The ship came out of hyperspace, heading for the surface of the planet. Tatooine came into focus as it steadily approached.
"We'll reach the surface in about five minutes," said Bruck.
"We'll go to Mos Eisley, but hide the ship somewhere unseen. There's plenty of people who'd love to try and steal ship like this," said Taran. Bruck brought the ship down through the atmosphere and towards the spaceport. The spaceport soon came into view. Bruck took the ship over to a ridge about three clicks out, landing on the opposite side of it to shield it from view. The engines cut off, getting a much needed rest.
"Alright, this trip is just for information only. I just need two of you to come with me," said Taran.
"I'll go," said Tia.
"I'll go too," said Zatt.
"Okay. While we're there, we'll get some clothes," said Taran.
"Why do we need clothes?" asked Ganodi.
"It wouldn't be best for Jedi to go about and ask questions about Separatists, especially since we're not under orders and there's a war going on," said Taran. "Basically we need to go incognito."
"Good idea," said Ganodi.
"We'll be back soon," said Taran, pulling his hood over his body and leaving the ship, Tia and Zatt following him out. The door closed back as they left.
"So, since we're working together, how about we get to know each other," said Bruck.
The desert sun beat down on them as they walked to the spaceport. Though Taran was use to hot climates by now, sort of, Tia hated it. Taran knew Zatt was taking a beating from the sun, his species more use to wet climates than dry ones. It didn't help that he was barefoot as well.
Mos Eisley, despite its bad reputation for crime and black market dealings, was a trading city nonetheless. Its low-grade duracrete, stone, and plastoid buildings looked uninviting and ugly, but the city was a thriving metropolis of sorts. All kinds of alien species were walking around, some riding on the native beasts of burden and others on speeders.
"There's a clothing store," said Tia.
"Good, I need to get out of this heat," said Zatt. The three of them entered the store, relieved when the air conditioning hit their skin as they walked in. The store wasn't busy, but the store manager, a grizzle-haired Bothan, looked perturbed as he gazed into a catalog.
"Excuse me sir, we'd like to buy some clothing," said Taran.
"Can't you see I'm a little busy?" said the Bothan. "I'll be with you presently."
"Taran, let me handle this," said Tia. She took off her cloak, revealing her Jedi attire. Though her attire was normal to them, it was still revealing to others. (Go back to Shadow Games if you're wondering).
"Hi, could we have some help?" said Tia, using a seductive drawl to entice the Bothan. The Bothan looked up and his eyes widened.
"Why yes, how may I help you?" said the Bothan, his tone sickeningly sweet.
"I was wondering if we could buy some clothes. The desert heat is hard on my skin and me and my friends would hate to get sunburned," said Tia. "That wouldn't suit me well, would it?"
"Oh no. By all means, please look around," said the Bothan.
"Thank you," said Tia. "By the way, you accept credits?"
"Credits aren't good out here little missy," said the Bothan.
"Aww," said Tia, batting her eyelashes and looking sad.
"But for you, I'll go through the hassle of converting it," said the Bothan.
"Thank you," said Tia "And we'll also be buying clothes for six others as well." The Bothan nodded and went off to find clothing, specifically for her.
"I'm impressed," said Taran, smiling.
"That was cool," said Zatt.
"When regular politeness won't work, a girl has to flaunt herself in order to get her way," said Tia.
"Too true," said Taran.
The three left the store an hour later. Taran had convinced Zatt to wear some brown boots for the sake of his feet on the planet. All were wearing tan, brown, and black clothing. Tia's attire was a skin-tight brown top that exposed her midriff and a black vest and brown pants. Taran had a simple tan shirt and black spacer pants and black boots with brown trim on the edges (Jim's boots from Treasure Planet). He even wore a medium-brimmed brown hat. He also switched out his cloak for an open black jacket that stopped at his knees. Zatt, with his boots, decided to keep his outfit, though he took the outer sash off.
"I'll take the clothes back to the others. You and Zatt can go ahead and see if there's anyone who might know something," said Tia.
"You sure you have everything?" said Taran.
"I got it," she said. Taran nodded and he and Zatt walked off to a bar. The bar was called the Mos Eisley Cantina. Music was playing from a live band as they walked in made of a Bith and a Weequayan. All sorts of species were present as well, from regular patrons to the shadiest of shady.
"Stay close by me," said Taran.
"Got it," said Zatt. The two walked in, Taran's hat shadowing his face. They sat down at the counter, Taran peering around at the patrons. Some eyed them wearily while others paid them no mind.
"What can I get you?" said the bartender.
"Just waters," said Taran. He nodded and went to get them their drinks.
"How are you so calm doing this?" said Zatt.
"When you've seen the galaxy and been in the situations I've been in, these kind of experiences are normal," said Taran.
"Can I learn all this one day?" said Zatt.
"In time, yes. All things take patience, and a quick mind. You seem like a smart kid Zatt, but I sense that sometimes you rely too much on technology to solve your problems," said Taran.
"How did you know that?" said Zatt.
"I have a gift for reading people," said Taran. "It's alright though, I use to be the same way. All it takes is time, trial and error, then you can be great too."
"You really think I can be?" said Zatt.
"I'm positive," said Taran. At that moment the bartender came back with their drinks.
"By the way, can I ask you some questions?" said Taran.
"Go ahead," said the bartender.
"Where can I go to find out about prisons controlled by the CIS?" said Taran.
"Hmm, not sure. I would try Jabba's Palace," said the bartender.
"Jabba's Palace?" said Taran.
"That would be the best place, but I wouldn't try to go there. They say those who go there don't come back," said the bartender.
"I believe it," said Taran. The two thanked the bartender for the information and drank their drinks, paying him in wupiupi from when the Bothan clothes manager converted a part of their credits for them.
"Is Jabba as scary as they say he is?" said Zatt.
"His guards make him scary. Take them away and he's just an overgrown slug with a temper problem," said Taran. "We'll be fine. Technically, he owes us a favor, courtesy of Anakin and Ahsoka. No promises though."
"That makes me feel a lot better," said Zatt, sarcastically. A Barabel and a Human, bounty hunters by the looks of them, walked up to them.
"What brings you two kids in here?" said the Human.
"Just here to escape the sun," said Taran.
"Funny, then why is your hat still on?" said the Barabel.
"Can I not wear my clothing the way I want?" said Taran.
"Not unless you're hiding something," said the Human.
"Just leave us alone," said Zatt.
"Oh, this one has spunk. And a Nautolan as well. Don't find many of them out in the galaxy," said the Human.
"Look we don't want trouble," said Taran.
"Too late, because you found it," said the Barabel, reaching to grab Zatt. Zatt reacted fast and jumped on top of his chair, kicking the Barabel in the snout. Taran kicked the Human in his gut, sending him stumbling back into his partner.
"Time to go?" said Zatt.
"Time to go," said Taran. They made their way towards the exit.
"Stop!" yelled the Barabel, reaching for his blaster and taking a shot at them. Taran's lightsaber activated and blocked the shot, sending it back to hit the Barabel in his shoulder.
"Jedi?" said the Human. That turned every head in the cantina towards them.
"Run for it!" yelled Taran. He and Zatt bolted out of the cantina and turned down a street, followed by bounty hunters, smugglers, and all kinds of bandits, thieves, and robbers.
"Does this usually happen?" Zatt said to him.
"It's kind of a pattern. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't," said Taran. The two Force-jumped to the top of the buildings and took off on the rooftops. The thugs could not chase them and instead fanned out on the streets.
"This way," said Taran. Zatt followed him onto another roof. As they ran across a rusty steel bridge that connected one house to another, the bridge gave way and they fell into a street filled with Jawas having a swap trade. They landed on several of them, making ones ion gun go off and hit a droid, making it haywire and go around crashing into other Jawas before it sputtered out and fell over.
"This just got a lot worse," said Taran as they looked at the angry Jawas surrounding them.
"And then you tricked him by pretending you were circus performers? That's amazing," said Bruck.
"We were so scared, but we made it work," said Katooni. Byph said something in Ithorian and they all laughed. A tap on the ship's door alerted them. Bruck opened the door to reveal Tia holding a large amount of clothes. Her attire made him inwardly blush, and he also couldn't keep his eyes off of her.
"Where's Taran and Zatt?" said Petro.
"They went to find out any information. I volunteered to bring you all your clothes," said Tia. Gungi spoke something in his language.
"Gungi wants to just wear his belt," said Katooni.
"That's okay. Taran knew all your measurements so everything should fit," said Tia. The younglings and Bruck picked out their clothes.
"Um, is it okay if we could change in here?" said Katooni.
"Oh, by all means. Come on guys, girls need to change," said Bruck. The guys immediately understood and went outside.
"Thanks," said Tia.
"Don't mention it," said Bruck, smiling at her before he went to join the guys. Once they were done, they all headed back into the ship. As they got in, Bruck's comlink signaled him for an incoming transmission.
"Taran, everything alright?" said Bruck.
"Get the engines prepped!" yelled Taran. The comlink gave off the sounds of blasters and ion discharges. Something shouted "Utinni!" in the background.
"Is that a Jawa?" said Bruck.
"Hurry up!" yelled Taran before the comlink line went dead.
"We gotta go," said Bruck, heading to the cockpit. The guys all rushed back in as Bruck got into the cockpit and started the engines.
"What's wrong?" said Tia.
"By the sound of things, they're being chased," said Bruck. The engines roared to life and the ship hovered. In the distance, Taran and Zatt were running for their lives, a horde of Jawas chasing them. Taran sent up a dust cloud behind them to hopefully mask them. They reached the top of the ridge, seeing the ship hover as they waited. Taran grabbed Zatt by the hand.
"Hold on," said Taran. Using his Airbending, Taran leaped towards the ship. The two Jedi landed on the shuttle door, scrambling in quickly. The Jawas they left behind shouted at them as the ship took off and left them in the dust.
"Care to explain what happened?" said Tia.
"Bounty hunters," said Taran. "Bruck, I need you to set a course for Jabba's Palace."
"Jabba!" said everyone but Zatt.
"I know it's crazy, but he knows just about everything that goes on in the galaxy one way or another. It's the only lead we have," said Taran.
Tia sighed. "Alright, we'll go, but everyone keep your guard up."
The ship landed just a click away from the palace in the distance.
"I'll stay here with R3," said Zatt.
"You sure you can hold down the fort while we're gone," said Bruck.
"I've had enough adventures for one day," said Zatt. The others chuckled before they left. Petro wore a black tunic and sand-colored pants, keeping his boots. Katooni had on a purple tunic and cream-colored pants and black boots, wearing a black headdress. Byph wore a large brown cloak to cover most of his lower body, wearing a dark-brown shirt and pants underneath it. Bruck's outfit resembled Taran's except it was fastened with lock-buttons on the front and the shirt color was dark-blue.
"You all ready?" said Taran. They all nodded. Without a further word, the eight of them headed towards the palace.
It didn't take them long to reach the palace. Two Gamorrean guards stood watch outside the gate. When they saw them approaching, they growled and readied their menacing axes. The younglings became nervous at the sight, but Taran walked on without any sense of fear. A semi-automated droid gatewatcher popped out of a hole.
"What do you want?" it asked in Huttese.
"I'm here to see if Jabba the Hutt would grace me with his knowledge and wisdom," said Taran.
"For what reason?" it said.
"Information for the Republic, if that's not a bother," said Taran. The droid went back inside it's hole for a minute.
"Did it work?" Katooni asked Bruck.
"I'm not sure," said Bruck. The droid reappeared.
"You may enter," said the droid. The gates of the palace opened for them. They all walked in, the younglings still slightly scared of the Gamorrean guards. One guard growled at Byph, startling the Ithorian. A pale-skinned Twi'lek greeted them.
"This way," he said in Huttese, leading them deeper into the palace. Taran nodded and the group followed him in. The Dancer's Pit of Jabba's palace was occupied with more guardsmen, cutthroats and bounty hunters under his employ, and various entertainers. They all eyed the grouped wearily, some inching their hands to their weapons. Jabba Desilijic Tiure, famously known as Jabba the Hutt, stood on a platform in the back center of the room, guzzling down a drink of some kind.
"The guests your eminence," said the Twi'lek.
"Ah. What brings you all to my palace?" said the Hutt. Taran took off his hood. Some in the audience began to whisper while others now fully touched their blasters.
"Hello Jabba. Hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Taran.
"Cyneran. What are you doing here? Have I not agreed to your demands before?" said Jabba.
"There's something else I need help with. I'm wondering if you know of any Separatist prisons and where they are," said Taran.
"And why would I want to tell you, Jedi brat? I know now that those other seven are Jedi as well, but I am not afraid of any of you," said Jabba. His guards became a bit more agitated and moved up, blasters or edged weapons in their hands.
"I'm not here to threaten or demand from you Jabba. I'm here to simply ask for this information," said Taran. Jabba pondered this for a moment before he pressed a button on his chair. The floor under Taran opened and the guards cheered, but their cries stopped in their throats when they saw Taran hovering in mid-air over the gaping hole.
"That was stupid," said Taran. Fire appeared around his hands and in an instant two fireballs hit opposite sides of the palace, throwing men back. The other seven drew their lightsabers and readied to attack as blasters were pointed at them.
"Jabba, stop this now. I need to find a friend or else she might die," said Taran.
"What concern is that of mine?" said Jabba, still not fearful of Taran. Taran landed on the ground, still facing the Hutt.
"I would have thought the savior of your son would warrant more concern from you," said Taran.
"The Togruta?" said Jabba, waving his hand for his men to stand down. They did, albeit reluctantly.
"Yes. She's in a Separatist prison and we need to know which one's she might be in. Since she saved your son when no one else would have, you don't owe me anything; you owe her enough to help us find her," said Taran. Jabba sat on his throne, heavily thinking.
"Fine. I will aid you," said Jabba. "But only once."
Zatt was gazing at a star map in the passenger hold, his hat and boots off, while R3 hooked into the ship's computer to ascertain ignition levels and the status of all major areas. So far, no word had reached him from the others, but he wasn't too worried about them.
R3 whistled to him.
"What's wrong R3?" said Zatt. The astromech whistled to him and indicated him for him to go up to the cockpit. Zatt followed the droid and got into the pilot seat to look outside. He saw four banthas outside about a few hundred yards in the distance.
"It's just four banthas R3, nothing to worry about," said Zatt. As he looked at the creatures outside, he saw saddles on their hides.
"Oh no," said Zatt. Only one kind of creature rode banthas out in the wastes of Tatooine. He heard footsteps outside looked down, much to his horror. A group of eight Tusken raiders were outside, inspecting around the ship.
R3 whistled, sensing the danger outside.
"Stay quiet R3," said Zatt, comforting the droid. The Tuskens outside were talking to each other, their cries easily heard from inside the ship.
"What do I do?" said Zatt.
The Twi'lek attendant gave Taran a holodisk.
"Here is a map of all known Separatist prisons. Now the debt is repaid. Take it and leave, before I change my mind," said Jabba.
"Much obliged Jabba," said Taran, bowing in respect to the Hutt, who he knew didn't deserve a shred of it.
"Go. If you return again, you're bantha fodder," said Jabba.
"Duly noted," said Taran. Taran turned to the group.
"Okay, let's get the hell out of here while we still can," said Taran. The group hastily left the palace, not a word being said until they were past the gate and a safe distance away.
"That was close," said Ganodi.
"Thank the Force for your diplomacy skills," said Bruck.
"I learned from the best," said Taran, smiling as he remembered Obi-Wan. The group made their way through the rocks outside the palace towards their ship. As they got closer, Taran ducked down.
"Everyone down," he said in a hushed whisper. The others obeyed on the spot and ducked behind rocks. Taran took out a pair of electrobinoculars and peered out, zooming in on the ship. To his horror, eight Tusken raiders were prying at the ship.
"Tusken raiders," he said. He knew Zatt was inside, and was probably scared for his life.
"What do we do?" said Katooni.
"We could rush them, but I don't want to risk any of your lives for this. I'll do it," said Taran.
"Taran-" said Bruck.
"It's alright," said Taran. He stepped out from behind the rocks and moved over to the Tuskens. One of them saw him coming and readied its gaderffii. The others noticed and formed around him, obviously the leader.
"I'm going to tell you this one time. Leave," said Taran. One Tusken advanced, running towards him as fast as it could. It swung, and Taran sidestepped it and sent him flying with an air punch. Two more advanced, and were sent back with small boulders that hit them square in the body. The leader made a sound and the rest of them moved to encircle him. Taran knew not to let that happen. Thinking fast he bent the other ones away with pillars of earth and gusts of air. The leader took out his gun and aimed it at Taran as he turned to fend off the Tuskens that got hit with rocks.
"Taran!" yelled Bruck, drawing his lightsaber. Suddenly, the door of the ship opened and Zatt threw a wrench at the Tusken, hitting him in the head and making him miss his shot. The shot went past Taran's head just as he punched the other Tusken. Taran turned to see the Tusken growl and aim at Zatt. Zatt didn't have time to reach his lightsaber.
The Tusken's gun was cut in half as it tried to fire. It looked at the melted metal before it turned towards Taran, his lightsaber returning to his hands and deactivated it. He walked up to the Tusken, a menacing look in his eyes. He seized the Tusken by his tunic and held him up.
"Get lost," he said to the leader. He let him go and he and the other Sand People scrambled away towards their bantha mounts, running as fast as they could. Taran turned to Zatt, the menacing look vanishing.
"Are you alright?" said Taran. Zatt nodded as the rest of the group ran towards them.
"Please don't do that anymore," said Tia.
"No promises," said Taran. They all filed into the ship. Taran went to the star map and placed the holodisk into a slot on the side. Immediately, planet's turned red. In all, Taran counted about twenty systems with prison facilities under Separatist control.
Gungi said something.
"I know, that's a lot of systems," said Taran.
"How will we find out which one has Ahsoka?" said Katooni.
"I don't know. We'll need to go to different planets to find out if anyone might have seen her," said Taran.
"Where to next?" said Bruck.
"How about Shili?" said Taran. "She has family on the planet. Maybe they might have seen her before she was captured."
"Not a bad idea. On to Shili," said Bruck.