Anakin slipped into the water, shivering as he went in. All this change, from wet to cold and back to wet, was hardly any good for his health. He wondered how Mansa Musa could stand it.

As he had been instructed, he slipped into the first hole that he saw. Something began to nag at his mind. There was something in the force…something nearby. As he swam, it grew stronger. Maybe Uncle Luke had found him and was already waiting at the Bongo bay, ready to take him back. He couldn't tell. It was uncertain.

After a while, he came up in an air pocket to replace his breather and pull seaweed away from his padawan braid. Was the next tunnel anywhere nearby? Anakin suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to count the air pockets. There was no choice but to go back and re-count. He turned around-

-and a shiver shot up his spine, rippling through his body as fast as light speed. It felt as though someone was in a state of, however slight it might have been, pain and fear. No, he couldn't turn back yet. He was nearing something sinister, and he had to find out what it was.

The water grew darker and murkier as he descended deeper. Finally, he found the last air pocket and surfaced there. It also appeared to be a drain through which water could flow in and out of a shallow pit. Was there anything in there? Cautiously, he looked inside.

A gigantic set of teeth suddenly hurtled towards him. Anakin drew back as fast as he could. For one thing, there was a gigantic fish in the pit. Every so often, he would snarl, gnash his teeth, and hurl himself against the walls of his prison. If he were going mad, it wasn't surprising. The water was so shallow that the fish could hardly attain any oxygen from it.

A Gungan guard was busily throwing food into the pits. As soon as the fish's tail had swept itself out of the way, Anakin peered through, to see if he could make out anything that resembled Mansa Musa. Perhaps the creature was in pain, and was thus transmitting the force. It was too dark to see anything, though. His feelings might have been clouded.

As he was turning back, though, an even stronger wave of force came over his brain. In that moment, Anakin caught a vision-one of Tahiri, silent in a damp corner, a tiny tear running down her face. Quickly, he replaced his breather and dived back, groping around for another grate. Would he find any?

His fingers touched something cold and slimy, and he lifted his head to look through the bars. It was very dark, but he managed to make out a small cot, a half-filled bowl of seaweed mush, and…some very familiar blond curls.

Tahiri lifted her head and stared at him, her eyes widening as she realized who she was looking at. Threepio was wrong. The odds had flipped to her side.

"Anakin! You wouldn't believe the trouble you're in-and the trouble I'm in," she growled. "How did you get down here?"

"How did you get in there?" Anakin replied. "We've got to get you out, and fast." He attempted to activate his lightsaber and severe the grate, but Tahiri used the force to bring it to her hand. As she tucked it under her tunic, Anakin caught a small glimpse of her stomach. Somehow, the sight unsettled him.

"I'll severe the head of the next brain-dead creature that feeds me this slop," she whispered, "and then I'll go find you. If they catch you breaking the grate, they might imprison both of us, and then who'll be there to bail us out? How long have you been here; do you think you could arrange some meeting point close by?"

Anakin remembered Mansa Musa and the Bongos. "Sure," he whispered. "Swim out through this grate, and then keep going until you reach the third to last air pocket. I'll be somewhere around there, and then I'll pull you out.

"Got it," Tahiri replied. "You'd better find some way of getting us out of here. Oh, and by the way," she added, "if you see a small, shrimpy-looking Gungan that trips over his own feet, don't trust him. He was the one who landed me here in the first place." Anakin thought hard. Had he ever seen anyone like that before? Maybe he would ask Mansa Musa about it; he might know.

The groan of a nearby monster could be heard very clearly. Anakin felt obligated to take off and return to the Bongo bay, so he wished Tahiri luck and swam off towards his destination. Hopefully, Mansa Musa wasn't already there. He wasn't in the mood to be laughed at by a shrimpy-looking Gungan.

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Luke's ship descended in the Mos Eisley Spaceport. He would be able to rent a good speeder here, and perhaps he would also find something to assist Han in his mad hunt. First, though, he checked to see whether Han had taken the Falcon in. As it turned out, not only had he used it, but Lando had been along for the ride too. What had they been up to? Luke half smiled. His bet was that money had been involved. Most likely in a large amount, at high stakes.

After snooping around, he found one of the former smugglers seated in the waiting room of a dingy hotel. Lando was surfing the cynet, looking for the cheapest shooters-for-hire he could find. Keeping his footsteps and mind quiet, Luke crept up on him and at just the right moment, placed his artificial hand on his shoulder.

In all his forty years, Luke had never thought it possible for someone to jump, shiver, shout and twitch in the same moment. Lando's next action, however, disproved this theory. To tell the truth, it was rather amusing.

"Got one of those Womp Rats up your pants, Calrissian?" He smirked.

Lando glared at him. "Hey, you try shooting out those creatures. It's even harder than firing a blast into the Death Star."

"Strange, isn't it? I could do both of those tasks pretty easily. Most likely, you're not using the right equipment." Luke glanced around at the near-deserted parlor. 'Where's Han?"

"In the desert," Lando replied without looking up. "We're behind schedule a bit, so he decided to make use of his free time and hunt down some rats."

"Good for him. Have you found any cheap people yet?"

"Not quite. I'm really glad that you're here, Jedi, we could use you." Lando stood up and stretched. "So," he said, leaning forward, "Seeing as you're here, and there's still some time to wait before Han comes back, why don't you let me in on the secret of you excellent marksmanship?"

Luke laughed. "You never really changed, did you? Sorry, but I have to make sure my brother in law's doing well first. After that, I can give you some tips."

"I'm not in the mood to be beaten by Han again. Just one? I mean, really," Lando put on a playful face, "Take a look at me. I'm so shrimpy and weak..."

Luke had to laugh. Lando obviously didn't realise the size of his stomach. "Well, I don't see anything shrimpy about you, Calrissian. You're as strong as Solo."

No sooner had those words left his lips that there was a loud crash in the doorway. When Luke turned to look, he was stunned to see Han Solo leaning heavily against the doorframe, his breath coming in short, labored gasps. His shirt was dirty and ripped. It looked as if he had been caught in a Sand storm. But on his face was a grin and in his hand was his prize: Three small, bloody, but completely dead Womp Rats.

Luke changed his mind. "Okay…so the first thing you have to do is get a good, reliable sky hopper."

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The twins arrived at the dining room at precisely 06:00. Just as she had told them, their temporary custodian had placed a container of steaming soup on the table. Jacen glanced into the pot, and had to keep from wrinkling his nose. At least the pungent smell covered up the perfume of the apartment.

"By the way," the old lady said as they sat down, "I never learned your names. What can I call you?" Jaina and Jacen remembered their manners, and quickly introduced themselves. Over their dinner, (which, despite the smell, was delicious) they briefly talked about themselves and why they were staying with her. Apparently, Leia hadn't gone into much detail about their family.

Through this, Mrs. Degrasimo listened intently, her small eyes glittering with amusement and interest as their story unfolded. Jaina noticed this, and felt quite sure that the woman was in a good mood. She ventured to ask a question:

"Mrs. Degrasimo…When I was in my room, I found a lot of information caskets in the drawers. I need somewhere to put my clothes, would it be all right if I took them out?"

The woman's smile never changed. "Of course, dear. Give them to me; I will take care of the rest."

Jacen decided to take this opportunity to bring up the Galactic Civil War. "You know," He put in, "My father was actually a General in-"His sister kicked him under the table. Jacen managed to hide the pain that he felt in his ankle, and then asked his sister through the force,

'Having problems?'

'Why do you want to tell her about ourselves? Sith, we don't even know her that well! Can't you just hold your mouth for once? Shrimp!'

Jacen had nothing to reply to that, so bit his lip and kept quiet. Mrs. Degrasimo, sensing that it was private, did not press for any details. The remaining time at the table was passed in silence.

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Mara Jade had been trained to do many things. However, she had never been prepared to teach fifteen children, three of whom were seeking the wrong kind of attention, how to duel with lightsabers. Supposedly, it was an easy task. However, she had never had much patience with slow learners. That in itself made her task difficult. At least Ben was out of the way. With that out of her mind, she could concentrate more on her goals.

Guilt pushed at her mind. She was a mother, not an assassin, for goodness's sakes! Where had all her compassion gone? She made a mental note to spend more time with him in the coming days. She thrust several loose strands of hair out from her face and continued the lesson with determination.

Her Commlink buzzed, breaking the silent swish of the lightsabers. She snapped it up and opened it. "Yes?"

"Mara!" A familiar female voice sounded on Mara Jade's commlink. "I haven't heard from you for a while. Is everything is all right there? You're not suffering from any stress?"

Was it necessary to report back every day? She barely managed to hold her emotions back. Seeing as Leia was her sister in law, she loved her almost as much as she did Luke. The former Alderaanian princess, however, still had her way of commanding and prying as much as she had when she was young. You couldn't blame her, it was virtually her instinct.

"Everything's all right, Leia." She replied. "Has Han showed up yet?"

"No," the senator sighed. "I know he can take care of himself and all…I just don't like the fact that he went to Tatooine without telling me." Despite her façade of composure, Jade could sense the fear in her voice. Should she tell her where Luke had gone? It might not be a good idea. After all, Leia had been the one to restrict Han's illegal activity in the first place.

Perhaps now was a good time to change the subject. "It was sweet of you to take Ben off our hands for a while." She put in, hoping to lighten the conversation. "You always know what we need, and when we need it."

"What do you mean?"

"Um…your brother said that Ben was staying over with you for a couple of days."

"He never came. Isn't he with you right now?"

Mara's heart picked up a fast, chilling rhythm. She couldn't go after that disobedient child; not with Luke gone. She'd call him after this class was done. Poor Skywalker; what with all those chores, the burden of his brother in law, and now this. He'd be going crazy by the time he came back…

A/N: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love shrimp, anywhere, at any time of year. Well…if you haven't been scared off, review!