THALIA
Thalia had told no one expect her Vice Prime Minister that she was leaving. After Perxeus, she didn't know who to trust, and she certainly wouldn't be giving it out freely anytime soon.
As she wandered around her chambers, packing her last bag, she flipped the on-switch on C6 and she whirred to life. Thalia knew she could trust C6. Of all people! The only person she could trust was a droid? What was the world coming to?
"We're leaving." Thalia said, as the droid shook her large, disc-shaped head and banged one side of it, trying to wake up one of her programs.
"Leaving? Where?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"Coruscant." I replied, having only just been told by Qui-Gonn.
"Oh! And what if I don't elect to go to Coruscant?" C6 asked.
"You don't have a choice." I replied, closing the lid on my bag.
"Actually, I do." She replied.
"Fine. Stay here then." Thalia shrugged.
"No, I'm coming." C6 replied.
"Then it looks like we're going to Coruscant." Thalia smiled and left the room with her droid following in her footsteps.
"We shouldn't take a Troskan ship, it'll draw too much attention." Qui-Gonn was saying as she entered the common area.
"Then what do you suggest? There's nothing else we can take." Obi-Wan replied.
"I can help with that." Thalia said and C6 crossed her arms.
"We're going with these guys?" She asked.
"Yes. They're here to help, so be nice." Thalia said, and C6 harrumphed, which was very strange for a droid.
"Follow me. There's a ship we can use." Thalia added, and before C6 could begin again she lead the group into the hanger. However, instead of heading for the star ships, Thalia turned to a side door, plugged in an eight digit code and pushed open the heavy door.
Through the door was a large, black cave, and Thalia lead the group towards a tall, rusty gate at the far end.
"No. Absolutely not. Not my ship." C6 piped up.
"Please don't start now." Thalia sighed. This was not the time for her droid to start a mutiny.
"Or what? You'll have me wiped?" She asked as they reached the large gate.
"Technically, this ship isn't supposed to be here, but no one's knows it exists. I've kept it for emergencies." Thalia explained. "C6, do you mind?"
The droid huffed and then stood in front of the gate, opening out a small section of her middle to release a drill saw.
"Look away." She said, turning her head one hundred and eighty degrees. "I can't perform with you all looking at me."
"It's a good thing we're not in a hurry." Thalia muttered, and crossed her arms.
Once C6 had cut through the metal, Thalia pressed through the rusty bars and pushed up a heavy lever from a panel beside the gate, sending a few yellow spotlights buzzing to life.
The bright beams illuminated a large, flat, grey ship, sitting proudly at the base of the cave's rock face.
"It's a Corellian Light Freighter." Thalia said. "Called the Millennium Falcon."
"It's perfect. No one will suspect it has Jedi aboard, let alone a Princess." Qui-Gonn said.
"Where did you find this?" Obi-Wan asked as the group walked up the ramp of the clunky looking ship.
"I didn't find it. I won it." Thalia replied coyly.
"How did you win it?" He asked.
"Er, Sabaac." She answered hesitantly.
"Gambling." Obi-Wan said, stopping in his tracks as he tried to imagine the Princess arguing with punters around a table, then again he could see it easily.
"You don't want to face me. You'll lose your teeth." She said proudly from the top of the ramp.
"No one actually bet their teeth, though." He chuckled.
"Once." She answered in all honesty and then smiled, leaving Obi Wan unsure about whether she was lying or telling the truth.
Once everyone was on board, C6 took one of the two pilot's seats and maneuvered the wide ship out of the tunnel.
"Set a course for Coruscant." Obi-Wan said in the doorway.
"Did it ages ago." Came C6's reply and Obi-Wan decided to retreat.
"Where did you find her again?" He asked, as Thalia appeared in the doorway.
"She…built herself." Thalia replied slowly. "So, you'll have to excuse her rudeness, which I also apologise for."
"I've never met a droid with so much…" He trailed off, unable to think of the right word.
"Disregard for protocol?" Thalia offered as they walked into the large common area, where Qui-Gonn was speaking to a hologram.
"Master?" Obi-Wan asked as the hologram faded.
"That was Master Yoda. They have a location on Dooku." Qui-Gonn replied and Obi-Wan nodded seriously.
"What is Dooku?" Thalia asked.
"Count Dooku is a Sith Lord, and a member of the Confederacy of Independent Systems." Qui-Gonn explained. "He's alluded capture every time we've encountered him, but he's just been located on a planet not far from our position."
"I know everyone's acting like it, but war hasn't been announced yet. Under what provisions do you plan on arresting him?" Thalia asked, a little defensively.
"We are not arresting him because he's a Separatist, we're arresting him on Jedi matter. He is a Sith." Qui-Gonn replied, clearly not wanting to discuss this with her.
"Where is he?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Florrum. He's allegedly been captured by Pirates who are demanding a ransom. The Council wants us to confirm they have him before transferring any form of payment." Qui-Gonn explained. "However, they want us to arrive unarmed."
"Unarmed?" Obi-Wan cried. "We don't know anything about these pirates. We could be walking into a hostile situation."
"I agree. But we can't let Dooku slip through our fingers again." Qui-Gonn replied and turned to Thalia. "Your highness, I'm sorry but this may be the best chance we have of capturing Dooku."
"I understand." Thalia acknowledged rather sourly. "But you'll understand if I don't partake in his arrest."
"Of course." Qui-Gonn nodded, and they set course for Florrum.