Expect a bit of a lengthy period between updates now, possibly even lengthier than usual, I'll try not be to too horrible as I've now devoted about a year of writing to this fic because of how long it needs to be, but as I've said before I'm part of an RPG (Heroes, Villains, and Scoundrels) but it's ended, and now the sequel has started up so I'm back on again, this combined with school delays updates, so yeah, sorry about that. Anyway I've always wanted to write something like what I'm going to write in this chapter, but have never gotten to anything like it till now. So enjoy, and don't forget to review!
Chapter 10: The Hunt
He activated his lightsaber and turned swiftly to the left, expecting to cross blades with the Dark Jedi, however he met only thin air. But a lightsaber had been activated… he knew it, he was… and then he saw the huge smoking dead rat on the ground, and Panaka holstered his silenced blaster pistol. Anakin promptly deactivated his lightsaber, speaking to no one. Together the group drug the droid parts into the cave and tossed the dead rat into the forest.
The night passed restlessly for everyone, as they all knew it would, sleep did not come easily to those being stalked by a murderous assassin and an army of battle droids. When morning came Anakin was the first to be up, he relieved Padmé of her guard duty. He sat at the edge of the cave, gazing out into the morning and down upon the forest, lit beautifully in the sunlight.
And then he sensed it.
"Padmé!" he called.
A loud clomping was heard as the Jedi Padawan sprinted toward Anakin, lightsaber in hand, unlit.
"What's wrong?" she asked slightly breathless.
"You don't sense it?"
"Sense what?"
"It!"
"Anakin, let's not play this game again, sense what?"
"Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, they're here. I just felt them reach out with the Force to look for us…"
"But of course they cannot sense us because we're hiding our presences…."
"Do you think…"
"I'm not sure."
"If we reveal ourselves we not only show Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but the Dark Jedi as well."
"We'll have to wait. If we sense them close enough then we should reveal ourselves, but not now."
"I sense the Dark Jedi. He's close, a few miles away…. We need to get out of here."
"Let's move."
XxX
The Jedi had left an easy trail, if only he hadn't been deterred so much by that river, he might of already found them, but instead Darth Maul stood with his muscular arms crossed, in the middle of a pitch black cave. He didn't need the light to see the droid parts scattered across the floor, nor the remnants of a campfire, now a cold pile of ash. Once more he'd been thrown off, eluded, defeated.
The Padawan Jedi responsible for this was skilled indeed. He was quite surprised that he was defeated so easily….
The Sith Lord activated his comm device before it chimed, an full sized image of his cloaked master flickered into existence, casting an eerie blue-white glow that cut through the blackness of the cave. Maul set the small comm device down and the cold stone aground and kneeled before his master's image.
"Rise," Sidious rasped.
Lord Maul did as he was commanded, he waited, looking straight into the shadowed eyes of his master, he knew what order was to come next.
"A report on your progress, my young apprentice," Sidious commanded lightly.
"I located the Jedi and the queen, but the male Padawan held me at bay, I was knocked into a river, and carried away a mile or so by the strong currant."
"Did you say the male Padawan?" Sidious asked curiously.
"Yes master,"
"He's obviously skilled for a Padawan then…. I know his name, Anakin Skywalker."
"Yes master, he is skilled."
"Indeed." Sidious mused. So skilled a Jedi… the Chosen One… he would have to keep one eye on Anakin Skywalker from time to time…. "Continue the hunt Lord Maul, find the queen."
"Yes my master."
XxX
The sun was setting, casting an orange glow across the mountain side as the group topped three fourths of the mountain's height. Anakin has spotted the cliff he was leading them to just an hour ago, a very good thing too, there would be no moon tonight, starlight would not provide them with the light they needed. Anakin scouted ahead atop the jutting cliff as Padmé helped Panaka up, and Panaka did the same for another security guard, Padmé for a handmaiden, and so on.
Anakin's blue eyes scanned the rock face before him, there was no crevice in which they could stay, no cave, but they were not totally exposed… an outcropping of rock would serve as a roof. Anakin nodded to himself gravely, it would be dark tonight, they dare not light a fire, it would be like shooting a flare above their position….
The Padawan reached out with the Force for a fleeting moment to try and locate the Dark entity that stalked them, instead he found Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon… quickly he closed his connection with the Force and turned to the group, all of whom were now standing upon the cliff. After a few moments of discussion, it was agreed upon that this location would serve as their shelter for the night, and that they would light no fire.
The sun seemed to set in minutes, and it seemed like only an hour later it was nearing midnight, Anakin kept watch, back propped against the rock face as the group slept around him, Padmé near his side…. The funny thing was that he was not keeping watch for a potential threat, he was watching her sleep, he couldn't help it, and these past few days he'd found his eyes lying on her form a lot, too much.
He wasn't sure how long he sat there, continuing his night watch well into Padmé's shift, but he didn't really care about sleep. But finally his curiosity overcame him; he had to check the time. The Padawan pulled out a small chrono and checked it, light spilled into his face, nearly blinding him as he looked at the screen, nearly three in the morning…. He promptly inserted the device back into a pouch on his belt as he realized it was casting a very bright, blue-white glow across the rock face.
Three in the morning… he stole a glance at Padmé's sleeping form before reaching out into the Force once more, trying to locate his master and hers, perhaps they'd gotten further? He could sense them more clearly indeed, but he did not allow himself enough time to pinpoint their location in case the Dark Jedi was trying to identify his. As he closed his connection with the Force he heard Padmé stir, she sat up immediately.
"Anakin, what… your shift must've ended…" she yawned. "…hours ago. Why didn't you wake me up?"
"I lost track of time." Anakin lied. "Padmé, I've sensed Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, they're close now, do you think we should try to contact them?"
"I don't know Anakin, it's a risk."
"Is it a risk we're willing to take?"
"We can't decide that, because we're not just risking our lives…" she trailed off.
"But, if we do, we could be saving their lives…"
"Yes…"
"Perhaps we should, last time I sensed the Dark Jedi he was still a good distance away."
"I suppose…"
"Do you think we should?"
"The more that I think about it… yes." Padmé conceded. "If they are close, and the Dark Jedi is still further off I think we should risk it… we'll move then, and, there is a chance he will not sense us."
"Yes, you're right."
"Yes," said Panaka's voice, the captain sat up from where he lay. Anakin was slightly shocked, Panaka may have been up all night…. "I think it is a risk we've got to take."
"I'm glad we have your agreement, captain." Padmé said.
"Of course," Panaka replied. "Now, contact them, quickly."
Anakin nodded, he took a deep breath, silently it was decided he would be the one, if both Padawans opened their connection with the Force, they'd be twice as easy to locate. He let go, let the Force flow through him, and then reached out to his master's mind.
"Qui-Gon?" he asked.
"Anakin!" his master's voice exclaimed loudly inside his head. "Where are you, what's happened? I sense a dark presence in the Force."
"We're safe, the queen is alive, I'll explain it all later. Right now we're on a cliff near the top of the mountain."
"I'm in visual sight of that cliff Anakin, Obi-Wan is here as well, I can sense you. We're coming."
"Alright, we'll need to move though, we cant risk waiting for the Dark Jedi to come again, we'll head up the mountain. I'll find you again, just keep heading up."
"Anakin!"
"We have no choice master, I must go now."
With that Anakin cut the connection, his eyes flew open, he had not been aware they were even closed. They turned to Padmé, then to Panaka.
"Alright, we're moving up the mountain, let's go now, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan will be following us."
Neither the security captain, nor the Jedi Padawan had to be told twice, both of them were immediately at the sides of other sleeping forms, waking them quietly, Anakin joined in, within a minute the entire group was on their feet. Anakin quickly explained the situation. Everyone was in agreement.
"Let's go…"
Anakin trailed off, glimpsing a shadow of movement falling down behind the group…. There was a blinding flash of crimson, and a gasp cut short. The handmaidens, scattered, the security officers pulled the queen back, revealing to Anakin and Padmé the silhouette of a cloaked figure, clutching a double bladed red lightsaber, the decapitated body of a man at his booted feet. In a flash of movement both Jedi were brandishing their own glowing weapons.
Through the glow of the blades, Anakin could see the tattooed face of the Zabrak, he was smiling terribly, revealing two rows of rotten teeth. Anakin scowled.
"Run!" he snapped to the group. Hesitantly they took off; the Zabrak's yellow eyes watched them escape into the darkness.
"Welcome back," Anakin growled. "We meet again."
"Indeed, Jedi," said the Zabrak in a low voice. "This time only I will walk away."
"Care to test that theory?" Anakin returned, revealing his presence in the Force, shouting a warning to his master….
The Zabrak did not reply, he seemed to sense what Anakin had just done. In a flurry, and a blur of movement they were crossing blades.