Chapter 3 – Rescue Mission
The Deveronian Bounty Hunter sighed as he strode aboard the ramp up into the large Corellian YT-1300f light freighter, where a twilek woman with bright orange-yellow skin stood, her arms folded as she quirked her hairless brow at him.
"So, did you deal with that sick punk or what?" she snapped irritably as the Deveronian came up to her
"He's not dead, if that's what you're wondering Nima" he smirked holding up his phaser. "I handed his ass back over to Jabba. Apparently, the slug's not too happy that he let another slave escape his clutches and wants to deal with him personally."
"Does he know that we have the kid?" Nima narrowed her eyes.
"He does. Don't worry" the Deveronian added quickly "I managed to convince him to let us keep her as a third of our pay"
"You mean to tell me that you docked off a third of our earnings, so you could keep a kid? Scud's going to be overjoyed when he hears this" Nima rolled her eyes. "Listen I know you've got a soft spot for kids but, we're hunters, not babysitters playing house-"
"I know." The Deveronain cut across her, his expression now grim "But I just couldn't let this one go back there to Jabba. Not this time. She's not like the others"
The twi'lek's face softened as understanding seemed to dawn.
"I see. Well, it's going to be interesting explaining this to the rest of the crew but I'll try-"
"No. I'll do it. Besides it's better if it comes from me. But first, a bath"
"Yeah because believe it or not you really stink" Nima smirked and this time it was the Deveronian's turn to roll his eyes.
"Ha-ha very funny"
"FINALLY!" Una gasped in relief as finally, the Bongo broke the surface of the water.
When the strange membrane like windows suddenly retracted she all but leapt up to her feet, embracing the sudden bright light of the sun and the fresh cool sea breeze. A far cry from the monster filled dark underwater world they'd just left.
Una had to admit they were lucky they all got out of it in one piece, especially since the ship already had one power outage when they were submerged.
"Ooh, this is luverly" Jar-Jar nodded approvingly as he and the two Jedi looked around.
They appeared to be on the outside of a large sea-side city. Everything was lush, green peaceful, and beautiful.
Had Obi-Wan come at any other time he might have loved to have found a nice quiet spot to meditate here. Unfortunately, this fantasy was quickly scrapped as he caught sight of the large tops of a Trade Federation tank in the distance between two buildings.
"Master look." He pointed to the tanks.
"They've already taken the city" Qui-Gon frowned worriedly "Quick, steer us closer. We need to get to the palace fast and find the queen."
"Of course, Master" Obi-Wan nodded.
"the Queen?" Una frowned as the Bongo was steered over towards what appeared to be a tiny wooden pier close by.
"Our mission was to protect the Queen's interests in the Trade Dispute" Qui-Gon explained as he and Jar-Jar both hopped up onto the small wooden pier.
"And let me guess. Right now she's interested in staying alive." Una finished as she followed his lead, inspecting her stolen black blaster. She hoped it still worked after her swim to the Gungan city.
"For one walking into the midst of an invasion, you seem quite calm" Now. Obi-Wan added in his head, amusedly remembering her small yelp of fright during the Monster-fish attack.
"Of course. Now I get to use those tin-can droids for target practice" Una raised an eyebrow as she ignored his gentlemanly hand, and hoisted herself up onto the pier.
They were quick to sneak into the city, carefully ducking and dodging squads of droids that marched along the streets.
Some were just patrol squads, but some were escorting groups of people at gunpoint.
Una felt her heart twinge a little with pity as she watched a pair of young children cling to their parent's sides as they passed by her groups hiding place. They looked so small, helpless and scared-
"Master" Obi-Wan balked forwards, horrified at the sight of the fear and terror in the people's faces. Even Jar-Jar was quiet, as shock overtook his entire being.
"I know." Qui-Gon murmured sadly as he watched the small family and the other prisoners vanish out of sight around a corner.
"You two done sightseeing? Because we're just wastin' our credits sitting on our asses here." Una snapped waspishly as she prepped her blaster.
Obi-Wan stared at her in disbelief.
"These people are suffering, and all you can think about is your credits?!"
She rolled her eyes.
"It's a figure of speech. And I hate to be the bitch that bursts your bubble junior, but this is what war looks like. It's not pretty, it's not fair, and sometimes you can't do anything about it except move on and get on with your own business. I'm sorry but that's how it is!"
"I'm afraid she is right Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon agreed solemnly as he straightened up "We can't do anything to help them now, not without endangering them further. The only thing we can do is save the Queen and figure out a way to stop all this at the source"
"What he said. Now come on the palace is this way." Una jerked her thumb as she carefully stepped out into the street, her black ponytail whipping Obi-Wan in the face as she roughly shouldered her way past him.
"Calm yourself Obi-Wan" Qui-Gon smirked as he watched his Padawan bristle "She's acting tough, but she is just as worried as you are by this turn of events. Perhaps even more so, seeing as she worked for the Trade Federation"
"Sorry master…she just…she's a frustrating personcreature to deal with." Obi-Wan glanced away from his Master slightly ashamed by his lapse in control.
"Frustration is often born from misunderstanding my Padawan." Qui-Gon nodded gently "Life as a Bounty Hunter isn't easy. She must wearwears her attitude like armour to protect herself. But give her time and patience and you might find she's not quite as heartless as she likes to think herself"
"Of course Master" Obi-Wan nodded though he didn't look too convinced as they followed the bounty hunter deeper into the heart of the city.
Their going was slow, but quite informative for Qui-Gon as he watched the Bounty Hunter manoeuvre her way between the buildings. For all her rough and tough attitude, she was quite smooth and fluid in her movements. She barely even made a sound as she snuck through shadows, blaster at the ready to shoot. Then there were her eyes, calmly calculating everything in sight as her ears pricked for the subtlest of sounds. Such movements didn't come naturally to just anyone, even if they were force sensitive. She had been trained and trained well.
Then just as they were approaching the outskirts of the palace grounds, she stiffened and stilled in her spot, holding Jar-Jar back roughly so that he didn't stumble out into the open path of the elevated walkway.
Qui-Gon quickly realized why as he felt the hairs on the back of his own neck suddenly stand on end.
Someone is coming towards us. I think it might be the queen.
He heard Obi-Wan say through their mental link.
I think so too.
Qui-Gon agreed as he felt around for the source of the disturbance in the Force. And sure enough there just below them on the main street, a group of people were being escorted by a small armed squad of battle droids.
They were unlike any of the people they'd so far seen in custody. There were several palace security guards (unarmed) surrounding a group of elderly looking men of importance and some young women. Most of the women wore orange and yellow hooded robes, while the one in the middle of them was dressed in elaborate stately robes of black with a black feathered headdress and a starkly white painted face.
With a silent nod between the three of them, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon all leapt down from on high, stunning the droids and their captives.
They were quick to slice through the droids in the front while Una took a sniper's position from their hiding place and swiftly shot the ones at the back.
"Wha-oh!" Jar-Jar Binks cried out in alarm. In all the excitement of the action, he had tried to jump down after the Jedi, only to start dangling off the railing of the pathway.
"Oh shut up! You'll be fine." Una rolled her eyes as she prized the gungan's webbed fingers from the railing.
Despite landing clumsily on the ground below, he was otherwise unscathed.
"Whoa! You guys are Bombad!"
By the Gods he is annoying.
Una groaned as she straightened up and peered over the edge.
"Everyone okay down there?"
"We're fine." Qui-Gon nodded towards her just as one of the guards, a tall man with dark skin and a stern face, urgently gestured to his men.
"Get their weapons"
At least someone brought their brains to work today.
Una snorted as she quietly slipped down the stairs that led off the bridge and helped the Jedi usher the large party off the streets and into a small alleyway.
"We're Ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor" Qui-Gon said, calm voice laced with urgency.
"Your negotiations seemed to have failed, Master" An elderly man said from his place beside the young queen.
"The negotiations never took place. It's urgent we make contact with the republic"
"They've knocked out all our communications" the head of the guards spoke fiercely as he strode up towards them.
"It wouldn't be much use to you even if you could get a working com unit" Una shook her head "They'd have droids monitoring every frequency going on and off the planet day and night"
"In that case we'll need to make the message personal. Do you have transports?" Qui-Gon asked swiftly and the guard captain nodded, pointing to one of the side alleys.
"In the main hangar. This way"
They were quick to sneak around the sides of the palace, the guards directing them through a side door and into the large building.
They quickly hurried down the small corridors, only stopping when they had to duck and hide from small droid patrol groups. Una was amazed at just how complacent the Trade Federation were in their victory.
If she had just taken over the planet she would have kept the Queen close by her side at or under the heaviest guard always.
Just how in this galaxy did these lazy-ass Nemoidians ever get this far.
She rolled her eyes to herself as she and the head guard, who had introduced himself to her as Panaka, dashed up to a gap in the main hangar door.
"How's it looking in there?" Panaka asked swiftly.
"Not good. Nearly all the pilots have been rounded up, and their weapons have been collected." Una said stiffly, uncomfortably aware of the fearful anxious faces all turned in her direction.
Panaka quickly peered around the door to see the situation for himself and cursed softly.
"Damn it! There are too many of them!"
"They won't be a problem" Qui-Gon frowned as he turned towards the Queen "Your Highness, under the circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us."
"Thank you, Ambassador, but my place is with my people" the Queen clipped in a tone that was professional and cold, though her eyes betrayed a glimmer of fear in them that only grew as the Jedi master said:
"They will kill you if you stay"
"They wouldn't dare" one of the old politicians puffed up indignantly and Panaka grimaced grimly.
"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion legal. They can't afford to kill her."
"There is something else behind all this, your Highness. There's no logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me they will destroy you." Qui-Gon whispered urgently, and the old politician nodded in earnest.
"Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us. Senator Palpatine will need your help"
"Either choice presents great danger…to us all" the Queen quickly turned to a handmaid right beside her, and it seemed to Una almost as if-wait! Was she seeking permission to speak?
But surely the queen would be able to call the shots without opposition so why-unless…
"We are brave your highness" the handmaid looked the queen very steadily in the eye, without a hint of hesitation or submission.
Una quickly glanced at Qui-Gon, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards as he caught her eye and gave a small tilt of the head as he said:
"if we are to leave your Highness, it must be now"
"Then I will plead our case to the senate" the Queen nodded to the Jedi firmly.
"and we better do that fast because I can hear a patrol coming" Una hissed.
"Good luck Governor" the Queen said to the old man as Una and Panaka and a couple of guards quickly ushered them into the hangar, with the Jedi striding in calmly at the front.
"We need to free those pilots" Panaka hissed quietly, pointing at the pilots who all sat in a small group on the floor, surrounded by armed droids.
"I'll deal with them." Obi-Wan swiftly left his master's side to quietly creep along the wall, only just in time.
"Halt" a droid with a yellow capped head stopped in front of them.
"I'm ambassador to the supreme chancellor. I'm taking these people to Coruscant" Qui-Gon spoke calmly but Una saw his hand motion to her behind his back.
Una prepped her gun, stepping in front of the young handmaidens so that her body obscured theirs from the droids view, even as the droid spoke again.
"Where are you taking them?"
"To Coruscant"
"Coruscant ? Uh…that doesn't compute. Uh, wait, uh you're under arres-"
The girls behind Una's back all squeaked in fright and alarm as she fired her blaster.
PEW-PEW-PEW!
The three shots were dead on point as they hit three of the droids behind the yellow capped captain, which was promptly cut in half by Qui-Gon. At the same moment, Obi-Wan leapt out from behind some crates he'd been hiding behind and started slicing through the droids that stood guard around the pilots.
"Get on the ship! Let's go-go-go!" Una grabbed at one of the handmaids and pushed her towards the ramp of a large sleek silver spacecraft. As she did so, several blaster shots came flashing her way, only to miss as Qui-Gon deflected them with his lightsabre.
Quickly she used his cover to aim a few well aimed shots at a group of droids that had rushed in through the hangar doors blasters at the ready. One of them hit the engines of one of the smaller yellow fighter ships, making it explode with a large fiery plume of black smoke. It wasn't the biggest explosion she'd seen, but it was more than enough to wipe out the patrol group off the face of the earth.
With a small grin to herself she quickly hopped onto the ramp of the silver Nubian spacecraft, just as most of the pilots rushed aboard.
Okay, so that's the queen, the guards, the maids, Jar-Jar and the pilots on board. Now, who are we missing?
"COME ON YOU TWO! GET ON!" she yelled as she caught sight of the Jedi Master and Padawan still swiping through the last of the droid guards.
At the sound of her yell they were quick to back their way up onto the ramp, Obi-Wan sparing her a scowl as she aimed a shot at a droid that whizzed only an inch away from his ear.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to kill me." he sniped waspishly.
"Once again Junior, if I wanted to kill you I would've done so by now." Una rolled her eyes as they all finally dashed into the ship, which chose at that moment to finally start speeding forwards.
"Una come with me to the cockpit. Obi-Wan get Jar-Jar somewhere he won't cause trouble then meet us there. Now" Qui-Gon barked as he began to jog down the sleek interior of the ship.
There was a pause in which both Bounty Hunter and Padawan glared at one another, before turning their backs on one another without another word.
Just what is his deal!
Una groaned in her head as she dashed after Qui-Gon's path, doing her best to ignore the sick feeling creeping up in her stomach as their craft jolted slightly in its ascent from Naboo's atmosphere.
It didn't take them long to reach the cockpit, a small but neatly designed space in which a couple of pilots and Panaka were all standing or sitting at various spaces.
"There's the blockade" the main pilot called out, and Una gulped as she looked out the viewport windows, through which she could see all the Trade Federation control ships twinkling out from between the black stars.
"How in the galaxy are we gonna get out of this?" she wondered aloud, running a hand over her forehead.
"By trusting the force young one" Qui-Gon murmured wincing as the ship juddered suddenly, thanks to the large beams of energy being fired at them from the much larger blockade ships.
"Yeah, I don't think the force is gonna be much help now" she breathed, panic sinking in as another blast hit the ship and a red warning light suddenly started going off.
"What's going on? What happened?" Obi-Wan cried out as he ran through the cockpit door.
"The Shield Generator's been hit!" the main pilot cried out as he flicked on an emergency switch. At once the red alert sirens began blaring and it wasn't long before several small astrodroid were seen sliding over the ships outer hull.
But even with their assistance they were still getting hammered heavily.
"Crap! This is bad" Una hissed stumbling as with another great shudder, the ship was hit, the shot blasting two of the small droids off the damaged spot they'd been working.
"We're losing droids fast" Obi-Wan winced as she bumped backwards into him.
"If we can't get the shield generator fixed we'll be sitting ducks" Panaka narrowed his eyes at the small screen of video feed, just in time to see one more droid get blasted off.
Now there was only one astrodroid left. A little silver, blue and white model with a round domed top.
"The Shields are gone" the pilot sighed, almost in defeat, only to start as suddenly something green flashed on his screen.
"the power's back! That little droid did it!" he exclaimed in joy as the readings on his once red screen suddenly blinked back to normal.
"He bypassed the main powerdrive?" Una breathed a huge sigh of relief as she checked the ships systems over the pilot's shoulders.
"Deflector shields up at maximum" he called out, as he steered the ship over the top of one of the Trade Federation ships and beyond it's strange donut shape.
"And we're out" Una smiled, laughing as the ship increased its speed and sped away out of the larger craft's range. "Thank heavens for that"
"Don't get too happy just yet." The pilot's smile dropped as he once again checked his readings "There's still not enough power to get us to Coruscant. The Hyperdrive is leaking"
"We need to land somewhere to refuel and repair" Qui-Gon folded his arms and turned to his Padawan who had taken a seat at the navigations station towards the back of the cockpit.
"Here Master, Tatooine. Small, out of the way, poor. The Trade Federation have no presence there." He pointed out a planet that had appeared on his screen.
"How can you be sure?" Panaka scowled sceptically.
"It's controlled by the Hutts" Qui-Gon explained, calmly eyeing the guard captain as he promptly exploded.
"You can't take Her Royal Highness there! The Hutts are gangsters. If they discovered her-"
"It'd be no different than if we landed in a world controlled by the Federation, except that the Hutts aren't looking for her which gives us the advantage."
"That all depends"
All eyes turned to face Una, who had sunk low into a seat opposite Obi-Wan, her face slightly green. God how she hated flying.
"Depends on what?" Qui-Gon asked patiently.
"On how much of a bounty the Trade Federation puts on your precious Queen's head." Una grunted as she leaned forwards to bend her head low over her knees. "You said they need the her to sign the treaty. Well now she's escaped the planet, I wouldn't be surprised if the Trade Federation started sending out other bounty hunters or assassins after us to get her back before we make it to Coruscant. As many of the better bounty hunters in the Outer Rim are in Jabba's pocket, you can guarantee the great slug himself would be very interested in using her to get a foothold in the Federation's bank accounts. And you know how Hutts are, once they get their slimy tails through the door it's hard to shove them out."
"So you agree, it's too dangerous to land there?" Panaka insisted doggedly, only for his face to fall as Una straightened up and shook her head.
"Normally I would've but given the state of the ship and the level of laziness of the Trade Federation has just shown, the Old Man is right. Hiding under the Hutt's noses is the safest option right now. And besides Tatooine has a lot of decent junk dealers, so repairing the damage to our ship shouldn't be too difficult if we have something worth bartering. Even so, we must be careful of what kind of impression we make on the locals."
"You sound familiar with the planet, have you been there before?" Obi-Wan looked interestedly from his seat.
"A couple of times and let's just say it's not a nice place for a picnic. It's hot, dusty, filled with slaves, scumbags and the sand gets everywhere" she groaned. Now that she was sitting down she could feel the exhaustion creeping up on her.
So much had happened within the span of a few hours, it was amazing she was still awake to snort at Panaka's raised eyebrows.
"Now if you excuse me…I gotta go to the bathroom and puke"
And with that she ran out of the room, cheeks green and bulging.
The four men stared after her, Obi-Wan's face splitting into a smirk of amusement.
"Space sick" he smirked in response to his master's silent question.
"I never knew such a thing still existed" Panaka snorted and the pilot chuckled.
"Oh it does. You'd be surprised how many novice pilots I've seen throw up at their consoles on their first flights."
"But she's not a pilot, is she?" Panaka narrowed his eyes at Qui-Gon who shook his head.
"No she is not. Una's a Bounty Hunter, she was hired by the Trade Federation"
"Bounty Hunter? Hmm…that explains a lot… how did she end up with you two?" Panaka frowned suspiciously.
"The Trade Federation double crossed her and tried to illegally enslave her rather than pay her for the job. In return for our protection she offered to help us secure the Queen and give information on her assignments for the Federation"
"A Bounty Hunter doing pro-bono work for Jedi? Now I've seen it all" Panaka rolled his eyes as the pilot beside him chuckled.
"Well you know how the saying goes, one way or another, a Bounty Hunter always gets his or her due. I'm just surprised she's not turning us in to the Trade Federation for the credits"
"Hear, hear" Obi-Wan muttered quietly under his breath, earning himself a small disapproving glare from his master.
"It is true we have not known Una Crest for very long, but from what I have seen from my observations she is a woman of honour." Qui-Gon said quietly, his voice stern as he addressed the room at large. "and I feel that if we do right by her she could be an indispensable ally in the days to come. We should trust her judgement especially if we might have to deal with other hunters on our tail."
"If you say so." Panaka shrugged as he stood to his feet. "But I'll reserve my judgement for when the queen decides what to do. Speaking of which, she and her handmaids should be settled in by now. I should check on them."
"Of course." Qui-Gon nodded.
Panaka quickly left the cockpit, and the pilot turned back to his controls with a cough.
"I suggest you two and your hunter friend all get settled in as well. It's gonna be a few hours till we reach Tatooine."
"What about you?" Obi-Wan frowned concernedly, but the man waved him off.
"I'll be fine. I'll call on one of the other pilots to relieve me if I'm tired. You might as well get some rest. You'll need it"
"We will. Thank you, friend, may the force be with you" Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both gave a small but polite bow to the man before exiting the cockpit.
Padme heaved a great sigh as she strode around the narrow corridors of the Nubian ship. She was still dressed in her orange and yellow robes, her entire body sweating and shivering underneath, vestiges of the immense stress she'd just experienced barely an hour ago.
She knew she shouldn't be wandering around the ship alone, but she also knew that if she didn't have a moment to herself where she could just splash her face she'd flip out.
She loved the water. The feel of its cool touch always soothed her, calmed her.
She had only walked a few paces down the narrow ship corridor when she came across an open door to her right. Quietly as she dared, she looked inside and stopped short as she caught sight of the woman hunched coughing and retching over a toilet bowl.
She had dark hair, tied back in a practical cornrow ponytail and she was wearing a form fitting jumpsuit under a dark red jacket. She certainly didn't look like a Naboo pilot, and she was not one of the Queen's handmaidens, her muscular toned arms alone were proof enough.
And yet for all her strength, here she was, throwing up over a toilet?
"Sorry" the woman mumbled as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror like wall of the small restroom. "couldn't close the door in time"
"No-no, it's alright. I was just passing by." Padme gulped as she felt her face be scanned by a pair of catlike amber eyes. "Are you alright? Do you need me to get help or-"
She was cut off by the woman shaking her head.
"No need. I'm almost done here anyway. Got nothing more to throw up now" the woman added softly to herself with a snort, only to wince as she stumbled clumsily to her feet.
Padme's expression softened with pity as she caught sight of the slightly shaking fingers and the paleness of the skin.
"Why don't we get you some water. You look like you could use a drink" she reached down and gently as she could, helped pull the woman up to stand.
"Your highness, if I'm going to get a drink, I think it's gonna have to be something stronger than water" the woman's smirk widened considerably as Padme's cheeks flushed scarlet.
"What the-how did you-?" Padme spluttered.
"A slave may seek approval for their actions, but a real master would call the shots without hesitation." Una spoke dully, quirking a brow at the young queen who swelled up indignantly.
"Sabe is not my slave. Nor would she ever-"
"Wow you core-worlders really are uptight. It's just an expression" Una rolled her eyes as she prized herself from the younger girl and steadied herself on her feet. "If your girls are going to cover for you they've got to play their parts better. No real Queen would ever look to their handmaids for permission to go ahead with a plan, at least not in public"
"You seem to know a lot about monarchs" Padme frowned, cheeks still slightly pink.
"Not really, I just know a lot about people in general. Now your highness, are we going to get that drink or what?"
"You haven't even told me your name" Padme scowled, her cheeks still a flustered shade of pink.
"It's Una. Una Crest" Una held out a gloved hand and Padme took it, hesitantly, marvelling at how much larger and stronger the other woman's hands were in comparison to her own.
"Padme. Padme Naberrie"
"Well Padme, let's go see where we can get us some drinks" Una smiled. Padme was a small timid looking girl, but she could see the fire behind those warm brown eyes.
That's good.
Una thought grimly as she let the girl steer her out of the bathroom.
If I'm right and things get ugly, she'll need all the spunk she can get.
The Nemoidians in the councilroom all shivered as the hologram of a dark robed figure stared them down from where it hovered at the head of the table.
"-And Queen Amidala, has she signed the treaty?"
The Grand Viceroy of the Trade Federation, gulped nervously.
"She has, disappeared My Lord. One Naboo Cruiser got past the blockade"
The Viceroy bowed his head in terror as the dark hooded hologram suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
"I want that treaty signed" the figure snapped.
"My Lord, it's impossible to locate the ship it's out of our range." The Viceroy pleaded only to quake even more in his slimy boots as the dark lord sneered.
"Not for the Sith"
There was a gasp from the Viceroy and his deputy as they drew back from the hologram, where another figure had appeared.
He was tall and garbed in dark hooded robes like the dark lord seated next to him. But unlike the seated man, his face was clear for all to see.
Crimson red with jet black jagged tattoos and piercing yellow eyes. He was a menacing figure to behold, not simply because of his demonic appearance, but more so because of the calm, cold calculated stare he fixed the two nemoidians. A snake calculating which mouse to pounce at first even as the dark lord hissed:
"This is my apprentice Darth Maul. He will find your lost ship"
Hey guys, me the author again.
So a lot happened in this chapter. I figured Una would catch onto Padme's decoy quite quickly. After all she does hunt people down for a living, she'd know when someone's faking it. And now Maul's entered the scene things should get a little more interesting.
I hope you guys enjoyed reading chapter 3 of the Bounty Hunters Tale and please review for more
Cheers
FuzzyBeta