THALIA
The next morning, Thalia wasn't any closer to finding out where Qui-Gonn was and as the slave auction loomed, she was running out of ideas as to how she could convince King Tai to divulge the information. The only thing she had managed to do was accidently encourage Tai's affections towards her.
As she sat by the narrow window in the breakfast room beside King Tai her thoughts drifted to Obi-Wan. Hopefully he was making more progress that she was.
"Are you not hungry, my Queen?" Tai asked beside her, carefully placing his hand over her own.
"I was just thinking." She replied airily with an easy smile on her face.
"About?" He asked, slowly licking a drop of jam off the tip of his finger in such a way that made Thalia's skin crawl.
"This Empire." She sighed adoringly. "There's so much I want to know."
"Ask away. And if I like the question I may even answer it." Tai replied smoothly and Thalia forced a sweet smile.
"What people make the best slaves? I know Twi'leks are very popular with the Hut clans." She began.
"You are right. Twi'leks and Togrutas are often in high demand because of their exotic looks. Personally I think those who had a strong will make the best slaves because it shows the true power of their masters to be able to break them in such a way." He said passionately.
"Incredible…I wonder what kind of person would be the hardest to break." Thalia began to wander aloud, hoping that Tai would pick up her train of thought and finish it for her. "…someone with a strong will who wouldn't want to answer to anyone. A bounty hunter? Or even better, a Sith Lord. Or…"
"A Jedi?" Finished Tai and Thalia nodded slowly.
"How incredible it would be to have a Jedi as a slave." She gasped in wonder and watched as a smile slowly spread across Tai's face.
"I will let you in on a secret." The King began slowly and Thalia stared at him in wonder. "Very recently we had a Jedi Master at our facility."
"Really?" Thalia cooed.
"Indeed. Unfortunately, he was moved on quickly. We have a lot of business with the Separatists and with the growing tension between them and the Republic it would be unwise to create any unnecessary confrontation with either parties." King Tai finished.
"He must have fetched a high price." Thalia guessed.
"Indeed." Tai nodded as an attendant entered the breakfast room and spoke into the King's ear.
"Excellent. My dear, you will accompany me to the slave auction. You will find a new set of attire waiting in your quarters. It is one worn by Zyggerian royalty. If you are to stand by my side, then you should look the part." Tai announced and Thalia bowed her head in compliance.
When she arrived back at her quarters and saw the 'royal dress', it was far from what she imagined it do be. Lying neatly on the end of the bed was a satin, burgundy top with a scooped neckline, capped sleeves and was clasped in two places around her back and finished at the bottom of her ribcage. It had small, gold jewels hanging from the hem and sleeves. Beside the top lay a pair of satin pants, also in burgundy that were slightly baggy but were cinched in at the waist and ankles. From a few inches below the waist to a few inches above the ankles was a slit at the front of either leg, which as Thalia discovered once wearing them made sure to show plenty of skin. Brilliant.
No sooner had she donned her outfit, a sharp knock came at the door and an attendant came bustling in, muttering in a language Thalia didn't understand and pushed her into a chair. She then set about attending to her hair, which she pulled half up onto her head in tiny braids and let the rest fall down her back before attacking Thalia's face with make-up.
Then as swiftly as she entered, the attendant bustled back out the door and slammed it shut, leaving Thalia feeling like she'd just been swept up in a tornado. The make-up she had been left with was a darker than how Thalia usually had it, especially around the eyes. She barely had time to be cross at her forced appearance when yet another knock came at the door and a servant ushered her towards the auction house.
In a few hours, she and Obi-Wan would be far away from Zyggeria, albeit without Qui-Gonn but at least they had a lead.
. . .
The roar of the crowd was unlike anything Thalia had ever heard. The tall stands were filled with prospective buyers, slavers, Zyggerian's and any other person who wanted some terrible entertainment.
Thalia stood beside King Tai who lounged in his throne, casting hungry glances every so often at Thalia in the outfit she was trying not to feel sick about.
"Your highness, Zyggerians, guests from a thousand worlds, our auction begins with slaves of unmatched quality and impossible quantity. I give you our first Lot." The ring master called to a cheering crowd and a line of ten Togruta's were marched out into the arena.
Thalia looked among them for Obi-Wan but he wasn't there. But this was only the first handful, sadly there would be many more to come.
As she presumed, Lot after Lot of slaves were paraded in front of the crowd with some being bought instantly, others taking a little longer and then those who hadn't found a master who heckled out of the stadium.
Thalia decided that soon it would be time to enact their plan. She and Obi-Wan had thought of a way to alert the other to their current status concerning information. If Thalia knew were Qui-Gonn was, she would ask the King for one of the slaves. She'd choose Obi-Wan, alerting him to the knowledge she held. If he had found something, then he'd fight against the guards, also ensuring that he wouldn't be purchased on terms of bad behavior.
So, as the remainder of the current Lot trudged out of the arena, Thalia moved over to the throne and perched herself on the arm, letting one hand drop down to rest on Tai's shoulder.
"You must be congratulated. I had no idea the level of compliance you demand of your slaves. I have never seen any of such caliber." Thalia said breathlessly, looking down admiringly at the King. "I think I may even have to purchase one myself to bring home with me."
"Purchase? Never. The slave of your choice will be my gift to you." He said, stretching his hand out to rest atop her bare knee.
More Lots rolled by and Thalia would inspect them thoughtfully before shaking her head in distaste. She wished Obi-Wan would hurry up and make an appearance as Tai's hand was wondering further and further up her leg.
"Now, we have definitely saved our best Lot till last. These final slaves are strong and ready to work. We have molded them into perfect compliance." The ring master announced and the gates opened once again to a cacophony of noise.
First came a Twi'lek, then a Caminoan, a few more Togruta's before finally, she spotted her Jedi. Obi-Wan shuffled slowly into the arena, before taking his place between a Togruta and a guard.
Thalia half leapt, half rose to her feet and walked to the edge of the royal box to look down at the slaves. She looked down at Obi-Wan, willing him to find her face in the crowd and miraculously, their eyes met. She didn't break eye contact with him, as the ringmaster worked his way down the line, as if looking away for even a second, he'd disappear. They finally reached the Jedi and a loud roar came up from the crowd. Out of all the slaves, he definitely looked the healthiest and fittest.
"That one." Thalia announced, turning to face King Tai, who yawned and looked down from him seat.
"A good choice, my queen." He nodded before turning to one of his attendants. "Take him to the Grounds."
Thankfully, that was the end of the slave auction. After accompanying King Tai to a meeting with his other officials, Thalia announced that she would retire and bid him goodnight.
However, instead of returning to her quarters, she took a left and headed for the palace gates. She slipped through them unnoticed thanks to the force and used it to guide her in the direction of the 'Grounds'.
Eventually, she came across an unassuming stone house on the edge of the city. Two guards stood out the front and she approached hesitantly.
"Sorry, ma'am. You are not permitted entre." One of them warned gruffly.
"You will let me pass." Thalia said calmly, holding her hand out in front of her.
"We will let you pass." He said quickly, and stepped aside to let her through.
Past the door was a set of narrow, sloping stairs that descended into darkness. Thalia put her hand out on the rough wall for stability as she trotted down to a stone landing with torches lining the walls. A long corridor stretched out in front of her with cell doors pressed into either side of the walkway.
She started along them, quickly glancing inside each one to find Obi-Wan.
"Thalia." A hushed call came from behind her and she twisted around to see Obi-Wan pressed up against the bars of the cell behind her.
She ran across the walkway in an instant and stepped up to face him, instinctively taking his hand and holding it between both of her own.
"Are you alright?" They both asked at the same time.
"Yes, I'm fine." Obi-Wan replied with a grin and Thalia stepped back as he used the force to crush the lock. The cell door swung open and Thalia grabbed his arm urgently.
"Qui-Gonn's not here. He's already been sold." She said and watched as a crease formed between his eyebrows in concern.
"Alright. Let's get out of here, then we'll work out what to do." Obi-Wan replied calmly and eased her hand off his arm. He didn't let it go however, instead wrapping his fingers around her palm and pulling her with him towards the stairs.
They rounded the corner and started up the stairs, but as they reached the top a dark shadow appeared in the entrance way and the pair skidded to a halt.
"Well, well." Thalia heard the voice of King Tai echo mockingly and her grip around Obi-Wan's hand tightened. "I mean, do you really think I'm that stupid? You turn up the same day as an unregistered slave who's going around asking people if they've seen a Jedi and you ask the same questions." Tai laughed as he strode down the staircase.
Obi-Wan and Thalia began to back down the stone steps, trying to keep a safe distance between the King and his guards. "This is the best slave market in the galaxy, did you honestly think we'd slip up that easily? Besides, our guards are trained to resist your Jedi mind tricks."
They'd reached the bottom of the stairs now and Obi-Wan pushed Thalia behind him. Keeping one hand wrapped firmly in hers and the other held out in front of him.
"Hmm…I never knew how loyal the Jedi were to each other." Tai scoffed, assuming that Thalia was also a Jedi. It was better that than knowing who she actually was. "But are you willing to die for her? She's very beautiful, if I were you I'd want to keep her around." He laughed, before raising a blaster in Obi-Wan's direction.
A pair of hands suddenly wrapped themselves around Thalia's neck and she was yanked away from Obi-Wan's grasp. Tai nodded to whoever was holding her and she was pushed roughly to face Obi-Wan. She grabbed at the hands that were gripped around her throat as her knees were kicked in and she collapsed to a kneel on the cold ground.
"I said, are you willing to die for her?" Tai growled as the barrel of his blaster was pushed against her temple.
Thalia watched as Obi-Wan's jaw clenched and for the first time, she saw proper anger in his eyes. She knew he was at a loss at what to do. If he attacked, they'd just kill them both, if he did nothing, they'd still kill them.
As Tai waved the blaster beside her face, Thalia noted that it looked the same as the Stunner that Padme had given her. In fact, they were one in the same.
Of course, slavers wouldn't carry real blasters. Not if it meant losing a potential slave. No, they'd rather render them unconscious and send them back to reconditioning.
Thalia looked up at Obi-Wan and, using force, worked her way into his mind. It was racing. Going over all the options, trying to work out the probability that they'd both get out of there alive.
Obi-Wan. It's alright. They're just stunners. He's toying with you. Thalia thought and the Jedi's eyes snapped down to meet hers. His eyes were so intense, as if asking whether she was sure, so she stared back just as surely.
"Blast 'em." Tai ordered and suddenly everything went black.