Obi-wan sat on one of Purgat Station's hover-trams, trying to meditate. He reached out into the force, feeling for any trace of his bond with Anakin. He could feel the younger man, not too far, but yet he did not know in which direction. With a sigh he gave up, gazing down over the edge of the train. The view was breathtaking. Through the glass floor he could see the gas giant Purgat. It was a mosaic of twisting strokes of purple and red, as if it were a painting and not an atmosphere of highly corrosive gas.
He turned to Artoo, thinking aloud. Talking to the droid was a habit he'd picked up from Anakin. "We should try to get our hands on some surveillance tapes. They might help us locate Anakin, if not Ahsoka."
Artoo beeped.
"Not a sparkling conversationalist, are you?"
The response was another beep, this one somehow ruder. Both Anakin and Padme could understand the droid's binary speech, to a degree. However Obi-wan's ability to understand Artoo was almost non-existent. He planned to work on that. He did have his own astromech, after all.
As the train slowed down to approach a stop Obi-wan's eyes were drawn to a disturbance. A drunken human was fighting an equally drunk weequay on the platform. In the state they were in, it was more likely that they would do harm to themselves than each other. The tram clicked into place, and people began to pour off, as many rushing on to take their place. This was the busiest station yet.
This on its own might have been enough to cause Obi-wan to disembark, but the choice was made for him when the drunken human pulled out a blaster. He fired off a shot, seemingly by accident. It missed the shoulder of a woman by mere centimeters, and she screamed. Suddenly the platform was in chaos.
Obi-wan jumped over the railing, not even bothering to take the few steps down the aisle to the door. He knew he could deescalate the conflict without violence; it was what he did. However, before he could reach the blaster-waving human, a pair of modified police droids emerged from the throng. It appeared he would not be needed. Each droid grabbed a man roughly by the arms, and confiscated both of their weapons.
Curious, Obi-wan followed to see where they would take them. They passed the entrance to the hotel where a group of beings were smoking despite the fact that they were all technically inside. A little ways down the platform was the entrance to what appeared to be a bar. It was a dive if Obi-wan had ever seen it. There were surely glamorous parts of Purgat Station, but they were far from here.
In the hallway leading to the interior of the establishment, there was one inconspicuous portal. It slid open as the droids approached, and closed quickly after they entered. Obi-wan was left standing in a claustrophobic metal hallway, facing a blank door. So he decided to continue on into the bar. Artoo followed him, having just managed to catch up. What would happen to the drunks, Obi-wan wondered. What did it take to get kicked off of the station?
The bar did not smell pleasant. What exactly it smelled like he couldn't identify; too many unpleasant odors mixing together, too many body fluids of too many species, and not nearly enough ventilation. The music was low, barely audible over the background noise. In one corner was one of the console through which bounty hunters could find jobs. A group of unpleasant characters clustered around it. Thankfully, Obi-wan didn't recognize any of them. He'd encountered his fair share of bounty hunters, and being recognized now would be disastrous.
He settled down at the end of the bar. It was busy and the bartender didn't notice him. A small screen showing old HoloNews reels caught his eye. It was on mute, no one paying attention to the flickering frames. Obi-wan saw his own face. He knew the type of program this was. He'd seen many of them. He and Anakin had been turned into the heroic faces of this war, despite how they felt on the matter. He couldn't hear what the newscaster was saying, but his mind filled in the blanks.
Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, together there's nothing the Separatists can do to stop them. War might be hell, but once they arrive they'll save the day!
If only that were always true. The shot they showed now was right after a successful space battle. The journalist had been aboard the Resolute, despite Anakin's protests. Obi-wan remembered the interview. Anakin had still been humming with adrenaline, in a fantastic mood over their minimal losses. He was celebrating, talking animatedly and slapping a tired Obi-wan on the shoulder. The screen switched to footage of some battle he didn't recognize.
The public was only ever shown the victories. Sure he and Anakin were some of the most effective Jedi in the order, he could not deny the numbers. But they weren't gods. It seemed to him, looking back, that they'd lost as much as they'd won, maybe more.
Now the screen showed a wide shot of Anakin disembarking from a gunship amidst his troops. Though the camera focused on the general, in the background he saw Ahsoka talking to a blue-painted clone who could have even been Rex. Seeing her face even from a distance made Obi-wan feel a little sick with worry. Feeling useless just sitting there, he got to his feet. It was also better, despite the fact that no one was watching it, that he did not sit directly in front of the screen.
He'd had his fill of propaganda for the day. Though he hadn't seen much of it, he assumed Separatist propaganda was no different. A place like Purgat Station was a sort of limbo when it came to which sort they showed, completely dependent on which HoloNet wavelengths they managed to get a hold of. Obi-wan scanned the bar for some sort of dataport, anything which would allow Artoo access to the stations network, but there was nothing. He was starting to consider talking to some of the guests when he saw a group of aliens coming down the hallway.
He wasn't the only one to stop and watch. The newcomers were pykes, insect like and bipedal, covered in body armour and armed to the teeth. It was clear they represented the Pyke Syndicate, one of the most powerful crime families in the galaxy, especially when it came to the spice trade. They did not enter the bar. Instead they disappeared into the room through which the drunks had been dragged. If Obi-wan knew anything it was that he had to see what was going on inside that room.
Knowing that Artoo would follow him, he headed for the exit. Maybe there was some dataport he'd missed outside, or some other way into the room. However as he walked down the hallway his attention was drawn by a sound. It was barely audible coming through the room's thick metal walls, but it appeared that some sort of alarm was going off. In frustration, Obi-wan yanked at the door with the force. There was no way he was getting through that locking mechanism; not without a significant display of effort. It would be so easy if only he could use his lightsaber. The weapon in question was currently stashed within Artoo, but of course he couldn't.
Continuing back out onto the platform, Obi-wan detected a change in atmosphere. More beings were milling around, chattering excitedly. Some were peering upwards. There wasn't much to see except for the catwalks of the next level with only a little space around them.
"Is there something going on?" Obi-wan asked the closest group.
"Some people think they heard an explosion," answered an ithorian through a mechanical translator on his neck.
The child beside him made excited noises, gesturing upwards.
"Curious," Obi-wan rubbed his beard.
It wasn't too much of a jump to make that Anakin was somehow involved.
"There's quite a lineup at the hotel lifts," said a human woman, who had overheard them. "I was going to go up and take a look, but figured it wasn't worth it. Something's always blowing up in this place."
Before Obi-wan could respond his attention was drawn by the door to the secret room sliding open. The three pykes he'd seen enter, two modified police droids, and a trandoshan pushed through the crowed. They were heading for the hotel entrance.
If he attempted to follow them up the elevator they would surely beat him up there. Obi-wan looked around for a faster way up. Across the track of the hover-tram he saw a service ladder. He leapt over without much difficulty. It wasn't a particularly large jump, not impressive enough to give him away. Even so, there were many eyes on him and he quickly scaled the ladder. Artoo flew beside him.
The next level was just a higher entrance to the hotel. He kept climbing. On the third level up the ladder ended and the wall he'd been climbing on had given away to bulging window. He saw the back end of a modified fighter, much too close to be safe. A much larger, heavily armed freighter was keeping it trapped against the station. The engines flared, close enough that they fogged the transpasteal.
Obi-wan backed away instinctually. The freighter moved away a little allowing the smaller ship some room to maneuver. It went up, then back as if it was crashing into the station. It must have been forced into some sort of private landing bay directly above him.
After a bit of poking around, Obi-wan managed to get under the floor in the landing bay. The air smelled like fuel and the vacuum. He felt the rumbling as a ship landed. Obi-wan crawled towards the nearest light source. It appeared a ring of floor vents ran around the entire outside of the room. He crawled, looking up for somewhere he could hide, and listening. In the large echoing room filled with the sounds of a landing bay, he could not make out words. There was a female, she sounded frightened.
Seeing his chance, Obi-wan exited the grate, and jumped immediately onto the large pipe which ran close to the ceiling. High above, he crawled closer to the group of beings in the center of the room. He was at a good vantage point, and could hear them perfectly.
The frightened woman stood surrounded by the crew he'd seen leaving the secret room. She was dark skinned, tall, and obviously muscular. A faded red scarf was tied around her head and knotted in the back. As he watched, she unholstered her two pistols and dropped them into the hands of one of the pykes. From the ramp of the freighter he'd seen outside, a much larger group of pykes dismounted.
"You should have known running from us would be pointless," said one of the pykes, chin antenna twitching. "We've been lenient with you, given you so much time, and yet you still haven't delivered on what you owe us."
"I made no deal with you!" spat the woman. "And even if I had, you know I lost my ship. How am I supposed to deliver on anything?"
Across the hanger from where Obi-wan had entered, a floor grate slid out of place. Someone flew from the vent, landing effortlessly on their feet. Anakin Skywalker had entered the room, and all eyes turned to stare at him. They'd been in the same ventilation system at the same time, Obi-wan realized.
"Anakin, what are you doing here?" the woman said, sounding genuinely surprised.
"I guess I just can't stay out of trouble."
"That's an understatement," Obi-wan whispered to himself.
"Let her go," Anakin instructed, "you know she won't be able to pay you back or finish the job. You're just going after her for fun. There's nothing you can gain out of it."
"And what exactly do you plan to do about it?" With a wave of his hand, the pyke who was speaking dispatched the two police droids.
They each took Anakin by an arm, guns pointed at his head.
"I don't think you want to find out," said Anakin, unfazed.
He allowed them to guide him into the center of the circle, walking just a little slower than they were so they were forced to go at his pace.
"Try to get into the landing bay," Obi-wan whispered into his communicator.
Artoo beeped in response. He did not intend to use his lightsaber, but it was better to have it nearby just in case. Obi-wan had no context for this situation, no idea who this woman was or how she knew Anakin, but like always he would follow Anakin blindly. There was nothing else he could do.
He dropped lightly from the pipe, landing just outside the circle. Suddenly there were far too many blaster trained on him.
"Hey, Obi-wan," Anakin said, sounding not at all surprised to see him.
Obi-wan raised his hands, trying to come off as non-threatening. He reached out through the force, attempting to project an aura of calm. He felt some of the pykes respond, relaxing slightly despite themselves.
"I know I've just dropped in rather abruptly," said Obi-wan, "and I know very little about the situation. But I'm sure that no matter the disagreement we can managed to find a solution that works for everyone, without needing to resort to violence.
The trandoshan laughed, and some of the pykes joined in, making a chattering sound that was probably their equivalent.
"But I so enjoy violence," said the pyke closest to him.
"Ambra will be made an example of," said another pyke, glancing at the trandoshan, "as Meerion one knows these two. We'll dispose of them here."
Two pykes grabbed the woman, and the rest turned towards the Jedi. Obi-wan and Anakin only had a fraction of a second to react. That was all they needed. Obi-wan kicked the nearest pyke in the face, grabbing his blaster as he fell, and flipped out of the way of a police droid's blaster bolt. At the same time, Anakin grabbed one of the pykes in a stranglehold, using his body to block a barrage of blasts.
Dropping the corpse, Anakin tackled a police droid, ripping off its head with inhumane strength only Obi-wan knew was aided by the force.
"Anakin!" the woman, Ambra, yelled a warning.
Behind him, the other droid was raising its blaster. Force sense and reflexes would have easily saved him, had he been holding his lightsaber. The droid fired off a bolt, but as if by some malfunction its arm had been pulled out to the side. Joints cracked, and wires sparked. Looking at Obi-wan, Anakin nodded a thank you, before kicking the droid in the chest.
The two pkyes who held Ambra had stopped, attempting to decide whether they should continue taking their prisoner or help their colleagues who, improbably, appeared as if they might lose to two unarmed humans. Well, the bearded one had stolen a blaster, but he'd barely used it, only shooting one of their brothers in the leg.
Sensing the pykes' hesitation, Ambra made her move. She ducked under the arm of one of her captors, twisting the spindly appendage until something cracked. She threw him onto his comrade, grabbing his blaster from its holster as she did so. She did not show the same restraint as Obi-wan. Two pulls of the trigger and the pykes were dead, smoking holes in both of their foreheads.
Ambra could not dodge blaster bullets like the two mysterious men seemed to be able to, nor was she a master of close quarters combat. Instead, she grabbed a second blaster from the other pyke and headed for cover behind the nose of a nearby ship. As she ran, she fired off several shots into the fray.
One hit the trandoshan in the back, as he grappled with Obi-wan. The Jedi Master dropped the body, turning quickly to see that another of the woman's shots had it its mark as well. Her aim was good, and now only one pyke remained who was not dead or otherwise subdued.
He raised his feelers, dropping his blaster to the floor.
"I'm sorry about your comrades," Obi-wan said. "But this was self defense. Please allow us to continue going about our business without further conflict."
"What are you doing!" the woman yelled. "We need to get out of here now." She was already almost at the door. "They have to have notified station security."
Anakin took off after her, and Obi-wan—though confused—did the same.
"Station security?" he called, voice raised a little to reach her in the large room. "It seemed like this was a private matter. Since when do places like this have a police force?"
"Pykes are in good with the owner," Ambra yelled back at him, a little breathless.
She'd reached the door, and Anakin skidded to a stop beside her. She slammed the open button only to get an error message in response. The muscular woman let out a stream of curses, distinct enough to mark her as someone who'd spent their entire life in the outer rim. However, even before Obi-wan could catch up, the door slid open. On the other side, sat Artoo.
"Artoo!" Anakin exclaimed. "Am I glad to see you."
The little droid beeped happily.
"Come on!" Ambra wasn't even letting them pause for a moment. "It looks like they're coming up the elevator."
The changing numbers on the nearby console did seem to indicate this.
"Artoo," Anakin pointed towards the elevator.
No more instructions were needed. The astromech, shot off towards the closest dataport, and the trio raised down a nearby flight of stairs.
"We can take the service ladder down," Obi-wan said, leading the group.
Artoo may have bought them some time trapping their pursuers in the elevator, but they had to get away quickly. There were sure to be others. As they climbed down the latter, Anakin saw their chance.
Obi-wan had begun his descent to the main level.
"No," Anakin said, dismounting on the second level. "There."
He was pointing to the upper tram which was just beginning to leave its station.
"We're too late," Ambra said.
"No we're not."
Anakin grabbed her arm, taking off running towards the edge of the platform.
"You're crazy!" she yelled.
The trams had no tracks. They hovered in empty space, the edge of the platform a sheer drop to the glass far below. Anakin didn't pause, throwing one of Ambra's arms over his shoulder and grabbing her around the waist, he jumped. Obi-wan followed, and both crossed the distance with ease. Anakin deposited Ambra on one of the cushioned couches, as she stared at them open-mouthed.
Artoo had appeared, hovering faster than any astromech should ordinarily have been able to, in order to catch up with the train.
"Obi-wan," Anakin said, "meet Ambra. Ambra, this is Obi-wan."
Obi-wan examined the woman. The way she dressed, even the way she talked, said smuggler. She looked very much like she belonged on a place like this. He could imagine many ways she could have managed to get in trouble with the pykes, but none which would have so captured Anakin's sympathies.
"Has my little brother dragged you into trouble with him?" he asked, probing.
Ambra obviously did not know what to make of Obi-wan either. "No, I'm afraid it's the other way around. He's been helping me, though I can't fathom as to why."
Obi-wan could. If this woman's story was compelling enough, Anakin was a Jedi to his core. He wouldn't have been able to leave her to her fate no more than he could.
"So why is the Pyke Syndicate after you?" Obi-wan asked. "What do you owe them?"
He hoped that he could resolve this situation quickly. Any distraction from locating Ahsoka not only put her in more danger, but it prolonged the time he and Anakin would be away from the front lines.
"An entire freighter full of spice," she said, voice appropriately hopeless, "worth more credits than any shipment I've ever moved."
"Ah, well that would explain that."
He cast a questioning look at Anakin. Since when was he helping spice dealers out of the holes they'd dug for themselves?
"It wasn't her that made the deal," he defended her. "It was her first mate, behind her back. When she refused to take the job her crew betrayed her and stole her ship."
"I may be a smuggler, but I don't mess with the spice trade," Ambra said, "it's not worth it."
Through the force, Obi-wan could feel the waves of sadness rolling off of her, the sting of betrayal. What friends did someone like Ambra have, aside from her crew? He placed a hand on her shoulder, finally understanding what had drawn Anakin to get involved.
"And what happened to them?" he asked, sensing that the story wasn't over.
Anakin answered for her. "They're dead, destroyed along with her ship and the spice."
"I told them the job was too dangerous," Ambra snarled, hands balling into fists, "no matter what those pykes were offering. They knew Kru'vuren was a war zone."
"Kru'vuren?" This had piqued Obi-wan's interest, but before he could ask for more detail Anakin interrupted.
"She doesn't have a ship, so she can't escape. I helped her steal a fighter, but it didn't go well. Ones she's off the station she's home free. The pykes won't waste resources going after her. If we could just smuggle her out on the Starless with us…"
"That's a fantastic idea," said Ambra. "I think we should leave now, and not just for my sake. You're both on their radar now. If we're going to leave at all it has to be now."
Anakin and Obi-wan exchanged a look. She was right, but they couldn't leave. They hadn't found what they'd came for.
Anakin's eyes lit up, "maybe Padme and Rex have found something. We can all make it to the ship, get out of here. If we're making a run for it there's no reason to hold anything back."
His meaning was clear to Obi-wan. He could tell Anakin was itching to pull out his lightsaber.
"I'll try them on the comlink," he said, though he was not optimistic.
They were rapidly approaching the point where they would be forced to reveal their identities and take the information they needed by force. In a place like this news of them would reach the Separatists almost instantly, not to mention that even using their full skillset they would still be vastly outnumbered. Obi-wan hoped greatly that they would be able to avoid that eventuality.
He tried every channel on his communicator, but got only static.
"Now that is very odd."
"Kriff!" Ambra stood up, looking wildly around. "We're done for. They've activated the station's security system. It knows where we are. It's blocking all communications from this section."
Suddenly, the tram came to a jolting stop, and they weren't at a station. They had passed some without incident, and were approaching the stop near the main landing bay, but it was too far for even them to jump. There were only four other beings on the train, and they had all clustered at the front, as far away from them as possible.
"Well," said Obi-wan, "I guess our only option now is down." He turned to Anakin. "Can you land it carrying her?"
"Piece of cake."
Ambra stared aghast over the edge of the tram. "You're both delusional, we're two stories up. You're not carrying me anywhere."
"Do you see any other options?" Anakin asked, eyebrow slightly raised.
"Aim for one of the supports," Obi-wan advised. "Wouldn't want to crack it. Who knows what it's made of, though I'm hoping transparasteel."
Without even pausing he leapt over the edge, flipping in mid-air and landing in a crouch. Picking up Ambra in his arms—despite the fact she was the same size as him—Anakin quickly followed. He landed lightly; too lightly, Ambra realized, setting her down on one of the metal supports crisscrossing the transparent floor.
"Who are you guys?" she asked, suddenly a little afraid.
"We told you," said the mysterious young man who had swooped in and saved her when she had thought all hope was lost, "I'm Anakin and he's Obi-wan."
They ran down one of the beams until it reached a walkway running along the outside of the station's interior. Unmarked doors sat sporadically along the wall, none of which opened as they ran past. As they approached the largest door yet Obi-wan noticed a camera watching them. It followed their movements, like one of many eyes on a massive droid.
A place like Purgat Station seemed like it would require an army of its own to exist in unpoliced space, but the guards they'd seen had been few and far between. No, Purgat Station could take care of itself, and that was why Obi-wan suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. It felt as if they were germs battling the immune system of some massive beast.
"We're too exposed," Anakin was saying, "we need to get in there."
Artoo was working with a dataport, but with a sound of alarm he was suddenly thrown back by a circuit-frying electric shock. He crashed into the barrier which divided the hall from the transparent floor.
"I'm going to cut through," Anakin said. "It's the only option. Don't worry, I don't think Ambra is any friend of the Separatists."
"I'm not, but why is that relevant right now?"
Anakin didn't answer. He was too busy studying Obi-wan's response. He looked stressed, but he had said nothing in protest. Instead he looked at the camera. Despite not noticeably moving his hands, it suddenly twisted, sparking and hanging limp against the wall.
If Ambra hadn't noticed that she certainly noticed when a small object fell from the back of Anakin's shirt, and into his hand.
"Shield him with your body," Obi-wan told her, "we would prefer no one see what he's about to do."
She followed his instructions, and watched as Anakin activated the lightsaber. The blue plasma blade cut through the door like it was butter. She was too shocked to immediately say anything. Ambra had always been one for keeping her head down, and making herself a target in a galactic wide war as about as far from that as one could get.
Anakin pushed the chunk of door inwards with the force, and she finally managed to find her voice. "I've never met a Jedi before."
"And you're so sure you have now?" Obi-wan asked, "That he didn't just steal that blade?"
Ambra looked at him with raised brows. "I may be an idiot for not putting the pieces together earlier, but I'm not that stupid."
Obi-wan shrugged.
"So what are two Jedi doing on Purgat?"
"Shh," Anakin pushed a figure to his lips, stepping through the hole into the hallway on the other side. "Try not to be too loud with the J word. We'll have time to talk if we make it to the ship."
"I have a really bad feeling about this," Obi-wan said, looking down the hall at yet another camera.
Suddenly both Jedi stiffened at once. Then, they spoke in unison.
"Run!"
They took off down the hall and all Ambra could do was follow. A ray shield shot down from the ceiling, so close behind them that had Ambra been a millisecond slower it would have sliced through her heel. They did not stop running. Ray shield after ray shield was activated, like something was chasing them, or forcing them towards something.
A larger room stood at the end of the hall before them. The hole for a lift platform sat directly in the middle. They shot out into this junction of three hallways, only to find that the entrances to the other two were already shielded. An orange wall materialized behind them as well, leaving the only options up or down through the tube, and there was no platform in site.
There was a click, and panels on the walls slid open to reveal three massive canons, all which were trained at their heads. Anakin let his lightsaber drop down into his hand.
"Stop," Obi-wan caught his arm.
The platform was lowering. On it was a group of pykes larger than the one in the landing bay. At the same time, one of the ray shields deactivated and an equally large squad of repurposed combat droids of various types, and a few living mercenaries entered. There was even one super battle droids and two of the familiar B1 units among the assassin droids and police units.
"It's starting to feel like home," Anakin whispered to Obi-wan.
"It disturbs me to find out that you consider our home to be the front lines."
Anakin shrugged. "How about we play good hosts? It's been too long since I've cut up a clanker."
"Sometimes you sound more like a clone than Rex does. Give your lightsaber to Artoo, subtly. Stay shielded from the cameras."
"You're not serious?"
"We can find a better opportunity later… when we have less of an audience." Obi-wan's eyes flickered from the crowd of assailants to the many cameras which could get an angle on them.
Anakin made a noise of disapproval, but did as Obi-wan said. The pykes and droids were circling, and there were far too many blasters pointed at him for his liking.
Their hands were secured behind them with energy bindings, and they were taken down into the basement levels of the station. In the lift, all three of them were searched for weapons. Ambra's stolen guns was confiscated, and someone made a comment about how strange it was they carried no weapons. Their comlinks were confiscated however, and Anakin prayed that Padme would not call.
"Should we take these two to the airlock?" one of the pykes asked.
"No," answered the one who appeared to be their leader. "All humans look the same to me, but there is something about this one…" he gestured to Obi-wan. "Keep them with her. We've got just enough time to make the show. Throwing these two into the mix should make it more interesting, and Meerion has been such a great host."
Artoo had managed to stay close to them thus far, and the group had thinned out considerably. There were also less cameras down here, in this dim hallway which smelled strangely like animals. Anakin nudged Obi-wan with his elbow. The two men did not need words to speak. He said with his eyes that he did not like the sound of that, and Obi-wan agreed.
The group had stopped so that one of the bounty hunters could open a portal on the wall. Anakin nodded to the astromech.
"Get in there," the pyke holding Anakin shoved him into the room, but when Artoo tried to follow the bounty hunter blocked his way.
He kicked the droid into one of the police units. "Bring it down the hall, get it fitted with a restraining bolt and put it to use. They won't be needing it anymore."
As the larger droid pulled him away, the hilt of a lightsaber appeared at the top of his head. Obi-wan reached out, and the sword began to jiggle. The cell doors slammed closed, and his fingertips were left brushing against the metal.
"Well, this is just great," said Anakin sarcastically.
Obi-wan glared at him. "I admit I may have made a slight miscalculation, but I'm still tentative to reveal our identities after all the work we've put in to remain unnoticed thus far."
Ambra was unsure about whose side she was on. She was not ready to die, and if these Jedi could have saved her life she would have chosen that over whatever awaited them. However, she did not want the target on her back which would come from them revealing their identities, and maybe they could still get out of this. Her chances were certainly better than before.
"Sorry about him," Anakin said, trying to draw her into the squabble, "his arrival has been counterproductive to your situation."
Ambra shrugged, voicing her thoughts aloud, "my chances are better than before."
"Ah, a pragmatist," said Obi-wan, "I like that."
"I'm not ungrateful," Ambra continued. "I appreciate the help, though it looks like you might have to give up on whatever brought you to Purgat in the first place."
Anakin's face hardened, and Ambra was afraid she'd said the wrong thing.
"I'm sorry I brought you so much trouble," she attempted.
"I can't," Anakin said, his voice quiet, then looking up at his friend, "we can't. If there's anything I know it's that."
Ambra was curious, but she did not push for more information. The last thing she needed was to get involved in Jedi business. Anakin had begun pacing around the room, examining the walls like he expected to find a weak point.
"Since we appear to have a minute," Obi-wan said, "I'm curious about what job would have brought your crew to Kru'vuren. A recent war zone does not seem like the optimal place to sell spice."
"It was a massive shipment," said Ambra, "but it was being bought by only one person. One of the new co-kings, Reyla Var has a habit. The pykes told me my ship was shot down by rebels after it was already in the atmosphere, but Var is an important client and they're going to replace the shipment for a relatively small number of credits. They just need someone foolhardy enough to deliver it."
"Can't she just send one of her ships to pick it up?" asked Anakin, from the other side of the cell.
He was braced against the wall, trying to step through his arms so that his bound hands would be in front of him. Ambra shrugged.
"If I had to guess," said Obi-wan, "I'd say she doesn't want the Separatists to know what she's spending their funds on."
Their cell was barren, a concrete cube with no furnishings whatsoever. There were two doors, and through which they'd entered, and another that suddenly slid open. Two super battle droids stood facing them, gun arms raised.
"You are coming with us."
Behind them stretched a thin hallway, just wide enough for the two droids to walk side by side. Anakin walked towards them as if obeying. Without warning he kicked one hard in the joint, knowing it would detach the gun arm. At the same time, he slammed the other against the wall with the force. Obi-wan, though he would have preferred to analyze the situation before attacking, joined in. He kicked the first droids legs out from under it, allowing Anakin to focus his full attention on the second droid. With the force, Anakin reached into the droids circuitry, ripping through vital chips and wiring. It fired shots uselessly into the ceiling before shutting down for good.
"Come on!" Anakin took off running down the long, curving hall, and the others followed.
It ended in a circular room with a lift in the center. There were a few other entrances, but they were all ray shielded. Two droids stood waiting by the lift: an assassin droid, and a protocol droid holding what appeared to be several vibroblades.
"I'm afraid that may have done no good," said Obi-wan. "It seems we have no other option but to go where they want us to."
"Then I vote we stay here," said Ambra.
In response, the assassin droid pointed its gun at her.
"Into the lift," it instructed, voice emotionless in the way only a droid's could be.
"And what exactly awaits us at the top?" Obi-wan asked.
He and Anakin both searched for information in their own way. The other man was busy scanning their surroundings, looking for anywhere else to go, unsuccessfully.
"You have angered the pykes," the protocol droid explained, "and will be put to death. However you're final act will be to put on a show for the station's guests. You will be given a chance to defend yourself against the beast in the arena above. It is, of course, futile, but lifeforms seem to get enjoyment from it."
The lift tube was a tight fit for the three of them. The protocol droid had thrown the vibroblades at their feet, and Anakin was hoping that if he wished hard enough they would spontaneously transform into lightsabers.
As the door slid closed, Obi-wan turned to Ambra. "Would you believe this isn't the first time Anakin and I have been in this situation? In fact, I say our chances are better this time. We're not chained to posts, and they've even given us weapons."
"Yeah, just a walk in the park," said Anakin sarcastically.
Their heads began to emerge above the stadium floor, revealing the massive walls of spectators, and the screens showing close-ups of their faces.
"Wait until we have less of an audience, Anakin," Anakin repeated Obi-wan's earlier words, mimicking his accent rather well.
His master looked sheepish. "How was I to know this was what they had planned?"
"Wha-what is that thing?" Ambra stammered, looking behind them.
Both men turned.
"That," said Anakin, "would be a Krayt Dragon. I think I'd rather take the Geonosian arena again."
Their energy bindings automatically released.
"Stop whining and grab a blade," said Obi-wan.
The three of them stood, weapons in hand, waiting for the protective shield that surrounded them to be removed. Anakin scanned the audience, and realized he was looking for someone in particular in the wall of faceless beings. Padme was here, he could feel her presence. Here he was, worrying her again. Anakin would not let her watch him die.
The shield deactivated, and the Krayt Dragon let out an ear splitting screech. It gave up its attempt to reach the beings in the audience, and focused its attention on them.
"Move slowly," Obi-wan said, as the trio began to back away, stepping down off their pedestal to the sandy floor.
The dragon seemed to be examining them, yellow slitted eyes unblinking. It scraped one of its clawed front legs across the floor, kicking up dirt. Then, it charged.
"Run!" Obi-wan grabbed Ambra's arm, pulling her with him.
"Circle around back!" Anakin yelled. "I'll keep it occupied."
He skidded to a stop, then took off in the other direction.
"Anakin, no!" Obi-wan called.
Now it was Ambra who was towing him. Anakin yelled as he ran, and the dragon turned away from them to focus its attention on him. It drew back on its haunches and pounced, landing with a thump that shook the arena. Anakin dodged out of the way of its claw just in time.
Now, he was under the belly of the beast. He jammed his vibroblade upwards. It could not managed to pierce even the smaller scales here, and the dragon slammed its torso downwards. Anakin flipped out of the way just in time. He held its complete attention, just barely dancing out of the way of its attacks. It slashed and snapped with speed unusual for its size.
Anakin's acrobatics had captivated the audience. No one had ever seen a human move like that: the reflexes, the agility. All the same, it seemed as if he was only a millisecond from death. He was losing ground; the dragon was forcing him backwards, flip after flip, and dodge after dodge. No one could keep that up forever.
Ambra and Obi-wan were behind the creature now, completely unnoticed.
"Stay back," the older Jedi warned her.
There would be no argument from Ambra.
All the same, as he took off running, she muttered, "I just feel so useless without my blasters."
The Krayt Dragon's long, spiked tail swung back and forth, slicing the air like a whip and shaking the ground when it made contact. Obi-wan jumped, flipping through the air and grabbing onto a spike halfway up. The dragon stiffened, but Anakin jammed his blade down onto one of its feet, and the disturbance was quickly forgotten.
Obi-wan climbed onto the creature's back, every step deliberate. He used the tips of the spines as handholds, placing his feet only on the centers of the scales. When Obi-wan reached its neck, it began to shake its head wildly, snapping at Anakin all the while. Obi-wan clutched a spike for dear life.
One bite snapped shut only feet from Anakin's arm. Instead of immediately drawing back, he drove the knife into one of the beast's nostrils. It came away covered in goo, but without any trace of blood. The dragon screamed all the same, swatting him away with its claw. This time it was successful. Anakin went flying through the air. He crashed heavily to the ground, and in the audience Padme gasped.
Meerion had already come to the realization that Padme and Rex knew the two male prisoners.
"You have to get them out of there," she said, her flirtatious tone gone, uncaring demeanor shattered.
She sounded almost as if she was begging. He was starting to grow fond of Padme, and seeing her like this was disconcerting; it was such a switch in character. Who were these men?
"Please, Luce."
She stared at him with her large brown eyes. They held a watery glaze he knew meant sadness in humans, or pain. He liked this woman, yes, but that did not mean he trusted her.
"Who are they?" he asked, turning his attention back to the battle.
Whoever they were, they were certainly impressive. The bearded man had managed to get up onto the beasts head, bracing himself between its crown of spines. It had certainly noticed him now, and was ignoring the other man in an attempt to shake him off.
"Bounty hunters," Padme said, too quickly. "…friends. I owe them my life. I uh—I hired them and their ship to take me on this expedition. I've worked with them many times before. Trouble does seem to follow them, but it's worth it…"
She trailed off. On instinct, Padme had begun to collect half-truths and old lies into something that had some chance of saving all of them, but it was hard when she couldn't tear her eyes away from what was happening in the arena below.
The dragon had lowered its head, trying to get Obi-wan in reach of one of its front claws. Using the edge of the socket as a handhold Obi-wan plunged the knife straight into its eye. The beast screamed. Obi-wan was dislodged, but his dismount was controlled. He flipped through the air, pulling out the blade as he went. He didn't pause when he hit the ground, taking off running to where Anakin had fallen.
"As you can see," Padme said, "they're quite exceptional."
Meerion agreed wholeheartedly. The way these men moved, it was unlike any creature he'd seen before.
Anakin was conscious, sitting but clutching at his stomach where the claws had made contact. As Obi-wan approached he pushed himself stiffly to his feet, one hand held firmly over his wound. The Krayt Dragon was still screaming, shaking its head and swinging its tail wildly. Suddenly it seemed to remember the creatures that had did this to it, and charged straight for them, faster than before. Obi-wan grabbed Anakin by the arm, towing him across the stadium. The dragon swayed as it ran, veering to one side then overcompensating. Its balance was clearly off and it stumbled, and there were several moments when it almost tripped. All the same, it was gaining. Anakin was holding it together well, but he wasn't at full speed.
"Guys!" Ambra yelled. She was far on the other side of the arena, and they were currently running away from her. "Quickly, this way!"
The men veered sharply. When the dragon tried to follow them through the tight turn it stumbled, one shoulder crashing to the ground before it righted itself. They now saw what Ambra had been yelling about. The energy shield which had covered the large door in the wall had disappeared. They had a way out.
They just had to make it there while staying ahead of the dragon. It leapt, attempting to land with its claws on top of them. However, due to its impaired depth perception, it crashed down beside them instead, turning quickly to attempt a bite.
Anakin and Obi-wan separated, both jumping out of the way in opposite directions. Anakin stumbled as he landed, failing to conceal a wince. The pause very likely would have cost him his life, had the dragons full attention not been focused on Obi-wan. The Jedi Master held his hands out in front of him, an intense look of concentration on his face as he danced backwards. He was using the force to draw the dragon's attention off of Anakin.
Obi-wan realized he had little hope of controlling the beast's mind further than this. It was too wild, too angry. It reared up on its hind legs, using its tail for balance. It loomed over him, and as he clutched the vibroblade in front of him he realized there was nothing he could do to harm it.
Then the beast was screaming in pain. It toppled over to the side, and Obi-wan saw that Anakin had thrown his knife. With expert precision, it had stuck directly into the dragons already damaged eye. It would not buy them much time. They took off running for the door, where Ambra was already waiting for them.
Inside was a large pen, empty aside from Artoo, who sat beside a dataport. He'd somehow, unbelievably, managed to get away, and to find them in time.
"I've never wanted to kiss a droid so much in my kriffing life," Ambra cheered.
The little astromech beeped, and began to fiddle with the dataport.
"Wait," Anakin stopped him, "close it on my mark."
The dragon was still charging towards them.
"What are you doing?" Ambra cried. "Close it now. Close it now!"
It was almost upon them, coming through the doorway.
"Now!" Anakin yelled.
At the speed of light, the energy barrier reappeared, detaching the Krayt Dragon's head from its body.
A/N: Sorry about the wait. I usually like to update more regularly than this, but I've been so busy. I just had a tough physics midterm and you guys's comments would really brighten my day. Thanks for sticking with me. Do you think the plot is moving too slowly? I hope it's not boring, I try to put in action, though I know it was lacking last chapter. If all goes to plan, there will be one more chapter to wrap up the Purgat Station arc, then Ahsoka should get an entire chapter to herself.