trying to see if they could use it like the Jedi. They had even watched Darth Maul's training videos just to see the Sith perspective, but they decided to stick with what they knew of the Jedi's way of things until they learned more. (The extreme lengths Sidious had pushed Maul to get him to tap into his darker emotions was just too brutal.) Now, with a bit of meditation, Annabeth could even lift stones with only the Force, something Percy still struggled with. He shrugged, "I don't know. I just used my powers like I would with water."
Annabeth frowned, "Your powers not the Force?"
"Yeah, I know. I didn't think it would work, but I needed to get it back, so I just reached for it." Curious, he stretched out his hand from the water and focused on the lightsaber. He felt a familiar, tug in his gut, and the lightsaber flew to his hand.
"Incredible!" Annabeth exclaimed. She picked up her shoe, "Can you do it with this too?"
Percy tried but nothing happened. "Nope, just the lightsaber. I think it's kind of connected to me somehow."
"Hmm, sounds like a good question for Obi-Wan when we talk to him next," mused Annabeth.
The awkward silence returned since they'd talked about everything but the big elephant in the room. Finally, Annabeth spoke, "I'm sorry I reacted the way I did back on Naboo." She played with the ring on her finger. "I don't think I explained myself very well and things got out of hand. And you were right about me and change. I've never liked it, too many variables, too much unknown. But you," she looked into his eyes and gave him a small smile, "you are so adaptable. I've always admired how you seem to continually land on your feet no matter what life throws at you."
"Like a cat?" Percy asked with a cheeky grin.
Annabeth laughed, "Yes, I guess so. You even managed to land on your feet in Tartarus."
"Well this cat would have drowned in that river if you hadn't dragged me out," Percy reminded her. "And you're right about trying to start a family here. I hadn't even considered that the Jedi and Sith might make it difficult even if they aren't exactly bothering us right now." Darth Sidious did like to send an assassin on the anniversary of the blackmail hack every year, but other than that he left them alone for now. Percy even found a way to somewhat control his dreams just by calming his mental ocean before going to sleep.
"But if getting married really means that much to you," Annabeth started. "Then we can get married in Denon when we drop off everyone if you want." She made a face though like she had just eaten something sour. "But Naboo probably would have a much better ceremony and a more romantic setting."
Percy grinned. Annabeth was already planning a wedding that she didn't exactly want, but that was the problem. His smile faded. "But it wouldn't mean that much to you would it?" he asked.
She sighed, "No it won't. Not here and not now. When I was a little girl, I was determined that I would never get married. I wanted to be strong, smart, and independent, and I thought I would lose that if I got married. It wasn't until I fell in love with you that I even started considering it. I know that you appreciate me for who I am. I haven't lost my independence exactly, but I've found part of myself that I hadn't even known I was missing.
"For the first time, I found myself wanting to build something more than grand structures and legacies. I want to build a life with you Percy Jackson and everything it entails. That's what getting married means for me, not something half-way. I don't want to do it until I know the life that we build together will have the best chance of lasting. I know some people marry because of love, but I love you so much that it's impossible for me to love you anymore than I do now. Some people marry because they want the world to know, but the world that I want to share that with isn't this one. Sure, there are a few people here that we've both come to care about, but the people that would really make our wedding meaningful and special are all at home: my father, Sally, Grover, our friends at the camps, even some of the gods just to make a statement of sorts that we did it despite all the struggles they threw at us. But if it will make you happy, then we can get married in a year or so."
Percy was stumped. Annabeth clearly had thought a lot more about marriage and weddings than he ever had. He never stopped to consider why people actually got married. Sure, he knew religion played a big part, but neither he nor Annabeth were exactly religious, at least not in the typical sense. Marriage just seemed like something you did when you loved someone, the next stop on life's journey. But, the way Annabeth described it made it seem more somehow, and he didn't want her to have to give that up. "But I want you to be happy too, Annabeth."
"Thanks Percy," she smiled at him. "But you are right that we can't wait forever. I suppose we could do two weddings one here and one back at home, but. . ." her expression shifted to a frown, and Percy knew what she was trying to say.
"Then neither of them would seem special," he finished for her.
Annabeth nodded, "So how about a compromise?"
"I'm listening," Percy swam closer.
"Something's coming," Annabeth stated. "I don't know what, but I feel it in the Force whenever I merge with it. Something big is going to happen soon. Maybe, it's the Sith's revenge, or whatever will let the Jedi balance the Force. According to Qui-Gon, that's why Nemesis brought us here. After that, she'll either bring us back or she won't. So how about we get married in ten years if we're still here? That will give us time to figure out what the Sith's up to, have a better relationship with the Jedi, and hopefully, get past whatever storm is brewing. Then, we can settle down and do our best to build a life here."
Ten years, he could do that for Annabeth. Besides, normal people got married closer to thirty anyways, and they were practically like normal people here. "Okay, but let's make it nine, so then we'd be a nice even thirty."
Annabeth pretended to consider for a moment, "You drive a hard bargain, but I guess I can accept a year sooner." She held out her hand for him to shake. He did but then pulled her into the pool. "Percy!" she spluttered.
He laughed and kissed her. After a moment he pulled away but still carried her bridal style in his arms, "I never got a chance to ask, but do you like the ring?"
She extended her left hand to admire it. "It is beautiful. You found it in the oceans?"
"Yeah, but that pearl almost cost me a limb! Who knew oysters could be so vicious?"
Annabeth laughed. "Rabé, Padmé's wardrobe mistress, was very interested where you got it from since Naboo night pearls are so hard to get. She's been wanting to design the queen an outfit with them for years but can't get enough."
"Well, considering how bad I am at bounty hunting and space pirating since I lost the guy with the biggest bounty in space and destroyed the ship that we could have sold or used, maybe I should just go back to Naboo and be a pearl diver," Percy joked.
"I'm sure we'll get better," Annabeth assured him. "And leaving the ship turned out to be a good thing." Before they left, Annabeth had Blue go out in space and paint the Black Sun symbol on the remaining hull of Tillis' ship. That way Jabba would blame the crime syndicate. "Maybe, we can even expand," she suggested. "Gaarchit, the Wookie, and a Twi'lek female named Koyla want to stay with us and help."
Percy frowned, "Is that a good idea? I mean we knew Porro can handle himself, but if anything, today proves how dangerous this is. I don't want them to get hurt."
Annabeth cupped his chin forcing him to look at her, "You can't protect everyone, Percy. They want to fight back, and they have every right to, much more than we do. Besides from a strategic point of view, Koyla says she's an excellent pilot, and Wookies can repair anything. Plus, they're super strong."
"Fine," Percy agreed, "but if we get any bigger, we better come up with a super cool name for our group, like Freedom Avengers or SASS."
"Sass?" Annabeth asked.
"Sentients Against Slaving Scum, SASS," Percy replied with a smirk.
I'll try to have the next chapter up in three weeks. It should be a relatively short one from Obi-Wan's perspective. Thanks to HaywireEagle for coming up with the last S in the SASS acronym.