Chapter 8 – Escaping the Pirates

Author's Note: In which Theseus tries to help Anakin and Obi-Wan... but fails. :')

~ Amina Gila

A prickle of unease, not quite danger but pretty close, runs through the Force as Theseus paces back and forth in the cockpit of the ship, waiting for Obi-Wan and Anakin's return. Something is off. He suddenly senses them both fading into unconsciousness or falling asleep much too abruptly for his liking. The suspicious part is that it was practically simultaneous.

What have they gotten themselves into? He has no doubts that this was the pirates doing. Did they drug them at the banquet or something? What could they hope to gain from it? They aren't going to be getting any ransom money if they try funny business like this. Or maybe they're planning on trying to ransom Obi-Wan and Anakin to the Separatists now, after they give Dooku over to the Republic.

Theseus spins around heading for the exit, determination flooding him. Either way, he's not going to let anything happen to them. He's going to find and rescue them on his own if he has to. A situation like this probably overrides Obi-Wan's orders to stay with the ship, so...

First question is how in the world is he supposed to get into the building without anyone noticing him? Pirates are milling about everywhere near the entrance to the building. Pulling his hood up over his head, he hurries down the ramp, quickly darting out of sight behind it.

He doesn't have long before the pirates notice that something amiss. He's going to have to be fasts. Trying to push back his fears, he tries to analyze the situation.

There are way too many guards to try sneaking in the front entrance, so he'll have to get in some other way. It's too risky to go walking around the whole complex looking for another opening. More than likely, on the way, he'll run into guards and get captured too. So, the best place to start is probably on the roof.

He'll have to lay low so people on the ground can't see him. As for how to get up there... well, that's pretty easy. Using the Force to help him, he climbs up the backside of the shuttle, crouching down as he finally reaches the top.

None of the pirates have noticed him. Yet. He scoots to the edge of the shuttle and jumps. With a thump that rings out far too loudly, Theseus lands on the roof of the building and ducks down again, moving to the center of the roof so no one will be able to see him. Pirates are moving about all around the building.

So, maybe the only way to actually get inside will be through the top. Maybe he can try to feel them with the Force? His bond with Obi-Wan isn't very strong yet, and he hasn't formed one with Anakin, but their Force-presences shine out brightly; it couldn't be hard to locate them. He reaches out with the Force, wishing he'd had more practice with this. On the bright side, Anakin's presence especially shines out so strongly it's hard to miss. Slowly, he inches along the roof until he's located right over where he can sense their presences the strongest.

Given, they're probably several floors down in the compound, and he has absolutely no plan on getting out, but once he's in there, they can probably help with that. Igniting his lightsaber, he stabs the blade down into the ceiling. As soon as the circle is complete, he silently lifts it out with the Force before falling down into the hallway below.

There's no one right around here, but he can hear movement right in the next room. Well, since he needs to continue going down,the fastest option is to probably keep cutting his way through. He stabs his still-ignited lightsaber into the floor and gets to work cutting another hole.

"Stop right there, Jedi!" shouts a voice suddenly. His head snaps up to see that a pirate appeared next to the door on the other side of the room which isn't fully solid, enabling him to see Theseus clearly. The pirate shoves the door open, stalking into the room with a blaster aimed as Theseus instantly raises his lightsaber, positioning it in front of him defensively. So much for a quick escape.

The pirate promptly fires, and he spins his lightsaber, deflecting the blasts like he always does in battle. But this is attracting way too much attention, and he doesn't have time for this. Theseus charges the pirate, slicing through his blaster in a swift move before Force-kicking him backwards at the door as several more people run around the corner. He slams into the one in front who hits the one behind, and they all go tumbling into a pile on the floor.

Throwing some crates in front of the entrance to slow them down, he runs back to the spot of the floor he was at before, and quickly finishes cutting a hole. He jumps down to the floor below by the time he can hear the pirates trying to get the door back open again. He's never going to have time to cut another hole in the floor down here before they come and find him.

Fine. There are other ways to get downstairs. He sprints down the hallway, ducking back against a wall as several people pass by, one of them throwing a suspicious glance over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner. By the time the people are safely out of sight, he can hear footsteps rapidly approaching from the direction he came from. The pirates from upstairs must've gotten through his blockade already.

Great. This is a lot harder than he was expecting.

He bolts down the hall again, only to run around the corner and come face to face with several guards. They instantly pull blasters out, and the fight is on. Several shots ring out from behind him, and he dives out of the way as blaster shots strike the walls near him.

"Surrender, Jedi. You are outnumbered," one of them warns.

For a moment he's tempted to keep fighting anyway, but glancing around, he's really hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded. Instead, he focuses on making a mental note of all the guards' positions and the hallways as they take his lightsaber, put him in stun cuffs, and lead down to a cell a few floors below.

The first thing Theseus realizes is that Dooku is sitting along one of the sides of the cell, looking very grumpy. Anakin and Obi-Wan, who are both unconscious, are chained to him. Oh, great. They're going to be stuck in here with the Sith Lord? These pirates have a horrible sense of humor, and he is definitely not amused.

Theseus pointedly turns away from Dooku as he's cuffed to the end of the line and left alone. This is not good. Now they're all stuck in here with the Sith Lord they were supposed to be capturing, and he doesn't know how to get them out. He does everything he can to not focus on the circumstances, because if he does, he might do something stupid. After all, they're stuck with the Sith who started the Clone Wars and is responsible for thousands of deaths.

Anakin is the first to start moving around, slowly sitting up. Obi-Wan slowly gets up also. "Master?" Anakin mumbles looking around, "What happened?"

"Well, I guess that pirate brew was stronger than we thought," Obi-Wan concludes, then frowns, "Wait a minute, Theseus, what are you doing here?"

"Well, when you were clearly drugged after going to the banquet that I knew it would be stupid to attend, I decided to come and rescue you," Theseus replies.

"I only took a sip of that brew," insists Anakin.

"They must've made it having Jedi in mind," Theseus realizes. Jedi aren't affected by the same kinds of drugs that work on most people, at least not nearly as well.

"But why would they risk losing the ransom?" Anakin asks.

"I've been wondering that this whole time," Theseus grumbles.

"The deal appears to have changed," Obi-Wan decides. "They must be trying to triple their payday. Or maybe now quadruple it."

"A shrewd observation, Master Kenobi," Dooku speaks up for the first time. Anakin jolts to his feet in a flash, and the sudden fear and anger pouring into the Force is enough to put Theseus on his highest alert. Never, never has he felt anything like that.

"Oh, great. It's you," Anakin growls.

"I did warn you these pirates were devious," Dooku continues, completely undeterred. "You did notice our shackles are bound together. I have tried to separate us, to no avail." Theseus glowers at him.

"It's bad enough we have to be in the same cell," Anakin hisses, stepping towards him menacingly. Obi-Wan pushes him away from the Sith before things can escalate. "But could you at least spare me the sound of your constant chatter?"

"And while I hold my tongue, the three of you will devise a brilliant strategy for getting off this godforsaken planet?" Dooku asks calmly.

"Yes!" all three Jedi snap in unison, turning to look out the cell door.

"I know some of the way out," Theseus offers, "But I don't know we could all make it there without being seen."

"Well, first we need to get the cell door open," Obi-Wan points out.

"The problem is getting past that," Anakin reminds, eyeing the hall. He's standing completely tensed, not unlike usual, but it's worse now.

Dooku suddenly rises, approaching the cell door. Theseus sends him his best death glare and steps out of the way, unable to wonder what it would be like to stab him when he's not looking. Yes, he knows that's not a Jedi thought, but still. Dooku sticks a hand through the door and a plate of food sitting on a ledge nearby slowly begins to rise in the air. What in the name of the Force does he think he's doing?!

"Don't you think our priorities should be escape first, eat second?" Anakin snarks.

"Do control your protege's insolence so I can concentrate," Dooku growls at Obi-Wan.

"Concentrate on eating?" snaps Theseus. Why do they have to deal with this?! Dooku lets the plate fall to the floor but levitates the knife that was on the plate with the Force.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan asks with a much too smug smirk. "Control your 'insolence.' The Count is concentrating."

Dooku maneuvers the knife over the door, sliding it into the lock. The lock disengages and the door snaps open. "Well done, if I do say so myself," the Sith gloats.

"Do all Sith praise themselves this much?" Theseus huffs. "No wonder everyone hates them."

"I suppose I should tell you to control your 'insolence' as well," Obi-Wan remarks dryly as they head down the hall. Theseus didn't come through this way, so he's not entirely sure where they're heading. Not that it would matter anyway, considering that Dooku is in the lead right now. And he really doesn't trust him with being in charge of their escape.

"We do know where we're going, don't we?" Anakin demands, though he sounds doubtful.

"Hush, Anakin," chides Obi-Wan, though he steps a little closer to Dooku, "Do we know where we're going?"

"Quiet," the Sith snaps. He comes around the next corner, knocking out the guard standing there before he even has a chance to see it coming. "I was brought this way when I was captured," Dooku explains. "It was open then."

Anakin bends down, searching the guard before standing up. "Hey, I found the door key." He steps over to the door, preparing to stick the key into the lock.

"This is the way to the hanger," Dooku informs.

"Yes, but are you sure it's safe?" Obi-Wan argues.

"The key works," Anakin offers unhelpfully.

"Is it safe?!" Obi-Wan demands.

"Of course, it is," Dooku insists.

"If it's the way to the hanger, there's probably guards –" Theseus begins to protest but it's too late. The lock clicks and the door slides open to reveal at least half a dozen guards. "Everywhere," he finishes lamely.

They all instantly jump to their feet, drawing their blasters. "Right," Obi-Wan mutters, looking faintly amused as he glances over at Dooku. The Count pointedly doesn't look at him.

They turn to look over their shoulders as four other guards run around the corner, aiming blasters. "Hold it right there, Jedi," orders one of them. As if they were doing anything else.

"What were we thinking following a Sith Lord?" Anakin mutters.

"We weren't thinking," Theseus offers.

Moments later they're back outside their cell door and the leader of the pirates, Hondo Ohnaka, shows up. "What to do, what to do, what to do?" he rambles aloud to himself, as he circles around them. And there's nothing Theseus hates more than the circle they're stuck standing in because that means he's right next to Dooku. "I don't want to kill you, per se," continues Hondo, "In fact, you seem like decent fellows. Even you, Count. This is just business. And once I get my money, we can go back to being friends."

"We were friends in the first place?" Theseus mutters.

"It's very simple. Now, try not to complicate things by breaking out again," he advises, before turning away. Moments later, they're back in the cell again, this time with a guard standing right outside the door. Seriously, this is absolute insanity. All of the thousands of Jedi can't capture Dooku, but a band of stupid pirates can keep him and three other Jedi captive? This is ridiculous.

"We have to get out of here before the Republic arrives with the ransom," Obi-Wan says in a low voice.

"For once, I agree with you," Dooku replies coolly.

"Maybe we can try to go the way I came," Theseus suggests, "But we might want to wait for cover of darkness."

"How did you come in?" Anakin asks.

"Through the roof," he offers.

**w**

Theseus doesn't know what to think about the scene that suddenly materializes in front of him. They're in a room, through the walls are largely blurred out. A woman – Mandalorian, from the look of her armor – with a group of guards behind her, stands facing two men. She's arguing with one of them, though it takes him a while to make out the words. He gets the distinct impression there's something familiar about the other man.

"Revan is not our enemy, not now. Without him, Clan Jendri would have slaughtered us. Without him, we would never have found Mandalore's mask. Revan has proved himself to be our brother and what you are doing brings dishonor on our clan!"

"No," retorts the woman, "You're wrong. Clan Ordo might accept a Jedi, but not him. Anyone but him."

"There's only way to be sure. Let the entire Clan decide."

"That's not an option. Revan cannot leave this chamber alive."

Revan? That man is Revan? The conversation blurs out a bit again, as Theseus struggles to understand what's happening. Why is he seeing Revan who died thousands of years ago?

"You can't win this battle," Revan says, looking to the others behind the woman.

"We killed dozens of Jedi during the war," she snaps.

"I'm no ordinary Jedi."

"Kill them both," the woman orders, and everyone springs into action.

Revan ignites his lightsaber in a flash, deflecting the blaster bolts as they fire at him. One of them is hit and goes down, while the other man shoots down two of the others. The woman and the remaining two guards duck out of sight, throwing several grenades at Revan. He throws the stone lid that was covering what the mask was in at the grenades to block the explosion. It absorbs the worst of it but is blasted into pieces. Then the three others emerge from hiding, shooting at Revan again who dives aside.

Theseus jolts upright, heart pounding. What was that? Seeing Revan in the cave was one thing – that was when he got his kyber crystal – but now? What prompted this?

"Are you alright?" Anakin asks quietly. Obi-Wan is supposedly meditating but Theseus is pretty sure he's sleeping. Dooku is sitting against the wall in a meditative position as well, which Theseus is pretty sure is also a cover for being asleep. Maybe he thought it was unworthy of his exalted position to sleep in front of them.

"Yeah," he mumbles, glancing around the darkened room. It's slightly jarring to wake up in a place other than the Temple. He's still not completely used to waiting for all his memories to come back as well as what he was doing before he fell asleep. He's rarely at the Temple anymore.

"Nightmares?"

"How'd you guess?" he asks dryly. Except of all the nightmares he's had since the start of the war, this one has shaken him up the most. It feels so real. This doesn't even make sense. Why is he dreaming about the Mandalorian Wars, of all things?

"You wouldn't be the only person I know having a difficult time sleeping," Anakin replies mysteriously. That means Ahsoka must be also, then. He's not surprised, but it's not pleasant to think about his best friend dealing with much of the same problems he has. Ever since becoming a commander and Obi-Wan's padawan, the war hasn't let him have much peace of mind. Everything is so chaotic and tense, it's hard for him to concentrate on anything.

"Sometimes, I wish things were different," Theseus says at last, wanting to break up the silence. It's too quiet, too dark, and it sets him on edge.

"The Jedi were never meant to fight in a war," Anakin agrees quietly. "The next generation... will remember better how to be warriors than peacekeepers. We can only hope they'll use it to their advantage." He doesn't quite manage to keep the bitterness out of his voice at the end.

At times, Theseus wonders what will become of the Order after the war. Anakin has a point. "What were things like?" he asks. "Before the war?"

"Calmer. The Force felt lighter. Not nearly as clouded, but it got worse with time." Which wasn't what he wanted to know, but Anakin seems to have this way of diverting all topics off himself. "It was brave of you to come out here alone. And reckless."

"Just doing my job," the padawan argues. "I wasn't going to let you two get yourselves killed by a bunch of drunken pirates."

Anakin's expression is one of mild amusement. "Yes, sometimes Obi-Wan can't seem to stay out of trouble."

"And you can?" Theseus retorts with a smirk.

"Of course, I can!"

"Mmhm. Then why are you here?"

"Like I said, Obi-Wan can't stay out of trouble. I came to keep him out of it."

"Because that worked so well."

"As well as your rescue did."

"Let's hope our next escape attempt will have better success," Theseus remarks.

"It better. We wouldn't want Hondo to stop being friends with us."

"Definitely not. It's a much too precious friendship to lose." Being sarcastic is a far easier way to deal with emotions, he's realized.

Anakin snorts. "Certainly." The silence that settles over them for once isn't tense but feels more companionable. A presence more brilliant than the sun that shines over Coruscant yet cautiously wary and slightly hopeful touches his mind. Theseus hesitates only a moment before grasping it, and a bond snaps in place between the two, however weak it may be. It'll grow in time, but right now, Theseus lets himself be grateful his padawan-brother has finally accepted him. They've waited long enough, he thinks.

"Speaking of Hondo," Obi-Wan says suddenly, breaking up the moment, "It's probably late enough that we can try again."

"And how do you propose we get out of the cell this time?" demands Dooku. Maybe neither of them were sleeping and instead listening to Theseus and Anakin's entire conversation. Well, he really hopes not. It was private.

"Leave that to me," Obi-Wan insists, standing up and approaching the cell door. A pirate is standing guard outside the door. "You do not want to stand guard," he says, throwing the strongest Force-suggestion he can into the words.

"I do not want to stand guard," the guard agrees.

"You want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking," he adds.

"I want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking," repeats the guard. He turns, pushing a button allowing the door to open before he walks away. The four of them hastily step out of the cell before it slides closed behind them.

"Not bad," Anakin compliments.

"Oh, yes. Most impressive, Master Kenobi," Dooku agrees.

They hurry down the halls of the building, ducking behind crates piled here and there to keep out of sight whenever someone passes by. Theseus tells them directions on which way to go every so often.

"Hurry it up, Dooku," Obi-Wan hisses and Anakin and Theseus quickly crouch down behind some crates as footsteps approach. Obi-Wan shoves the Count down barely in time as one of the pirates passes by.

"You should be more patient, Master," chides Anakin as soon as it's safe for them to keep moving. "After all, the Count is an elderly gentleman and doesn't move like he used to."

"I suppose you're right," Obi-Wan concedes cheerfully.

"I would kill you all right now if I didn't have to drag your bodies," Dooku growls.

"Well as a Sith with all their glory, shouldn't you be able to carry us?" Theseus retorts.

"Hey, he might be getting weak in his old age," Anakin smirks.

"Good point."

If looks could kill, Theseus is pretty certain they would all be dead right now. And maybe antagonizing a Sith Lord isn't a good idea, but he can't help it right now. He hates this entire situation, and it's to be expected they're taking advantage of it. He can feel the Dark Side so strongly now. The sooner they get out of here, the better.

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