6: Tatooine

The journey to Tatooine was, as usual, a silent one. Master and student rarely had a conversation during trips like these—it was clear that the both of them were thinking solely on the mission. There was a mission, once, where Plo Koon and Boba had to travel together to the swampy planet of Dagobah, to investigate suspected mercenary activity in the area. Boba had been thinking too much about defeating and arresting the mercenaries he had not heard Plo Koon's warning and fell into a dirty lake. Much to their horror, the mercenaries had heard Plo Koon's yell. However, this time, Plo Koon decided to strike up a conversation.

"You seem tense," he commented. Boba nearly snorted at his Master's feeble attempt at small talk, and shrugged.

"I think I always am, on every mission," he said, "because I'm afraid of failing."

"You won't," Plo Koon said, his voice firm. His voice, almost suddenly, grew softer. "I do believe you, Boba."

"Believe me?"

Plo Koon chuckled. "Believe you; believe in you—what's the difference? I just do," he said, "because you are my student… and my best student so far, at that." A pang of guilt struck Boba—he had not expected his Master to have such faith in him, when truly he had been planning for the death of his father's murderer for months now. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and swallowed hard. What was he to do if he one day realized, before he killed Mace Windu, that he had developed a strong bond with his Master and he genuinely treasured it? What could he do if he one day decided to abandon his plan?

Boba clenched his fists and pushed those thoughts away from his head and let out a heavy sigh. "Thank you," he said quietly. He glanced out the window and realized that they were already approaching Tatooine. He quickly made sure that he had his lightsaber with him and nothing else was missing, and then stood up. The ship landed smoothly on the outskirts of Mos Eisley. Plo Koon took the lead and led Boba down into the hot desert; much to the latter's dislike.

Boba wondered, frustratingly, how Anakin Skywalker had managed to live nine full years here on this blasted desert planet. His feet were on fire, as well as his whole body, and Boba swore that his body would start blistering if they did not get under cool shelter soon. After what seemed like eternity, the two Jedi finally managed to make it into Mos Eisley port and stopped in a corner, so that they could take a better look at their surroundings. Boba was impressed to see that almost every alien species was walking about, doing their trading. He had never seen so many different kinds of aliens in one location before, and did not realize that he was staring too much at a Toydarian, until the winged creature started shouting in its own tongue angrily at Boba. He rolled his eyes and turned away as the grumbling Toydarian went away, still cursing in its native tongue.

"I can sense them," Plo Koon said darkly. "They are here… but I am worried this will become another trap."

"We can take them," Boba said confidently. "I know I'm more prepared this time." He looked around a bit more, and realized that two men were standing outside the door to bay 57, both holding their blasters firmly. He looked a little closer and realized that they were mercenaries. Plo Koon, too, had noticed the two armed men.

"What do we do?" asked Boba.

"Easy to handle," Plo Koon answered, "Their minds are weak." He approached the two and they raised their guns—apparently they had recognized him—but before they had begun to shoot, Plo Koon waved his hand and immediately, the two of them lowered their blasters and walked away, chatting animatedly, as though nothing had taken place. Plo Koon turned around and beckoned for Boba to follow him.

"If only Dooku were that simple," Boba grumbled, watching the two mercenaries' retreating backs. Plo Koon entered bay 57, looking around warily. There seemed to be no sign of any other ship or mercenary, and he began to feel a dark presence in the area. Boba's eyes darted around their surroundings, alerted too by the strange presence.

"Yes," the voice echoed, "if only I were such a simple man. But it looks like the both of you are, rather than I." Dooku emerged from the shadows, a smirk etched upon his face. He held his dual lightsabers—one in each of his hands—and approached the two Jedi cautiously. "You should learn from your mistakes," he sneered, and ignited both his lightsabers. Boba and Plo Koon followed suit, and went into their usual battle stances.

"You had better not become so cocky, Dooku," Plo Koon said, "You never know when your downfall may come…"

"And is that day today?" asked Dooku, his eyes concentrated on Plo Koon, "You underestimate me. Just because you have this weakling of an apprentice with you… does not mean that being outnumbered equals to being at a disadvantage." Without further words and the wasting of time, Dooku lunged forward at Boba first, striking the boy down. Boba parried the Sith's strong attack, and staggered backwards. Plo Koon, at this point, interceded and drove Dooku back, determined to protect his apprentice. Boba watched apprehensively as the two fought fiercely, both on par with each other, and noticed that his Master seemed to be weakening. He gritted his teeth and jumped into the fray, slashing wildly at Dooku. The Sith seemed to be pleased with his angry onslaught, and parried all of Boba's attacks with ease.

"Use your anger, boy," he hissed, "Only then will you be able to defeat me."

"You will not lure my apprentice, Dooku!" roared Plo Koon, taking over from Boba. Ever since their first day together as Master and apprentice, Boba had never seen Plo Koon attack so swiftly and strongly before, as though he was finally using his full potential against the enemy. Plo Koon struck Dooku and finally managed to disarm one lightsaber from him, something Boba saw as a half-victory. Suddenly, Dooku raised his hand and used the Force to choke Plo Koon, suspending the latter in midair.

Anger flowed through Boba's veins as he lunged towards Dooku, managing to cut the Sith his left thigh. Dooku groaned in pain and stepped backwards, but did not seem angry. On the contrary, he seemed very, very pleased. "Use your anger," he said again, "Feel it… it is your power!" Plo Koon suddenly slashed at Dooku out of nowhere, somehow wanting to protect Boba from something more than just Dooku himself. Of course, Boba thought, he doesn't want me falling into the dark side.

He clutched his lightsaber hilt tightly and began to aid his Master in the fight. The two Jedi took turns to strike at Dooku with incredible speed, and yet the Sith Lord managed to parry their attacks. Years and years of training made Dooku almost invincible, and it made Boba wonder when the battle will end.

Before Boba knew what had happened, Dooku had kicked Plo Koon in the stomach, causing the Jedi Master to become dazed for several seconds. To Boba's horror, Dooku ran his blade right through Plo Koon's abdomen.

"Master!" yelled Boba, shocked, as his Master collapsed onto the ground. He knelt down next to Plo Koon and felt his Master's hand clutch around his wrist. Plo Koon's breathing was heavy and labored, and it worried Boba immensely. "Don't…" he struggled to say, but it was too late. With one final breath, Plo Koon went limp. Boba felt tears well in his eyes as the cold, hard fact began to register in his mind: his Master was dead. Looking up at Dooku angrily, he stood up slowly, his lightsaber still in his right hand and walked towards the Sith Lord. I'm sorry, he thought.

"Are you going to kill me, Boba Fett?" asked Dooku, smirking.

Despite the sadness he felt for the loss of his Master, Boba finally decided that his place was never to be among the ranks of the Jedi Knights. He deactivated his lightsaber—a sign of surrender. Without taking one backward glance at his dead Master's body, Boba said, "No. I'm going to join you."

Dooku was surprised. "I did not expect such a hasty decision, Fett. What made you—?"

"Don't ask me things like that. I made a decision, didn't I?" growled Boba. "I know what I'm doing. And you know what I want."

Count Dooku looked at Boba Fett, and realized that the boy had changed within a split second. Boba Fett now seemed much surer of himself. He smiled, and extended his hand. "Welcome to the other side," he said.


Three days later

"They have not reported in at all, during the past few days," Obi-Wan Kenobi informed the Council. The Jedi Masters sitting alongside and across him all looked very troubled. Mace Windu's expression hardened as he scratched his chin, deep in thought.

"Could it be Dooku?" suggested Ki-Adi. "They could have been captured."

Yoda nodded grimly. "A possibility, that is," he croaked. "Send two Jedi to investigate, I will." The Grand Master turned to Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi, take your apprentice you will to Tatooine to investigate the disappearance of Boba Fett and Dooku, you will." Obi-Wan nodded. His head was still filled with anxiety for his old friend and even for Boba himself. What could Dooku possibly want with Plo Koon and his young apprentice? Even though no Master had mentioned it yet, Obi-Wan knew that everyone in this room had sensed something was amiss… a disturbance in the Force.

After the meeting was adjourned, Obi-Wan quickly made his way to the meditation chambers, where Anakin was meditating. Anakin sensed his master's presence and opened his eyes, slightly surprised at Obi-Wan's sudden appearance.

"I sensed your frustration and worry, Master," Anakin commented, "Is anything wrong? I think I sensed it too."

"Oh, there is," Obi-Wan said, looking flustered. "Count Dooku is suspected of capturing Plo and Boba Fett. They have been missing for three days, and we have not yet heard from them." Anakin's eyes narrowed, and then darted downwards to look at his mechanical right arm. It was because of Dooku that Anakin's right arm was now unable to make use of the Force…

"Anakin, are you listening?" Obi-Wan's voice brought the Jedi back down to earth, and Anakin looked up apologetically.

"Sorry, Master," he said, "You were saying?"

Obi-Wan's mouth twitched. "I was saying that we are to go to Tatooine to find out their whereabouts and to look for them," he repeated, his voice a little more stern and brisk. Anakin sighed, and stood up.

"All right, let's go," he said indifferently, although deep down inside, he had no intention of returning to Tatooine—there was nothing there for him, after his mother had passed away, unless his step-family was counted, which Anakin had not regarded as family, even though they had taken care of his mother for so many years. He did not want to have anything to do with Cliegg Lars and his son, despite the slight gratitude that he felt towards them.

"Right," Obi-Wan said, becoming all businesslike. "We'll leave later in the afternoon. You will meet me in the hangar bay, won't you?"

Anakin cracked a smile. "Do you doubt me, Master?" he challenged jokingly.

Obi-Wan shrugged, and replied, "No, I just don't want you to be late again. Three, you hear me?"

"I hear you Master," Anakin said, as Obi-Wan walked out of the meditation chamber. He then walked out and headed home—a place he always visited last before he departed on a mission. Anakin arrived home within a few minutes or so, thanks to his notoriously fast flying skills on his fighter, and found Padme in the living room with Threepio. Anakin waved Threepio away, and the protocol droid obeyed instantly, padding away into the kitchen to fix up Padme's lunch.

"Anakin," Padme said, surprised. "What are you doing back here so early?" Anakin said nothing and embraced her, kissing her lightly on her lips, which soon turned into a passionate kiss that lasted a while, before Anakin reluctantly broke away to tell her of his mission.

"I'm going to Tatooine with Obi-Wan on an investigation," Anakin told her, "Boba Fett and Plo Koon have been missing for days."

Padme gasped. "Who could do such a thing, Ani?" she asked.

Anakin shook his head. "Isn't it obvious? It's definitely Count Dooku," he said, his voice burning with hatred and anger. "I'll find them, and I'll find him… and when I do, he's going to be sorry he betrayed the Jedi."

"Oh, Ani," Padme said, stroking his cheek. "Don't get too out of control… when it comes to Dooku, you have to be patient…"

Anakin chuckled. "You're starting to sound like Obi-Wan," he teased, "Now where did you learn all his speeches?"

Padme smiled. "I'm just worried, Anakin," Padme said, a little sadder now, "You know how it is when you go off for missions and I'm here at home just waiting… not knowing what'll happen to you." Anakin, too, smiled, as he put his finger on her lips, silencing her momentarily.

"Don't worry about me," he whispered, leaning downwards to kiss her again, this time it was a more determined and passionate kiss than the first one. Padme clutched at his hand and pulled him in, as though she was trying to give him all her love, as though it would be the very last time she was going to see him—

Anakin trailed his kisses down to her neck, and then stopped. He moved his lips up to her ear and murmured, "We still have time till three…"

"Ani, it's already half past two," Padme said, giggling slightly. "You'd better just…" But she never got to finish her sentence, because she gasped when Anakin suddenly bit lightly on her neck, and kissed that spot softly. He moved back to her lips and took in her intoxicating scent, the sweetness of her lips still lingering on his.

"I love you, Padme," he muttered.

"And I love you too," she replied, moving closer to his strong body. The two stood in silence together, before Padme looked up at Anakin; into his eyes, and whispered, "You will be careful… won't you?"

Anakin smiled. "I always will," he said. "Don't wait for me like you always do, Padme… it hurts me to see you so tired, late at night."

"I always will," she parroted him, touching his cheek lovingly.

"I'll be back soon," he said, "Promise." Anakin kissed her one last time before making his way back to his fighter and hopped in. Once he was inside, he waved once more to Padme with a brilliant grin, and soon lifted off. Padme was still smiling when his fighter could not be seen, when it had merged with the heavy traffic. A part of her loved the way he promised her things, and the way he always smiled when he was happiest at home. It reminded her of the little boy she met back on Tatooine a few years ago. She still could not believe how fast time had passed, and how in love she was with him.

And she knew that she would always be in love with Anakin Skywalker.