Chapter 5 – Old Friends
The Trandoshan male stared down at the little girl that hid behind the Deveronian Bounty Hunter's legs. She was small and weak looking, not at all what he'd been expecting his boss to bring upon this ship.
"So…this is the little worm Nima told us about?" The Trandoshan looked up at the coppery face of the Deveronian who put a comforting hand on the little girl's shoulder.
"Play nice Scud; she's going to be staying with us for a while."
"Does the little worm have a name?" another voice grunted from the nearby table where a porcine like Gamorrean was staring down the little girl so hard she had begun to shiver.
"She hasn't given one yet. And probably won't if you keep glaring at her like that" the Deveronian scowled and the Gamorrean backed down, though he kept his eyes trained on the little girl as she now hid behind the Deveronian who chuckled.
"Don't worry, they both act tough, but they're just big softies."
"No, we're not" the Trandoshan bared his sharp teeth in a smirk at the little girl who gasped in fear.
"Argh! Now look, now you've scared her" the yellow Twi-lek, Nima huffed as she came through a door, followed closely by a very strange droid. It looked like the shape and size of an old HK-50 droid, except where parts of the original durasteel plating and parts were no longer attached. Instead, what appeared to be other parts from other more advanced droids and weapons were attached to its person. It had been painted dark grey, with two large red strips running down from the top of its head, down the left side of its torso and down to its left foot.
"I see you've got Scraps up and running again" the Deveronian smirked at the droid who nodded its head.
"Affirmative, it is good to be in service again, sir. And just in time too, for miss Nima has just informed me that we have received a new crewmember" the droid spoke in a strange high pitched, human-like voice.
It tilted its head to watch as the little girl leaned out from her hiding place to chance a peek at him.
She'd never had the chance to be around many droids, being only a cleaning slave, but she'd always been fascinated by them. To get the opportunity to see one up close.
She gulped as she felt herself be led gently out of her shield's shadow.
"So, there you have it kid." The Deveronian pulled her to stand in front of him, his warm hands placed securely on both her tiny shoulders "Welcome to the crew"
Una Crest was silent as she walked through a hole in the wall just behind the small Cantina on the edge of the Mos Espa slaves' quarters.
A small smile grew over her lips as she looked around the dingy shop. Weapons hung from every wall, blasters and melee alike. Even some ceremonial blades hung behind the shop counter where a trandoshan male hunched with his back towards her.
He was tall and bulky and ultimately reptilian in his appearance. His thick, scaly hide was a mix of yellow and green, mostly hidden under the plain armoured vest and pants he wore. His red eyes swivelled around warily as a tiny bell notified him of his new customer.
"Well, well, well" he rasped in basic, though with a very thick Dosh accent. "What have we here? A little girl far from home."
"Yes indeed, a little girl far from home and in need of a new blaster" Una held up her silver blaster and the Trandoshan snorted.
"Nabooian. Tch! Pretty but useless. Haven't I told you time and again not to go for the pretty looking guns?"
"And haven't I told you time and again, that you seriously need to clean your scales under your armpits, you decrepit old lizard?" Una folded her arms.
There was a pause as both Trandoshan and human narrowed eyes at one another.
Then they both suddenly grinned.
"It's great to see you Scud." Una chuckled warmly as the Trandoshan made his way around the counter, his reptilian lips spread into a wide, friendly grin as they quickly hugged.
"It's good to see you again, kid" Scud patted her shoulder hard as he held her at arm's length. "The scorekeeper has blessed you well. You're looking stronger and healthier than ever."
"As are you. Though I'm surprised that you decided to set up shop here on this scrapheap. What happened to your shop on Kessel?" she looked around at the shop again.
Scud chuckled and shrugged.
"Shut down by the Pyke Syndicate, but I'm not that fussed. Business is better here. Many T'doshok come to Tattoine to teach their young to hunt. It's a good place to start earning your Jagganath Points. Speaking of which, how did your mission for the Trade Federation go?"
"Not too good I'm afraid" Una rolled her eyes as she leaned against the shop counter. "Some stupid worker worm of theirs stole a data chip with some vital information. I got the worm and the chip back, but the slimeballs didn't pay me the fee."
"Trying to catch a freebie? Tche! Those politicians are cheapskates." Scud shook his head in disgust.
"Not just a freebie. They tried to put a slavers chip in me."
"THEY WHAT?!" Scud hissed, his hackles raising over pointed teeth as reptilian nostrils flared wide "Those disgusting dishonourable-" his voice trailed away as he began swearing with rough guttural Dosh.
"I know. What a bunch of a-holes, huh?" Una snorted. "And to top it off, those bastards are now responsible for that blockade around Naboo."
"I heard about that" Scud grumbled, "The word on the street is that many black marketeers are stuck on the planet unable to get off with their wares."
"Yeah, it's pretty airtight."
"Is that so? Then how did you get out?" Scud smirked, and Una shrugged.
"Ah, you know me Scud, got Lady Luck in the palm of my hand and whatnot."
"And the help of two Jedi" he quirked a scaly brow.
"Now where did you hear that?" Una narrowed her eyes.
"Slyde. He got word from one of his contacts stuck in the concentration camps on Naboo. According to rumours, the queen was rescued from the palace by two Jedi and a female gunslinger in a red jacket. Don't worry. Only Slyde and the rest of the old crew know it's you, and you know we wouldn't rat you out for any amount of credits."
"I should've known the old man couldn't keep his nose out of my business. So, he's using his spy network-pff! I can handle myself just fine on my own" Una pouted, folding her arms moodily.
"He worries about you. You are after all the closest thing he has to a kid" Scud patted her shoulder again as he led her around the shop.
"Now come on, let's get you some proper gear."
"And you're sure there's nothing left on board?" Qui-Gon's voice issued from the speakers of the Naboo ship's communications console.
"A few containers of supplies. The queen's wardrobe, maybe, but not enough for you to barter with, not in the amount you're talking about." Obi-Wan spoke his hands fiddling with a small mechanical part in his hands as his master sighed.
"Alright, I'm sure another solution will present itself. Oh, and Obi-Wan"
"Yes, master?" Obi-Wan looked up from his tinkering, gulping as he heard the stern reprimand coming his way.
"Don't leave the ship again, not unless there is a dire emergency. We cannot risk the enemy knowing the Queen's true location."
"Of course, master" Obi-Wan muttered, ears burning slightly red as he caught sight of the amused look an engineer was giving him from where he was working at fixing another console.
"If you need any more supplies, just contact Una on her communicator."
"I will."
"And do try to get along with her, or at the very least be civil with one another. I know you both butt heads, but we'll need her help if we are to take down the Trade Federation."
"Yes, master, I will. Stay safe." Obi-Wan nodded as he turned off the communicator. Once the connection broke, he sighed and looked outside. He could see the wind picking up as small clouds of sand began whipping around the ship, scratching roughly against its sleek silver hull.
"Blasted sandstorm" he muttered darkly. He could only hope his master wouldn't get caught too severely in the storm. Then again, Qui-Gon had a strange amount of luck when it came to befriending the locals of any of the planets they had visited.
He also found himself wondering what would happen to Una in the storm. She wasn't with Qui-Gon, that much he knew.
She must be taking shelter in a Cantina. She seemed pretty at home in them.
He remembered, bristling as he remembered how easily she had broken the arm of that creep that had tried hitting on her. She was not just strong; she had been trained. Her reflexes sometimes were almost as fast as his, and that was saying something seeing as he was force sensitive.
He paused as he stood up, pondering as he made his way out of the cockpit. There was something strange about the Bounty Hunter. Every time he was near her, he felt fluxes of emotions passing through the force. Very strong fluxes indeed.
He'd only ever felt such abnormalities when near other Jedi, especially small younglings at the temple who were untrained in controlling their feelings.
But no, it couldn't be possible, could it?
He wondered to himself as he made to start fixing one of the broken consoles in the ship's small engineering deck.
"Damn shutters" Scud banged on one of the window shutters which appeared to be slightly bent out of shape, allowing a stray sliver of sandy wind to stream into the shop.
"Here, this should help" Una's hand passed him a durasteel plate from a scrap pile behind a door which he quickly welded over the gap, effectively shutting out the stream of sand.
"Thanks" Scud drawled, his dosh accent thickening as he swore at the now sand-covered floor of his shop. "Ruddy sandstorms, the one hazard about setting shop on a planet like this. Apart from the Tuskens of course."
"Been causing you trouble have they?" Una smirked as she finally stepped out from a back room, strapping on her new gear, which included two powerful black blasters holstered to her hips, a long jet-black blaster rifle equipped on her back, several knives on her thigh holsters and to top it off, a flame thrower gauntlet secured on her right lower arm.
"So, what do you think" She smirked as she admired herself in a nearby grimy mirror. Damn, did she look good or what?
"I think that now you are ready to hunt" The Trandoshan grinned as he walked over to stand beside her. "I don't know what you were thinking of carrying around those weak excuses for firearms."
"Didn't have many choices. My old ones were confiscated by the Trade Federation when they got me." Una groaned. "Speaking of capture, how long do you think this storm will hold?"
"Depends. Usually, storms last for two hours, but sometimes it can stretch for a good twelve if the winds over the desert are strong" Scud shrugged. "Either way, the store will be shut until it ends so we may as well crack open a drink and enjoy ourselves."
"Sounds like a plan. But before we sit down and chill, I gotta call a couple of people."
"You mean the Jedi?" Scud smirked, and she rolled her eyes.
"Yes them." she pulled out her communicator.
"Qui-Gon here" she heard the older Jedi grunt on the other end.
"It's me. You guys, okay?" Una glanced as the storm rattled the windows.
"We're fine." Qui-Gon answered calmly "We have taken shelter from the storm, and yourself?"
"All good. I'm at the weapons shop beside the Cantina right next to the slaves quarters."
"Ah, so we're close then." Qui-Gon muttered "I'll meet you there when the storm's over, and we'll discuss the next move. In the meanwhile, keep your head down and out of trouble."
"Oh, but Master Jedi, getting in trouble is such fun." Una rolled her eyes as she hung up the communications and turned towards Scud.
"Right" she clapped her hands "Now where're the drinks?"
The night was dark on the city-planet of Coruscant. So dark that nobody noticed the two black-cloaked and hooded figures that walked around the outside courtyard of the towering grand spire.
"Tatooine is sparsely populated." One of the shadows spoke softly. "If the trace was correct, I will find them quickly master."
"Move against the Bounty Hunter and the Jedi first." His master sneered from beneath his hood "You will then have no difficulty in taking the queen to Naboo to sign the treaty."
"At last, we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last, we will have revenge" the taller shadow said, and though his dark red and black painted face was calm, malicious excitement laced every syllable from his mouth.
The master's lips curled even wider.
"You have been well trained my young apprentice. They will be no match for you."
A twelve-year-old girl with the dark hair and catlike eyes was standing outside the massive stone archway embedded into the side of the barren mesa.
It was the entrance to a temple, old and weathered by time and wind. Beyond the top of the archway, carved out of the Mesa walls, a spire spread high up to the heavens.
The girl looked away from the pinnacle above her with a gulp, only to find herself facing a dark chasm.
She could see a rusty-red skinned Deveronian male standing in the center of the archway before her, half covered in the shade of the threshold. On either side of him, engraved like stone sentinels were two figures.
"Come on, it's not that bad once you're inside" the Deveronian man smirked from his spot, seemingly unperturbed by the presence of the stone effigies around him.
But the girl didn't move. She just stared at the stony figures.
One was a woman, with long flowing hair and a serene expression on her face. The other was a man, with a wrathful expression and a sinister looming presence. Above the both of these figures just above the archway keystone, the bust of an old man with long hair and beard stretched his arms out above the two figures so that his fingers embraced the sides of their heads in a caress that was both stern yet loving.
His face was blank, though his staring eyes seemed to pierce straight through the young girl below, who shivered as she locked gazes with the stone eyes.
She was pulled out of her thoughts as the Deveronian man held out a hand towards her.
"Here, if you're really that scared you can-"
"No!" she snapped only to find that the voice that escaped her was not that of a child's.
Instead, a woman's hand swatted the Deveronian's hand away, and a more mature feminine face looked back up into the eyes of the old stone man above.
She was meant to be here; she just knew it.
And yet…
"Una"
"Una!"
Una grunted and yelled as she opened her eyes. Scud was standing over her his yellow reptilian eyes were worried as he peered down into her bleary face.
Her drink had been taken out of her hand and put upon the table before her. She was leaning back, almost slumped in her chair.
"Sorry Scud" she yawned, hand over her mouth "Must've dozed off. What? Is everything okay?" she blinked as he straightened up, still quirking a scaly brow at her.
"You were having the dream again" he muttered.
"The what? Oh right yeah…" Una grumbled, rubbing her brow as she leaned onto the table before her. "Ever since I met those bloody Jedi I've had all these flashbacks. I don't know if it's because of their manipulating that force thing or whatever but it's driving me nuts."
"Probably" Scud muttered though he looked troubled. "Slyde just called on the main holo-portal. He wants to see you."
"I take it you spilt the beans on my situation" Una scoffed, rolling her eyes. She loved her old crew, but sometimes it irked her how overprotective and coddling they could be at times. Who'd have thought the roughest fiercest bounty hunters this side of the galaxy could be such overprotective guardians?
"I didn't have to. He seemed to know already what was going on." Scud shrugged "He's waiting out a sandstorm in Mos Eisley."
"He's here on Tatooine? Oh god, how long has he been here?" Una groaned. If Slyde caught her with the Jedi, she'd never hear the end of it.
"He's been here a week already, working on a mission for the Hutts." Scud explained as he picked up her empty drink bottle and tossed it in the trash "He's coming tomorrow to collect his bounty at the Boonta Eve Pod Races, he wants to meet you there."
"Of course he does" Una stood up running a hand through her hair. "Man I need the loo."
"up the stairs and to your right. It's small, but you'll have to make do" Scud grunted, yet even as she made her way upstairs he looked out a small chink in the window shutters.
The dust storm outside had almost dissipated, yet he could make out amidst the deserted streets, a black hovering globe with a strange tall, dark fin on top.
Scud quickly shut the blinds of his shop as the eye of the globe turned his way, a small snarl curling over his reptilian lips.
"Typical Una" he shook his head in exasperation as he looked up the narrow steps that led up into the upper floor of his shop. "How do you manage to get yourself into all this trouble?"
The storm was ending. Qui-Gon could feel it through the force as he meditated in a small room off to the side, a rare moment stolen during this tumultuous mission.
Despite this dustball of a planet being home to so many scum and downtrodden souls, he couldn't help but marvel at the way the force seemed to wind its way like a mass of strings through the entire planet.
So many lives, all interwoven and connected. Tattoine indeed was a strange hidden gem tucked away in the corner of the galaxy.
That's when he saw it, unbidden, the vision of a grand temple tucked away in the side of a giant mesa, Guarded by three strange stone sentinels. Between the sentinels, an adult humanoid and what appeared to be a young child both stood facing the dark chasm.
Though he couldn't see the face, Qui-Gon recognised the child's dark hair and cat-like walk as she followed the tall humanoid male inside.
He had rust-red skin and two large horns atop his bald head, the back of which bore a long thin pale "X" shaped scar.
Qui-Gon sucked in a sharp breath as he opened his eyes and snapped out of the trance. He knew that scar, though it had been a very long time since he'd seen it.
But no…that couldn't be possible. Unless-
He was forced out of his reverie as a young voice spoke behind him in the doorway.
"Mister Qui-Gon sir?"
"Yes, Anakin?" Qui-Gon smiled as young Anakin Skywalker peered into the room, surprisingly quiet and curious.
A quick nudge from the force, plus the sight of the older woman cleaning up the dining table behind the boy, told him that the boy's mother had ordered him to be quiet and not disturb his meditation.
"Thank you, Anakin I'll be right out. Why don't you get a head start? I'll meet you at the shop?"
"Sure" Anakin nodded excitedly as he bounded away from the room much to his mother's exasperation.
"Ani! What did I tell you about running about the house?!" She called after him, and Qui-Gon allowed himself a small smirk as he got to his feet.
It truly was amusing. Children could be such complex creatures, both wise and innocent, afraid yet strangely fearless, mysterious and yet as open as a book. And speaking of open books.
The old Jedi thought back to the vision he had of the young girl and the Deveronian hunter. If what he suspected was true, then the Force had great plans in store for the future, great and strange.
He was not at all surprised when half an hour later, he met Una outside the front entrance to a small hole in the wall weapons store, her cat-like eyes glaring holes into his face.
"You don't have to probe around my head y'know? You could call me and ask me if something's up?" She muttered waspishly, and Qui-Gon sighed.
"Forgive me, but like before it was an accident. Your mind appears to be unusually open to me whenever I meditate."
"Yeah-yeah whatever, I get it, you got the Force yadda-yadda!" Una rolled her eyes, folding her arms as she led him inside the shop. "Now get inside, I found someone who might be able to help."
Qui-Gon followed her inside the shop, curious to see their potential new ally. He had to admit he was surprised to see her exchange words with a tall Trandoshan who had stepped out from a back room, dusting his hands.
"So…this is the Jedi?" he grumbled and Qui-Gon's gaze hardened upon Una.
His identity was supposed to be a secret, and here she was blasting her mouth off to a stranger?!
Seeing his irritation, Una rolled her eyes.
"Chill your poncho Old Man I didn't rat you or the others out. Scud here is an old friend of mine, and unlike that Gungan, he knows how to keep his mouth shut and his nose out of trouble."
"I see." Qui-Gon sighed as he turned his suspicious gaze upon the Trandoshan "However if you didn't tell him about our mission, then how did he know about it?"
"Let's say some friends, and I have been keeping an eye on this little scamp. A very close eye." Scud snorted, reaching out to ruffle Una's braids, much to her irritation.
"Indeed?" Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows though he could already feel himself starting to relax as he felt the lizard humanoids warm nudge of affection directed at the young woman beside him.
They obviously must have known one another for a long time, possibly since she was a child
It would explain a lot, Qui-Gon thought to himself as he watched Una swat Scud off with a grumble and a small embarrassed blush. Then again, it also raised a lot more questions.
However, Qui-Gon quietly listened to the weapons dealer as he explained his ideas. There were several junk dealers he knew that would be willing to trade parts for some of the materials in the Queen's wardrobe. Silks and beautiful clothes were always in high demand from wealthy black market tycoons, especially jewellery. Not to mention the broken parts that couldn't be salvaged from the ship would make good scrap metal to be recycled.
However, as Qui-Gon had expected, the only Hyperdrive generator compatible with their ship that could be found in town was the one at Watto's shop.
"Rumour is, is that the little sleemo has got a couple of good deals with some of the pod racers" Scud snorted, disdain coating his tongue like acid "that little rotten Dugg Sebulba. Nasty little thug, not to mention a cheat."
"He's a seasoned outer rim Pod Racer." Una rolled her eyes "Of course he'll cheat."
"So Watto supports another pod racer, even though he already enters his own slave to race for him?" Qui-Gon pondered quietly.
"Yes, a little human boy-wait-wait, how did you know that?" Scud narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"We met him, the boy and his mother. They offered us shelter from the sandstorm." Qui-Gon explained.
"Ah, you'll be in good hands then," Scud nodded sagely "Shmi and her son are a decent lot. I sometimes get the boy to run a few errands in return for some spare parts or extra rations. Slave or no slave, it's always worth keeping friends like that close to your chest, wouldn't you agree kid" Scud glanced sidelong at Una whose face tensed up ever so slightly.
"Sure is Scud. Now come on old man, we should get a move on to that shop. Scud I'll drop by here after we're finished okay" she forced a smile on her face, but Qui-Gon did not miss the meaningful look she shot the Trandoshan over her shoulder as she and he both exited the shop quickly.
"You two are very close" Qui-Gon smirked as he folded his arms into his sleeves.
"Scud was part of my old crew. He practically taught me everything I know about blasters" Una sighed heavily as she followed the Jedi into the main road.
"Indeed. So you've known him for a very long time then?"
"Since I was barely three feet off the ground" Una's lips quirked upwards in a small fond smile. "he acts tough, but he's a big softie at heart, but don't tell him I said that" she added sheepishly much to Qui-Gon's amusement.
"I won't. Though I will admit, it does surprise me a little. Trandoshan's are not exactly known for their nurturing demeanours."
"True" Una nodded in agreement "But Scud used to help train young T'doshok back in his heyday, so he's always been pretty good with kids. Speaking of which," she trailed off as she caught sight of Padme, Artoo and Jar-Jar standing under the shade of an archway cut into a stone wall.
"Heyo!" Jar-Jar smiled and waved at them.
"Hello," Una grunted at the Gungan before sparing a small smirk for the young disguised queen by his side.
She was looking more irritable than before, though Una was surprised to see the expression was directed more towards the Jedi Master than at her, as they all began to walk together back into the town square.
"Are you sure about this?" Padme scowled, "Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know. The Queen will not approve"
"The Queen doesn't have to know" Qui-Gon smirked, his eyes twinkling as he met Una's amused glance.
Padme, however, was too absorbed in her righteous anger as she pouted to herself and folded her arms stubbornly "Well I don't approve."
"So what's this oh-so-terrible plan you got old man?" Una whispered the Jedi as they made their way towards the entrance of another bigger shop. "You going to get the slave boy to help you or what?"
"We might…if my talk with Watto goes well" Qui-Gon squinted in the bright sunlight "In fact, I will offer to sponsor him in the race."
"Oh yeah, and where will we get all that money to sponsor a racer?" Una muttered as she rolled her eyes "What are you going to do? Magically summon some credits with the force?"
"No, we will enter our ship for the entry fee." Qui-Gon clipped as he wiped his feet on the small rug laid out over the threshold of the shop.
"Enter the ship? God, I hope you know what you're getting into old man" Una sighed as she paused to take a small sip from her water flask on her hip and followed him inside.
Watto's shop was surprisingly large in comparison to the other junkyard shops that littered Moss Espa and seemed well-stocked with various spare parts and half decimated droids scattered about the walls.
But it was the two figures in the centre of the space next to the shop counter that held Una's attention.
One was a Toydarian, blue and wrinkled, his wings furiously flapping as he did his best to support his paunchy body where it hovered in the air. He seemed to be glaring at a much shorter figure on the ground.
Una's stomach lurched. It was the little sandy-haired boy she had bumped into just a few hours ago. What was his name?
Anakin.
A small voice nudged her in the back of her head.
Yeah, that's what he said back on the street, isn't it? So, he's a slave, huh?
Una felt her heart clench uncomfortably as her eyes roved over the boy again. Apart from being slightly malnourished and small for his age, the boy was otherwise not looking too bad off for a slave. There were no bruises she could see, and he was moving around like normal, so there didn't seem to be any hidden injuries, much to her relief.
His eyes lit up with wonderment at the sight of her fully decked out in her gear. Una couldn't help but smile at his wide blue eyes but was quick to quietly raise a finger to her lips for silence, before quickly glancing at Qui-Gon.
The old Jedi, as always met her gaze with a curious one of his own, that made her smile vanish with a small scowl.
He was feeling her emotion through the force again. Una would have to talk with the older man soon if he didn't stop prying into her affairs. It was bad enough he was trudging up old memories without poking around inside her head.
Her grim thoughts were interrupted as the Toydarian shop owner's gruff guttural voice suddenly pierced the air in a loud shout.
"The boy tells me you wanta sponsor 'im in the race! How can you do this? not on the republic credits, I think huh?"
This must be Watto.
Una folded her arms behind Qui-Gon as he pulled out a small holo-disk and displayed their Nubian craft.
"My ship will be the entry fee."
"Ooh, not bad, not bad. Nubian uh?" Watto smirked with admiration at the diagram of the ship.
"It's in good order. Except for the parts we need" Qui-Gon muttered as he put the holo-disk away, eyeing the Toydarian who was now glowering suspiciously at him.
"Ah, but what will the boy ride? He smashed uppa my pod in the last race. It takes a long time to fix it uh?" he glanced down with a small glower at the boy.
"It's not my fault really" the boy, Anakin piped up indignantly from the side. "Sebulba flashed me with his vents. I actually saved the pod…mostly…"
"Hmm, that you did, huh." Watto chuckled, half in amusement half in fondness for the boy. "The boy's good, no doubts there."
"Well I've acquired a pod in a game of chance, the fastest ever built."
"Hmm, I hope you and your charming friend behind you didn't kill anyone I know for it. [If you did well, then I'm afraid you'd have to face my good friends the Hutts, and they'd chew a little bitch like you for breakfast]" Watto snorted the last bit in Huttese as he gave a malicious glance at Una, his eyes suspiciously cold as he eyed her blasters on her hips.
"[What a coincidence, the Hutts are my good friends too. And I don't think they'd like your tone too much friend, or your taste.]" Una replied in flawless Huttese much to everyone's surprise.
The Toydarian's skin paled dramatically as the young bounty hunter locked onto him with her piercing amber eyes. Anakin's gaze was if possible, even more, awed than before. He'd never seen his master so uncomfortable before, and the woman had not yet drawn out a blaster to threaten him.
Qui-Gon also was quietly impressed. He couldn't feel any malice behind the young woman's tone and yet she could probably out-stare a cat and make it nervous with that look of hers.
It certainly didn't take long for Watto to nervously chuckle and quickly tear his gaze away as he said:
"Haha, your eh-he lovely friend has quite the sense of humour no? So hows 'bout this, you supply the pod and the entry fee, I supply the boy, we split the winnings fifty-fifty I think huh?"
But Qui-Gon shook his head at the offer as he stepped forward to start pacing up and down in front of the hovering alien.
"If it's going to be fifty-fifty, I suggest you front the cash for the entry fee. If we win you keep all the winnings minus the cost to the parts we need, and if we lose, you keep my ship. Either way, you win" He folded his arms into his poncho.
"hmm" Watto hummed thoughtfully to himself looking as if he wanted to haggle a bit more, but the sight of Una still staring him down behind Qui-Gon's back made him increasingly uncomfortable.
All in all, it wasn't a bad deal he supposed. The foolish human man was right, either way, he'd get a lot out of this deal whether he lost or won. This bet was a safe bet. Also, though he didn't admit it out loud, he didn't want trouble with that lady bounty hunter. He had a feeling that if he did wrong by her, even the Hutts wouldn't be able to save him.
"hmm, Deal!" he finally shouted, slapping a greasy blue hand onto Qui-Gon's palm to seal the bargain.
The Jedi and the Bounty Hunter both spared a small grin to Anakin as they left, paying no more heed to Watto as he began to buzz backwards to his shop counter.
"[Your friend is a foolish one, methinks. And that woman, hmm is trouble. You'd do well to stay away from her methinks]" he muttered darkly to his slave who shrugged with a small smile as he made to the back of the shop to start his chores, a big grin on his face. After all, it wasn't every day one saw Watto ever get his wings ruffled.
The Deveronian male smirked as he leaned in the shade of a market stall's tarp. His skin was rusty red, making his coal coloured horns seem even darker against the stone wall behind him. He was wearing a white shirt with a tan vest, pants and boots underneath a dark brown leather trench coat, which he kept draped over his shoulders like a cape without putting his arms through the sleeves. All over his tall, lean body were holsters and straps for various weapons.
His yellow eyes scanned the thoroughfare with computer-like precision only to narrow as it caught sight of a small group of people walking out of a nearby junk shop.
The group consisted of three humans, a man and two young women, a strange and very clumsy amphibious creature, and small silver and blue Astro-droid which beeped along happily behind the man leading them.
But it was one of the girls that the Deveronian kept a close watch on. She was wearing a tightly fitted blue-black lightly armoured bodysuit with a red jacket draped over the top. Despite her apparent youth small streaks of grey hair upon her head glinted in the bright sun like the silvery reflections that bounced off the various blasters and holsters she wore around her person. Out of the whole group, she alone looked like the only one adequately armed, however-
The Deveronian glanced back at the man leading the group. He was middle-aged but tall and still quite strong, with long brown hair and a short beard, both of which were well on their way to becoming completely grey. His blue eyes were both calm but shrewd as they took in their surroundings, including the Deveronian himself.
There was a small silence as yellow orbs met blue from across the thoroughfare. The Deveronian felt himself holding his breath as he felt something like a low pulse of energy ripple in the air around him from where an invisible stone seemed to have dropped.
The Deveronian smirked as the human man stared blinked in shock at where he stood, only to find himself staring at a blank space of wall a second later as a tamed bantha briefly walked across his vision.
Meanwhile, in the safety of a nearby alleyway the Deveronian allowed himself a small chuckle.
"Well I'll be damned, looks like we finally meet once more Qui-Gon Jinn"
Darth Sidious scowled as he paced up and down the length of the long dark chamber.
In just a few short hours his apprentice would be on the backwater planet known as Tattoine, and hopefully, the Jedi and their accomplices would be dead.
And yet…And yet…
Sidious snarled as an uneasy feeling settled about him like a yoke on his shoulders.
There was something wrong with the force; it was fluctuating fiercely in two different ways. It was like he was sitting at an opera, and he could continuously hear two of the instruments stand out starkly from the others as they played out of tune.
Something had gone wrong with his plan. But what?
He shut his eyes and sunk deep into his thoughts. Of course, the bounty hunter wasn't supposed to be alive. The fact that those stupid Nemoidians had not thought to tie up loose ends themselves made his gut burn hot with anger. And yet he felt there was more to her story than met the eye he was sure of it. Perhaps it was the will of the force that kept her alive to play a part unknown to him. If so, maybe then there could be a way for him to turn her survival to his advantage.
Yet there was another vergence that stuck out to him like a sore thumb. He couldn't tell who it belonged to, but whoever they were, they shone like a beacon through the force, lighting the way so brightly it almost blinded the sith lord even in his meditative state. Never had he encountered such potential from any being, not even from the so-called strongest members of the Jedi Council.
Could it be possible? Could he have finally found the answer to all his problems? The ultimate weapon of the Sith?
He opened his eyes, and a strange eerie light filled them as his malicious grin spread over his old face.
Perhaps this whole mess would be worth the trouble after all.
Noon had come and gone, and the twin suns were both high in the sky above. The trip to the Slaves quarters of Mos Espa took much shorter than it had before the storm. Along the way, Una quickly picked up a couple of extra small blasters from one of the lesser weapons dealers hidden in an alley, both of which she handed to Padme and Qui-Gon.
"So you don't have to use your…well…other weapon" she muttered quietly glancing down at the Jedi's waist where she knew his lightsabre to be tucked away into his robes.
"Thank you" Qui-Gon nodded in gratitude as he accepted the weapon and hooked it onto his belt.
Padme, on the other hand, was more reluctant.
"I know it goes against your oh-so-noble pacifist ways-" Una rolled her eyes as the younger girl glared at the weapon and its holster in her grip. "but if something happens and I or the old man aren't there for you then at least you'll be able to defend yourself."
"Fine" Padme grumbled as she let Una secure the blaster to her hip and adjust its position.
Once the two humans had been settled, Una turned to glare at Jar-Jar who had been about to wander off to amuse himself.
"Oy! Where do you think you're going."
"Oh! I was-I-I-Sorry" Jar-Jar gulped sheepishly as Una jerked her head.
"No wandering off okay."
"Okiday" Jar-Jar nodded eyes fixed on his toes.
"Must you always be so mean to him?" Padme frowned at Una, folding her arms as she observed the Gungan tiptoe his way to walk dutifully beside an amused Qui-Gon.
"I'm not being mean, I'm being firm, there's a difference" Una quirked a brow at the young queen, "something you could learn to do for yourself"
"Excuse me?" Padme flushed angrily.
"You heard me, kid" Una began to walk ahead slowly. "True the Trade Feds have your planet in a tight spot, but your people aren't going to save themselves until they see you willing to fight for them."
"I am fighting for them" Padme huffed as she ran to catch up. "I'm going to fight for them in the senate. Once I plead my case, I'm sure the Senate will send someone to sort through this mess once and for all."
"Really? You believe the Senate will listen to you and come to your rescue because you call for help?" Una snorted "My god; sometimes you're so naïve it's almost nauseating."
"Fine scoff all you want but once the Senate sees the suffering of my people they will-" Padme hissed heatedly, but Una put up a hand to silence her, her cat-like eyes suddenly sharp and dangerous as she whispered:
"They will what? Leap into action? Send an army? Send more Jedi? Yeah because we all know how well that plan went." She added bitterly more to herself. "Listen, while your devotion to your people is admirable, it's not going to change the minds and procedures of all those high and mighty asses in comfy senate cushions. Sure they'll listen, sure they'll cry sympathy tears for you, but unless there is any reason that your plight affects their quality of life, I doubt you're going to get any help from them because they care for life as you do."
Padme opened her mouth to argue, but no words were coming out of her mouth. Seeing the confusion on the younger girl's face, Una turned and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Look, Padme, you're a good person, who cares a lot about other people, but a lot of those people in that senate…well…they probably aren't that good at all. If they did care about other people the way you do, then places like Tattooine and the outer rim, where we have slavery and gangsters ruling the roost, well, none of this would exist."
"I…I guess…" Padme mumbled as she glanced around at her surroundings. "But that doesn't mean it's not worth a try."
And with that, she stomped away to join Qui-Gon, leaving Una to sigh heavily and shake her head.
Oh yeah sure, be mad at the bounty hunter for giving you a much-needed dose of reality, kid.
"Argh! God, why does it have to be so stinking hot?" she groaned to herself only to pause as she caught sight of something dark in the corner of her eye.
The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as if picked up by a breeze, though she could swear that the hot arid air was still around her even as something twisted inside her gut from an unknown direction.
Una pursed her lips. Of all the time for her gut feelings to play up, it had to be then.
Still keeping her pace behind her group of companions, she chanced a small glance to an alleyway to her left. In it she could see several large thuggish men (or at least several large humanoid males) starting to make their way up towards the street, their leader catching her eye and sneering.
Oh no…what the hell is he doing here?!
Una quickly checked their surroundings. The street they were walking down was now quite small and narrow and mostly deserted save for a couple of stall owners, her allies and the thugs walking towards them out of the alleyway, malicious sneers plastered all over their wretched mugs.
Qui-Gon, sensing her apprehension through the force looked back at Una his hand flying to his belt, but she shook her head with a scowl and glanced at Padme and Jar-Jar, who had only just noticed the tense situation.
Taking the hint, Qui-Gon quickly steered the young girl and the Gungan towards the end of the street where it connected to a more extensive larger road just as the head of the thugs finally stepped out to meet her.
He was a Torgruta tall and broad, more like a brick wall than anything else. His skin was red and white, and he had tall blue and white montrals and long head-tails that fell over his leather clothes and hard but worn armoured padding. His fists, massive blocks were clenched around a blaster gun on his belt.
"Una Crest, my, my this is a surprise."
"Zotar Sil. Still eating Jabba's table scraps like the rest of his dogs?" Una snorted as she eyed up the muscle on either side. There were five of them in total, but Una had faced worse odds. Still, she had the Jedi and the others to worry about and putting them on Zotar's radar was the last thing she wanted right now.
However luckily for her, Zotar hadn't noticed Qui-Gon nor the others as they safely blended into a crowd around a Boonta Eve Souvineer Stand. No, he only seemed to have his nasty eyes fixed for Una…as usual.
"Ha-Ha, little Una, always the firecracker ain't you." He stepped forward into her personal bubble "One would think you'd learned some respect after all these years."
"Yeah, see Zotar here's the thing, I only show respect when I actually see something worth respecting and right now I don't see anything so, if you don't mind I'll be off-" Una snorted as she began to back away from him and his cronies only to be stopped by a rough hand on her shoulder.
"Aww, running away so soon? And here I thought we could catch up and have some fun like the good old times."
"Sorry but still not interested, also I have this thing about not associating myself with cowardly sleemos that left me for dead to save their own hides" Una tried to sidestep him again only to have his hand grab her around the waist to wheel her around as he pressed himself against her.
"Come now, sweetheart, don't tell me you're still mad about that little…misunderstanding? You know I had no choice, and after all, it's been two years-AH!" Zotar yelped, doubling over as Una's armoured knee slammed straight between his legs.
"What part of not interested don't you understand you kriffing twit?" She snapped coldly feeling the familiar nudge in her gut that warned her of danger.
Una's nostrils flared as with a blink of her catlike eyes her whole world seemed to slow down to a crawl. She didn't even have to look behind her as she twisted her hips and snapped her leg in a sharp backwards kick that landed square in one of the thug's ribs as he reached out to grab at her. He was so stunned and startled by her attack that he didn't even see her hammer fist smashing down on his skull till it was too late. He was quick to crumple to the ground, unconscious while the rest of his mates all cried out in shock.
However, they were quick to recover as Zotar yelled angrily from where he was still clutching his privates on the floor:
"Get her boys!"
But even before the last syllable left his mouth, Una had already knocked two of his men out with a crossing double punch right to their faces that broke their noses and fractured their jaws. The last two men spurred now by anger at the falls of their comrades desperately tried rushing at the young woman. One of them got knocked out after being hit between the eyes by the butt of Una's blaster while the other crumpled as she broke his knee with a nasty sharp kick. He cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face but Una paid him no heed as she strolled over to Zotar, whose fear seemed to be overriding the ache between his legs.
"Y'know I'm surprised it hurts so much considering how little we both know there is down there" Una sneered raising her blaster to the centre of his red and white forehead.
"C-Come on U-Una." Zotar blubbered in terror "Y-Y-You know how it is. It's-It's every man for himself out there-"
"True" Una conceded, but her gaze was icy cold; indeed she could've sworn everything around her, even the bright sunlight felt much colder right now. "But even so, I can think of a thousand other low lives who'd do better than you under the same circumstances."
There was a click as she pressed her finger on the trigger, and Zotar shut his eyes.
Qui-Gon Jinn's eyes were wide as he stared at the fight down the street between the heads of some of the market stall purveyors. He'd always been suspicious of this young Bounty Hunters true skills, but all those times before he'd only felt fleeting brushes from the force. Now the ripples were unmistakable.
A force-sensitive individual, strong enough to have become a Jedi…yet she isn't.
His jaw tensed as he felt a wave of cold suddenly pierce him.
"Stay right here" he muttered to Padme, Jar-Jar and R2. Yet even as he rushed towards the scuffle, the sound of a blaster bolt pierced the air. His blood ran cold, yet for some inexplicable reason, the force was no longer fluctuating oddly about him.
He pushed his way past a few startled bystanders who had stopped to watch the commotion that soon became clear to him as he got through.
Una was standing above the Torgruta male who cringed as he lay in a miserable puddle on the ground. Next to his head, Qui-Gon could see a patch of burnt dirt and sand where the blaster bolt had hit.
Qui-Gon sighed in relief, smirking a little as some of his fellow watchers rolled their eyes and muttered to themselves:
"What a waste of time."
"Yeah, she didn't even kill the wimp."
"What stopped her?"
What indeed?
Qui-Gon frowned as he examined the area, yet everything soon became apparent as a small head of sandy hair poked out from around a nearby corner.
Una spared Anakin a glance and the boy timidly crept out from his hiding place, staring down at the Torgruta male warily as he groaned and moaned in agony on the floor as she kicked him once more in the privates.
"Oh quit whining, it's not like there's anything valuable down there anyway" Una grunted now wincing as she smelt the pungent smell of bodily waste permeated the air.
"You didn't kill him?" Anakin's question snapped her out of her disgust as he walked over to her side. "That's what most of the other hunters do around here when they get mad at one another."
Una looked down at Anakin, and Qui-Gon was immensely surprised to see her gaze and smirk soften at the sight of the child by her side.
"Yeah well, where I come from kid, hunters don't waste their time with drudges like these. And we don't kill unless we need to."
Or if there are children present.
Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows but kept his distance as he listened in on the conversation with interest.
"So what are you doing here, shouldn't you be back at the junk shop?" Una quirked a brow and Anakin gave her a grin.
"I finished all my chores for the day, so Watto let me off early to finish my pod racer before tomorrow and-Oh hi Mister Qui-Gon!"
"Hello again Anakin," Qui-Gon smiled warmly as the boy and Una both strode up to meet him.
"Are the others safe?" Una asked, and Qui-Gon nodded, glancing down at the injured male still whimpering from where he lay prone in the dirt.
"A friend of yours?"
"Tch! He wishes" Una's lip curled, but she refrained from speaking further, too afraid she'd start swearing and cursing if she dared look at the pathetic lifeform again. "Come on let's get a move on before he comes to"
"Okay, hey, Padme! Hey Jar-Jar! Hey Artoo!" Anakin called out excitedly as ran up to the young disguised queen, the Gungan and the Astro droid at the end of the street.
Once he was far enough away, Qui-Gon glanced at Una, who rolled her eyes as she bristled with discomfort.
"Alright, I get it you've got questions."
"Yes, who taught you to fight?" Qui-Gon folded his arms in his sleeves.
"My old crew, why?" Una muttered waspishly.
"Because you seem too well trained to be just a bounty hunter."
"Right and how many bounty hunters have you worked closely with?" Una scowled.
"Not many" Qui-Gon admitted quietly "When did you start training?"
"Fifteen years ago, when I was five" Una replied stiffly.
"That's quite young" Qui-Gon muttered, but the young woman quirked a brow at him.
"Hark who's talking, don't you start training your Jedi when they're still in diapers?"
"That's true. Though I am impressed you know of that." Qui-Gon nodded though she could sense the question lingering behind his eyes.
"You'd be surprised how much you learn while on the job." Una smirked as they strode out after their group back onto the main street "my old captain once took me to an ancient Jedi Temple on Jedha. A small chunk of rock orbiting the planet NaJedha in the Terrabe Sector. We were restocking and stretching out our legs after a long voyage in space when we stumbled across a rather nasty smuggling operation gone wrong."
"What was being smuggled?" Qui-Gon asked even as she reached down into her jumpsuit and pulled out the amber crystal shard that sat upon a chain around her neck.
"Kyber Crystals. These babies are quite a hot black market luxury commodity. Sell enough to the right fat cat, and you're set for life. Or at least that's what I thought we were going to do" Una's smile softened as she fingered the crystal over in her grasp. "You can imagine my surprise when my captain told me we were going to help return those crystals to the temple priests and bring in the smugglers."
"I take it you succeeded in your task," Qui-Gon said his voice quiet and thoughtful. "And yet you still kept a shard for yourself?"
"I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering" Una's smile vanished as she quickly tucked the crystal back under her jumpsuit. "I found it while we were pursuing the smugglers through the temple, and the priests let me keep it as a reward once we finished the job. They said, if the crystal chose me to be its keeper then it rightfully belongs to me, whatever that's supposed to mean. Well, I wasn't going to complain seeing as it's probably the highest payment I've ever received, and it's not like I'm going to sell it-Hey are you okay?"
She frowned as she caught sight of the old Jedi's face which had all but turned to stone as she had prattled on with her story.
Upon catching sight of her confusion, Qui-Gon quickly shook his head and forced a small smile back on his face.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Forgive me; I think the heat is getting to me."
"Well, it's a good thing we're nearly at the kids' place. Don't want my ticket out of here dying of heatstroke." She muttered the last bit under her breath, but Qui-Gon paid it no heed as they were ushered into a small stone slaves house by an excitable Anakin.
He was so distracted by the boy that he did not notice Una's face slip back into a scowl behind his back.
Damn, she was getting too close to the job. What was she thinking? Why was she blurting out her story like that to a Jedi of all people?
Then again, there was something about Qui-Gon that put her strangely at ease. He didn't feel like someone who would snitch on her, not like Zotar Sil. And therein lay the danger. She was getting too comfortable, and that meant she would get complacent, and complacency almost always led to disaster.
Perhaps I should spend tonight on the ship instead. Being out in the desert away from this interfering old coot might clear my head for a bit. Then I'll come back into the town tomorrow for the race, meet Slyde and then we'll all be on our merry way to Coruscant, assuming the race goes in our favour.
She glanced at the boy as he led all his new friends outside to look at his battered slightly rusted looking pod racer.
Padme was right; they were putting a lot of faith in a child who could barely reach the foot pedals. Yet deep down Una could feel that there was more to this boy than met the eye and that maybe, just maybe, he might be their only hope.
Obi-Wan Kenobi stared out from the Nubian ships lowered ramp. The Twin suns were both finally sinking below the horizon on Tattooine and with each minute they fell, a surprising chill that made him shiver ever so slightly even in his thick robes.
It was a welcome change from the heat of the twin suns, yet the Jedi Padawan could not help but feel uneasy as he stared out over the sandy dunes, stained pink and gold in the dimming lights. A surprisingly beautiful snapshot of otherwise dull surroundings.
"Excuse me master Jedi" a smooth feminine voice called, and Obi-Wan turned to see one of the queen's handmaidens step out towards him carrying two cups in her hands.
She had dark hair and sweet doe brown eyes, the same ones as the fake queen that had addressed him and his master that morning before they separated. Now that he got a proper look at her without the makeup, he could see she was a few years older than her queen, though she was still quite petite in build.
"I thought you could use something to warm you up, seeing as it started to get cold."
"That was very kind, thank you." Obi-Wan smiled as he accepted the drink "And please call me Obi-Wan, I am not a master yet."
"If that is the case, then you may call me Sabe as I am not the queen" the handmaid smiled gently as she turned her gaze to the deepening sunset.
"You know, for such a backwater planet it truly is quite beautiful at sunset. I can only imagine how lovely the sunrise must be"
"Indeed, until that unbearable heat returns" Obi-Wan added softly, and Sabe sighed.
"I know, it is one thing to bear the heat in my handmaid's clothes but while I dressed in the queen's garb…" she trailed off shaking her head, and Obi-Wan glanced at her in pity.
"You're worried for your queen."
"Constantly" Sabe rolled her eyes fondly "Padme may be the ruler of our planet, and sure she is wise and graceful beyond her years, but sometimes she can be just as headstrong and impulsive as any teenager."
"Well I wouldn't worry about that if I were you, my master has much experience in dealing with headstrong teenagers" Obi-Wan smirked, and Sabe chuckled softly.
"I assume you are talking about yourself?"
"Perhaps" Obi-Wan joined in her chuckles but quickly paused as he felt a wave of emotion suddenly hit him through the force.
"Is everything alright?" Sabe frowned in concern for Obi-Wan's face had gone pale.
"No…no it isn't" he looked around swiftly, focussing his mind for the waves of panic and frustration that rolled over him even as he handed his cup back to Sabe and strode further down the ramp.
"Quick, get back into the ship and tell everyone to stay alert." He ordered as he finally was able to lock onto the direction of his quarry. "I need to check something."
"Do you think we're in danger? Has someone from the Trade Federation found us?" Sabe asked her voice, tinged with fear.
"I'm not sure, but I will be back as soon as I am able. Till then keep safe inside and put the shields up and the weapons are ready to fire" Obi-Wan called out, now almost running across the chilly desert sands away from the ship.
The light around him was dim as the last rays of the second sun began to vanish beyond the horizon line, but Obi-Wan didn't pay them much heed. After all, he had the force to guide him.
He wrapped his cloak tight about him as the chilly air this wasn't a trap laid by the enemy. Yet deep down, he could feel that this wasn't the case.
Unbidden, a memory from earlier that day swirled in his head
"Now be a good boy and run along back to the ship, before the sand people get you. I'm seriously not kidding about that last one. You don't want to cross them, especially at night on your own. You really will be chopped up and served to the dogs if you don't make it back to the ship before the suns start setting."
Sand people…hmm…perhaps this is just a false alarm. Perhaps the force is just warning me of nearby danger and telling me to be vigilant.
Yet even though the thought crossed his mind, still, his feet kept running forwards in the darkening sand.
No, the force would not be so disturbed if it were merely warning him to be on his guard. Someone was in trouble, and they needed help.
But who? And were they friend or foe?
His question was answered as he came over the crest of a nearby dune and looked down, his heart sinking further in his chest.
In the dim light of the sinking sun, several figures in rough robes and masks and carrying Vibro-staffs stood in a ring around a young woman with a red jacket, a blue jumpsuit and long black hair streaked with grey.
"You've got to be kidding me" Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.
Wow, that was a marathon and a half to nut out. anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter now things are actually starting to heat up a little.
if you enjoyed please fave or review and I'll see you all next time.
Cheers
Fuzzybeta