Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU corner to play in.
AN: Here's chapter 6! Sorry for the delay. Thanks for all the great reviews and amazing response to this new story. I'm glad everyone seems to be as excited about it as I am. Enjoy this new installment and let me know what you think!
Force Jumper
Chapter 6: Complications
The next morning, Anakin sat in a quiet room meditating with Master Sifo-Dyas. He was having a little trouble concentrating with all the events that had happened the previous day. After relocating the former slaves they had rescued from the brothel, they had taken the ones that didn't remember where they were from to a women's shelter on Naboo. It was there that he could barely tear his eyes away from Theed palace. He had wanted so badly to return to the palace and find Padme. Despite having no contact with her in the last three years, his feelings for her had only grown by leaps and bounds. But he was afraid of the Xal'Kaar possibly finding out what she meant to him and going after her. Mace was a Jedi, but he had seen first hand how seriously he took his duties as leader of the Xal'Kaar. Even more seriously than his duties as a Jedi.
"Young one, your thoughts are running amuck," Sifo spoke, as he opened his eyes. Anakin sighed.
"I'm sorry Master," Anakin apologized, having no excuse.
"If you love her and it is meant to be, then it will be. Such is the way of the Force," Sifo reminded.
"We are meant to be, I know it in my heart. But…she could be killed just for associating with me," Anakin lamented.
"But if you are meant to be, then you certainly will be. That is why your training is so essential. You must be able to protect her," Sifo told him. Anakin looked at him.
"The Jedi would tell me to let her go," Anakin said.
"Can you do that?" the elder master challenged.
"No, that would be impossible. It would be like living without my heart," Anakin replied. He knew it sounded overdramatic, but that was really how he felt about her.
"Then we must teach you to all we can so you'll be ready to protect and defend her if it comes to that. Since I do not deal in impossibilities, it would be quite unrealistic for me to ask you to let her go, especially with such a flippant attitude," Sifo explained. Anakin sighed and Sifo put his hand on his shoulder.
"You worry far too much for one so young. Trust in the Force and it will never lead you wrong and like I said before, if you are meant to be, then the Force will bring you together," Sifo added. Anakin nodded.
"Now, let's return to our meditation and then see what we can do about filling that hollow stomach of yours," he said. Anakin smiled and he returned to his meditation, much more focused and relaxed now.
Jango returned from his morning errands and was greeted by the sound of Boba's laughter.
"Look at me Daddy!" Boba called. Jango looked up, only to see Anakin carrying him on his back. The young teen let the boy down and he scampered eagerly to his father.
"I hope you don't mind. He wanted someone to play with," Anakin said. Jango lifted his boy up.
"Not at all. He gets lonely since there's not a lot of kids around. I was coming to find you anyway," Jango said.
"You were?" Anakin asked. Jango nodded.
"Your Master has secluded himself in some meditating retreat and I haven't seen your other Master either. Anyway, Sifo-Dyas asked me to work with you, so are you up for a little spar?" Jango asked. Anakin nodded.
"I'm ready," Anakin replied. Jango nodded and placed Boba off to the side.
"It's important to learn how to fight with weapons, but it's even more important to know how to fight without them. I can't count how many times I've been in a scrape and had my weapon either taken or destroyed. So, first, let's see what you got," Jango said, as he faced Anakin. They circled and Jango launched at Anakin first. The boy blocked his oncoming fist, but landed flat on his back, as the bounty hunter swept his feet out from under him. But the young preteen was as agile as anyone trained in the Jedi arts and he quickly leapt to his feet again. It seemed the other Master, Quinlan Vos, had made sure the boy had been doing some hand to hand combat training.
"Not bad, but I know skilled mercenaries that have light saber collections, because they're that good at eliminating anyone that stands in their way," Jango warned.
"Then teach me what you know," Anakin replied, ready for anything. Jango smirked.
"Get ready for the workout of your life," the bounty hunter replied, as he launched at the kid again.
Local police forces on Mandalore surveyed the crime scene down in the slums. They had determined by the existing records in the back room of the establishment that this had been a brothel. Since the slaves were gone, it was only assumed that another illegal slave faction had come in for whatever reason, eliminated the leader, his men, and even customers, and taken possession of the slaves. They had little else to go on, as only shreds of evidence told any kind of story. Whoever had massacred these men, even though they were scum, had taken out the holocams before they entered. This case wouldn't go any further, for all victims were criminals themselves and the local authorities did not have the man power to investigate this further, especially with no evidence and none of what the police considered innocent victims. In fact, this kind of thing was quite common on Mandalore. The crime rings and gangs fought among each other and many of these situations usually ended up in a blood bath. As much as the officers wished they would have found the slaves to free, they were simply gone without a trace and the bodies they had just meant that many less sleamos on the street. Just as the lead detective was about to wrap up the crime scene, two people dressed in black cloaks, a male and a female, approached the establishment.
"I'm sorry, but this a crime scene. I can't let you pass," the detective apologized. The man reached into his cloak and extracted a silver badge, flashing it quickly.
"We're from the Republic bureau of criminal justice, the human trafficking division. We have been sent here at the request of Duchess Satine to investigate the recent spike in slave trading on Mandalore in the last two years," the man, who simply went by Cox, said smoothly.
"I've never heard of you and no one informed me that you were coming," the detective protested. But the woman didn't miss a beat and produced a data card with her information.
"This is an impromptu visit, but you may place a comm call to our supervisor. He'll give you more details and even send you a copy of the order from the Duchess if needed," she stated. She was known only as Meg. The detective took the business data card and stepped aside.
"I'll check with your supervisor, but I'm sure that's all that will be necessary," he replied, as the woman smiled at him. She and her partner entered the establishment and she pulled a device from her cloak. But she wasn't reading anything on the scanner.
"It's been too long. There isn't any jump scar evidence left if he was here," she reported.
"But you know what Master Windu said. He's taken it upon himself to free slaves and there's no trace of these slaves anywhere on the planet," her partner replied.
"Then he's already gone," she concluded.
"Most likely, but we must be thorough. Master Windu said this one is different. He may still be around," Cox reminded.
"Where do we look next?" Meg asked.
"We'll return to our residence, report our findings, and then monitor our equipment from there. If he's still here, then we'll pick up his jump frequency from there," he answered, as they left the inconspicuously.
Jango blocked the young boy's fist with his forearm and held up his hand, ceasing their spar. They had been working out for a couple hours now and Jango had gone over many hand to hand combat techniques. They had accomplished far more than he anticipated in just two hours, for the young teen had picked everything up very quickly, though it helped that he had some experience and training in the Jedi Arts. They were out back in the yard behind his residence now, as they had moved out there so Boba could play nearby in the fresh air.
"Not bad kid, you'll be a force to be reckoned with if you keep this up," Jango complimented.
"Thanks," Anakin replied, as gulped down some water from his canteen and watched Boba run around in the yard. Suddenly, his senses tingled, as he felt a presence that the Force was warning him about. It was at that moment that two people appeared in the doorway, having invaded Jango's residence and come through the house to find them.
"Can I help you?" Jango bit out dangerously, as the bounty hunter focused on the intruders.
"We're looking for someone. Perhaps you can help us," Meg stated.
"I doubt it. It's probably in your best interest to get the hell off my property though," Jango spat back.
"Stay out of our way, bounty hunter and we'll be on our way soon enough…after we take care of our business," Cox retorted sharply, as his eyes rested on Anakin. The young teen's eyes narrowed, as he spotted the weapons that the Xal'Kaar used to subdue Force Jumpers. As the female fired the electrified cable from the spherical barrel of the long, sleek weapon, he jumped, astonishing Jango, especially when he appeared several feet away behind his would be assailants. The man shot this time and Anakin jumped again, this time landing on the roof of the house. Meg fired her weapon again and Anakin stopped the sparking cable in mid air by using the Force. Jango watched in amazement, as the young man pushed the spiraling cable back at the woman. She cried out in immense agony, as her own weapon wrapped around her and sent her flailing to the ground in pain. Cox, instead of helping his partner, only snarled at the child that Master Windu had warned would not be an easy capture. He admitted that he didn't believe him that subduing a thirteen-year-old boy would be anything but child's play. But now he could see why Windu had ordered him to bring more than just two. He had not listened and if he made it out of his alive, the order would severally punish him for this failure. But a ray of sudden hope filled him, as he spotted the young child watching in the distance. Perhaps he would get the Force jumper to surrender after all.
"I suggest you help your partner and then leave while you still can," Anakin ordered, sounding much older than thirteen at the moment. The man only snarled and took off running toward Boba, before Jango could stop him.
"BOBA!" Jango cried. It was true that there wasn't much the bounty hunter was scared of, but those that knew him well knew that he loved his son and seeing harm come to him was about the only thing that frightened the mighty Jango Fett. Anakin jumped and cut the man off, putting himself between him and the little boy.
"You truly have no honor if you're willing to go after a small child to get to me," Anakin growled.
"There is no honor in what you do either. No one should have the power to be anywhere at all times! And now you'll die as you should," he growled, as he fired his weapon. Anakin grabbed Boba and jumped away, reappearing before Jango and thrusting his son into his arms. But it would cost him, as the male assailant fired his weapon and the cable wrapped around his leg. He stumbled and fell to the ground, crying out in pain, as electricity coursed through his body. He tried to jump, but as Quinlan had always warned him, he was unable to focus on any place to jump to.
"I suggest that you take your brat and leave here now if you want to live, bounty hunter. Consider yourself lucky, because I don't usually leave witnesses," Cox said arrogantly. But Jango Fett ran from no one.
"Run inside Boba," he told the boy, as he put him down. The little boy toddled inside, knowing not to disobey his father when he used that tone.
"I don't think you know who you're dealing with, pal," Jango growled, as he fired his flamethrower…
Sifo-Dyas had found a cozy meditation spot in the ship they came in and docked at the ship port. His earlier meditations had given him the indication that something was on the horizon and had driven him to choose an alternate spot to meditate this afternoon. And now that he felt the dark presence approaching him, he knew why. He took a moment to examine the changes he felt in the life signature of his former friend. Count Dooku had finally tracked him down. He hadn't been expecting it, but he wasn't surprised either. He opened his eyes and calmly walked down the ramp, coming face to face with his one time friend.
"You're a difficult person to find, old friend," Sar Dooku's cultured voice spoke.
"Mandalore is the last place I would expect to see you, Sar. You've been busy recently," Sifo-Dyas retorted. Dooku smirked.
"As have you. What would the Council think about your business on Kamino?" the Count chided.
"My intentions are not sinister as you have proven yours to be. The clones could mean the difference between the survival and destruction of the Republic," Sifo replied. Dooku held back his retort.
"Oh if you only knew what you've done, you fool," he quipped silently.
"But it is clear that you're determined to make sure that I never see the outcome. You've come to kill me," Sifo stated in a matter of fact tone.
"Your instincts still serve you well, but if I know you as well as I think I do, you're not going to go quietly," Dooku replied, as he ignited his light saber. This would be the first time he had publicly shown a Jedi his change in color. The fools on the Council had never even considered that he would join the dark side when he chose to leave the Order. They called him a political idealist and even if Sifo were to live through this battle, he knew the arrogant fools would be reluctant to believe him about his change of allegiance. For beings who claimed to follow the will of the Force, they often could not see something until it was right before their eyes. Fools…every single one of them, but they mattered not. The only ones he looked forward to personally putting an end to someday were his old Master and of course, he hoped to deliver great suffering to Mace Windu.
"Well, I wish I could say I am surprised by your new choice in color, but the Force has been showing me the bleak path you have chosen for some time now. What has happened to you to make you join the Sith, my old friend? Surely you know that the ways of the Sith will blacken your soul for eternity," Sifo warned.
"I think you should worry about your own soul right now," Dooku retorted, as he launched at his former friend. At the last second, Sifo-Dyas ignited his emerald blade and parried the humming crimson saber right before him.
"You are clearly outmatched," Dooku warned.
"We shall see," Sifo retorted, as their blades clashed in a fury of motion.
Quinlan had gone to the place he and Anakin had freed the slaves yesterday to check on the progress. Surprisingly, the authorities had already cleaned up the scene and seemingly swept the incident under the rug. He guessed that they really had no way of tracking the missing slaves and considered the deaths of the criminals as saving them the trouble. As he made his way back to Jango's residence, he suddenly felt a great disturbance in the Force, surrounding both Anakin and Master Sifo-Dyas. He stopped in his tracks and probed the Force, trying to make sense of what he was feeling and it soon became clear that Anakin was in danger. That meant it could only be the Xal'Kaar, but there was also a powerful, evil Force presence around Master Sifo too.
"Go to Anakin. I will hold out as long as I can, but it is much more important that you rescue Anakin first," Sifo-Dyas spoke to him through the Force.
"Master…" Quinlan sighed. He knew he had to go to Anakin first, but he was worried that he would lose Sifo-Dyas in the process.
"I will be fine. Anakin is the future. The galaxy will depend on him someday. Go to him now," Sifo-Dyas urged. Quinlan concentrated on the place where they were staying and disappeared.
Cox leapt out of the way, feeling the fire singe his clothes.
"Well, never thought I'd meet a loyal bounty hunter," Cox goaded.
"You went after my son and therefore sealed your fate," Jango spat, as he raised his blaster. Cox dodged Jango's blaster fire and managed to finally cut his partner free.
"Kill the boy," he ordered, as he charged at Jango, firing his own blaster. Meg pulled herself to her feet and unsheathed her vibro blade. She approached Anakin's shaking form, as he writhed on the ground in pain.
"Make peace with whatever deity you worship, kid, because you're about to meet him," Meg spat, as she leaned down over him and raised her blade. She drew her arm back, preparing to thrust it into his heart. Anakin's eyes were wide with fear, as his heart pounded in his ears. But a sudden snap hiss halted her and shock marred her face, as an emerald blade protruded from her chest.
"Cowards…all of you. There is no justification for killing a child," Quinlan spat like acid.
"Especially one that you've had to incapacitate first. Enjoy eternal damnation and know that the Master you follow will join you someday," Quinlan spat, as he pulled his blade out and she crumpled to the ground, dead. Quinlan cut the cable and helped Anakin up. The scared young teen threw his arms around the man that had become like a father to him and Quinlan smiled, as he embraced the boy's affection.
"Master Sifo is in trouble too," Anakin said, as he looked up at him. Quinlan nodded.
"And we'll go to him soon, but let's take care of the other one first," Quinlan answered, as they jumped and appeared on either side of Cox. The man snarled and raised his blaster, but Quinlan used the Force to pull it from his hand. Anakin grabbed his arm and Quinlan's hand, before they jumped again, leaving Jango Fett behind, dumbfounded by everything he had just witnessed.
Cox cried out in fear, as he was suddenly being dangled off a mountain. From what he gathered of his surroundings, they were on one of the tallest mountains on Mandalore in an enclave of sorts.
"I should drop you, but then we'd be no better than you," Quinlan hissed. Anakin had been careful not to jump them to another planet. Since this one would live, he didn't want him to know that he could jump from planet to planet, though he knew Mace Windu already suspected that he could. Quinlan shoved him to the ground, dangerously close to the ledge and tied his hands behind his back, before shoving him back into the enclave.
"We can't have you following us through our jump scars, but I'm sure you'll get yourself untied and then one of Windu's other lap dogs will come to retrieve you. I'm sure he'll be none too happy with your thorough failure. In the meantime, maybe you should give some thought as to why you hunt our kind, especially the children when they've done nothing wrong," Quinlan told him. Cox's lip curled in disgust.
"Your kind is the scourge of the galaxy and we will eliminate you, all of you someday. Leave me here if you must, but we'll meet again and next time, I'll be able to deliver your dead bodies to my Master," Cox spat.
"You'll have one hell of a fight on your hands then. Come on Ani, we have somewhere else we need to be," Quinlan responded, as they jumped, their destination being Sifo-Dyas' current location.
Sifo-Dyas met Dooku's blade blow for blow, but the Count was relentless and delved deeply into the Dark Side. Sifo-Dyas was slowing against his former friend's ruthless attacks.
"I hope you've made peace, old friend," Dooku said.
"I'm not beaten yet, Sar. Far from it in fact. But tell me, what exactly would my death gain you?" Sifo asked in a clearly winded voice.
"You are no long of any use to me or my Master," Sar said cryptically.
"What are you talking about?" Sifo demanded. Dooku smirked. He would enjoy watching the shock on his former friend's face when he learned that he had helped to set the ultimate destruction of the Republic in motion. But as he was about to speak, two males appeared out of no where, catching him completely off guard. He growled, as Sifo took advantage of his loss of focus and used the Force to shove him back. Dooku recognized the older man as Quinlan Vos, but wasn't familiar with the young boy. He naturally assumed that when the boy ignited his light saber alongside Vos that he was his padawan. But he and his Master knew all the padawans and this child was not being trained within the sanction of the Council. That was evident by the absence of a padawan braid and the fact that Vos refused to operate within the rules of the Council. Add to that, he knew a jump scar when he saw one and that astonished him even more. Vos and this boy were Force jumpers, just like him. This was an interesting development indeed. His Master would not be happy that Sifo-Dyas was not eliminated today, but he would be doubly intrigued by this new information.
"That is a very useful technique," Dooku said, as he extinguished his blade.
"Master…what the hell is going on?" Quinlan asked, scarcely believing that he was seeing a Sith colored light saber in the hands of the one time Jedi Master Sar Dooku. Leaving the Order was one thing, but defecting to the Dark Side was something not even he expected from the aging Master.
"I'm just as surprised as you are. He has come to kill me. For what reason, I have yet to decipher," Sifo-Dyas explained.
"Kill you? Why do you want to kill Master Sifo?" Anakin demanded, as he started to advance on the Sith, but Quinlan wisely held him back.
"Those reasons must remain a secret for now, but we will meet again, old friend and next time it will be without interference from your younger friends," Dooku replied.
"As for your unique ability, it seems that I am no longer the only Force user that also has this ability," Dooku said, as he shocked them all by disappearing.
"Well, that's going to be trouble," Quinlan said when he found the ability to speak again.
"Master, who was that?" Anakin asked.
"That was Count Dooku. He used to be a Jedi, but left the Order several years ago and it seems that he has fallen to the Dark Side," Sifo-Dyas explained.
"And he's a Force Jumper too," Quinlan added.
"Which means he is as dangerous as the Xal'Kaar to you, if not more so," Sifo-Dyas responded. Quinlan knew the elder Master was deeply worried about Dooku's discovery of Anakin.
"We need to get back to Fett's place. Unfortunately, he knows about our ability too," Quinlan said.
"Oh this just keeps getting better," Sifo mused, as he held onto Quinlan's shoulder and they disappeared.
As his guests returned, Jango was surprised to see that Sifo-Dyas was still alive. He was sure that when Dooku said he was coming to kill the Jedi, he would be implicated as an accomplice. Not that he cared, for his true loyalties were always to himself and what was best for him and his son. That meant he would do whatever job paid the best money. But since now it seemed that he had not been implicated in the plot, he could still use this situation to his advantage and stay in contact with them. Since learning of Anakin's amazing abilities, he knew it could be very beneficial to keep the boy and thus his mentors as allies for now.
"Well, that was quite a spectacle," Jango said, as he approached.
"I know that you saw everything, but I need to plead with you not to go telling just anyone about what we can do," Quinlan stated firmly.
"Relax, I owe the kid a favor, so I'll keep your secret," Jango replied. Quinlan blanched.
"Don't take offense at this, but you're a bounty hunter. Tell me why I should trust you?" Quinlan asked. Jango chuckled.
"I may be a bounty hunter, but I'd like to think that I have at least some honor. He saved Boba's life nearly at the cost of his own," Jango said, as he put out his hand. Anakin smiled and shook it. Quinlan didn't seem so sure when Jango extended his hand.
"Come on Master, he's on our side," Anakin prodded.
"He's still a bounty hunter, young one," Quinlan reminded, before reluctantly shaking his hand.
"This is a shaky alliance at best. I'll still be watching you," Quinlan warned. Jango smirked.
"Looking forward to it," Jango replied.
"We should probably be on our way back. You should go get your things, Ani," Sifo-Dyas said. Anakin nodded.
"Will I be coming back to train with Jango?" Anakin asked. Sifo-Dyas looked at the bounty hunter.
"Sure kid, pop in any time. Boba will like the company too," Jango replied.
"We'll discuss when you can come more on the way home," Quinlan added. Anakin nodded, as he went to pack and say goodbye to Boba.
"I took care of that woman's body by the way, but can I ask what you did with the guy?" Jango asked.
"He's thinking about what he's done on a mountain top. His leader will send out more lap dogs to find him soon," Quinlan replied.
"You let him live after getting such a good look at you and Ani?" Jango questioned.
"The woman forced my hand and I killed her to save Ani. But after he was disarmed, I couldn't kill him. I'm teaching Anakin that he will be no better than our adversaries if he sinks to their level. He needs to learn hand to hand combat from you, but I'd prefer it if you not share your ideals," Quinlan replied defensively. Jango put his hands up.
"If that's what you want," Jango replied, as Anakin returned, with Boba trotting behind him.
"Guess I'll see you soon then," Jango told the young teen. Anakin nodded.
"You go?" Boba asked. Anakin smiled and knelt down to his eye level.
"Yeah, I have to go back home, but I'll come back soon," Anakin told him.
"Promise?" Boba asked. Anakin nodded.
"Promise," Anakin replied, as Boba threw his arms around him. Anakin hugged him back, before joining his Masters and heading toward the door. This definitely would not be his final encounter with the Fetts…
That's all for this chapter. In the next chapter, we progress into a new arc of the story and three more years have passed by. Anakin is now sixteen and his powers are not only developing at an amazing rate, but he is finding his identity and making a difference in a very dark, confusing galaxy…