Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 12

"Anakin, did you locate Jabba's son?" Obi-Wan asked as the call connected.

"We have him, but it looks like the Separatists are behind his abduction," his old Padawan answered. "This smells like Count Dooku to me."

"I think it's little Stinky you smell," Ahsoka pipped up.

"I'll bet Dooku is using us to get Jabba to join the Separatists."

"Master Kenobi, we have another problem. This Huttlet is very sick," Ahsoka shifted to show the huttlet and even in holo form, his colour was very off.

"I'm not sure we can get him back to Tatooine alive, Master," Anakin agreed with her.

"This whole rescue may backfire on us," he murmured, not liking the position they were being pushed into at all.

"I still don't think dealing with the Hutts is a good idea," Anakin grumbled.

"Anakin, you know they control shipping routes in the Outer Rim. Jabba's cooperation is crucial to the war effort. If you let anything happen to his son... ...our chances of a treaty with him will disappear," Obi-Wan warned.

"Master? We've got trouble!"

"Defensive positions!"

"Anakin?" he called in alarm.

"I'll have to call you back, Master. We're under attack. We could use a little help here if you have the time."

"I'll get there as soon as I can. Protect the Hutt, Anakin." He ended the call and the made another, smiling as the small holo of his new Padawan appeared.

"Hello Master," the boy bowed.

"Hello Padawan. I just talked with Anakin; they have the Hutt but are under attack."

"More ships are being launched, should I join the troops or remain onboard?"

Obi-Wan considered it for a few moments. "Remain onboard," he told him. "Call me if anything changes and listen to the Admiral and men. Stay safe Padawan."

"You too Master," the teen offered a small, shy smile and the connection ended.

He wished he could check on him through a Force bond but they had yet to form one, there just hadn't been any time yet. Had Anakin made one with Ahsoka during the journey to the Teth system?

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He knelt before his Master; head bowed. Cold…he was so cold and nothing would make it go away. He felt so strange, what had Master done to him? A gloved hand rested in his hair and he shivered, scared but also…eager to please him. He had to obey his Master, he wanted to…didn't he? Yes, of course he did.

"Very good apprentice," the cool voice told him.

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Yan stared down at the boy who remained on his knees, head bowed submissively. Finally, all defiance was gone from the child and all that was left was an obedient student, filled with the Dark Side. True, he had not truly turned of his own choice, but it was enough and as the years passed it would not matter as the Dark would take an ever deeper hold over him. But now he had a truly loyal apprentice, far more than Ventress would ever be.

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He ducked behind a wall, blaster in hand. Haar'chak! How had he ended up in the middle of a battle between the Republic and Separatists? Right, following a lead. He had heard the distinctive sound of jetii'kad earlier which meant either jetiise or darjetii. He took aim at some droids, opening fire and saving a few clones they'd managed to corner. A clone glanced his way and he saluted with his blaster, hoping he'd accept the gesture of burcyan.

Finally, the droids were in retreat and he holstered his weapons before moving away from his cover. An approaching figure caught his attention, a Kel Dor in Jedi robes.

"Thank you for your assistance, beroya."

And the jetii knew at least some Mando'a, that was very interesting. "Kih'parjai."

The jetii nodded, understanding his words. "I am Plo Koon," he introduced himself.

"Silas," he offered in return. "Tell me something jetii?"

"If I can," he agreed, studying Silas.

"Would any jetii take an ad from their buir and then erase the buir's memory of said ad?"

He saw the horror in the Kel Dor's body language, the way the clones stiffened. "Never," Koon denied.

"Then it is something a darjetii would do."

"Indeed," Koon told him. "Your ad?" he asked gently, and Silas nodded.

He hesitated but then brought up an image. "This is my ad, Riku. He was taken eight years ago. If not for others knowing of him and that some of his belongings remained hidden on my ship, I would never have known I have an ad," he admitted.

"Force sensitive?"

Silas nodded. "I was working on ways to help train him without handing him over to the jetii and there are other Mirialans among us who could help him to an extent."

"The Sith theoretically operate under a rule of two, where there is a Master and Apprentice, but it has been broken. Count Dooku is Ventress' Master but he also serves a Master. Eight years ago, would rule Ventress out which means, if it is one of the known group of Sith, then it is either Dooku or his Master. However, there have always been Dark Side sects in the galaxy who do not call themselves Sith and it is possible they could do such a thing."

Silas grimaced, that widened his search then.

"Eight years in the hands of such people is a long time," Koon's voice was as gentle as possible given the breathing mask. "The child you knew likely no longer exists even if he has not been physically killed. Dark Side users have ways of manipulating the mind, and from that holo, he was young."

Silas nodded. "But he is my ad, I have to try."

"I shall inform those I can of your child," Koon told him, surprising him.

"Vor entye," what else could he say? He knew the odds were still against him ever finding Riku but jetii help would increase his chances.

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Sora watched the holo of the ongoing battle, it did not look good. Their forces were now trapped within the old monastery, along with the Hutt they had come to rescue. He absently rubbed at his chest, feeling a cold ache.

"Alright sir?" one of the men at a nearby station asked, having seen the motion.

Sora blinked, looking over at him, but then nodded. "I can sense something…not here," he admitted. "I will meditate on it later and speak with Master Kenobi," he promised, and the soldier nodded. "Are there any Separatist ships nearby?"

"No Commander."

Right, he was a Padawan-Commander now, that was going to take a lot of getting used to. But if there was no ship, then what was the plan? They had held the monastery; they could have killed the Huttlet at any time but instead had been holding him. That suggested using him as leverage which meant they needed a way to get him off planet…

"Can you scan for any ships near the monastery?"

"Yes, sir."

Admiral Yularen stepped up beside him. "A theory Commander?"

"They didn't kill the Hutt while holding him which means they were likely planning to return him…maybe say they found him for the same reason we were sent, to get access to the Hutt routes. So, they need a way to get him off planet and fast. There has to be a ship close by. Maybe our forces on the planet can use it to escape."

"We've found it, sir."

"Contact General Skywalker," the Admiral ordered, "give him the location of the ship."

"Yes, sir."

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"That ship's no use if we can't find a way out of here," she pointed out, holding onto the sick Huttlet in the pack.

"I know," her new Master murmured, pacing.

She'd been excited to find out she was going to be his Padawan but…he didn't seem to want her which was a surprise. He hadn't asked for a Padawan? Then why had she been sent? Master Kenobi seemed fine with Padawan Sora showing up, they seemed to have met before. Well, she'd been assigned and she was going to do the best she could! So, she went to Artoo and asked about plans for the monastery. There had to be another way out, even ancient monks had to know it was crazy to not have a backdoor, right?

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Plo sent the information on the missing Mandalorian child to carefully chosen Jedi, mostly Shadows. He truly believed it to be unlikely they would find the child alive or…mentally intact. So long in the hands or either Sith or some Dark Side cult, if he was alive then he would be one of them. They may have wiped the child's mind as well since they did so to his buir. He knew there were Jedi who would kill the child if he had been turned in such a way but such manipulation could be undone. It took a lot of time and patience but a forceful turning would not take as deeply as someone choosing to Fall. And a child who fell was always far more likely to be able to brought back to the Light no matter how it happened.

With the war, many would not want to take the time to help such a child. Plo did not agree with that or like that way of thinking. They were Jedi, helping someone heal from something like that was part of their mandate. The war was changing them and not in ways he liked at all.

Obi-Wan's old crechemates was one he reached out to; Quinlan Vos was one of their best Shadows. If this Riku still lived, he would do his best to find and help him.

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"Anakin, come in."

"Anakin?" Ahsoka looked at him, just as confused as he was.

"We've held the droids, sir."

"That's not like Rex," Anakin murmured.

"What is your location?"

"Ventress," he growled. She had Rex and his men.

"Dooku's assassin?" Ahsoka's eyes were wide and Anakin reached out to grip her shoulder, offering comfort.

"She's here to kill the Hutt. Come on." He led her towards the exit that Artoo had found.

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Sora held tight to the strap set into the ceiling of the ship, eyes locked on the approaching monastery. "Master Skywalker and Padawan Tano are around the other side. A Dark presence is closing in. The troops are scattered closer to this side of the building and in the courtyard!" he called out to the men around him. "We get in and get the survivors out, we're not here to take the building."

"Yes sir!"

He could do this, he could. These men were counting on him with their General, Padawan-Commander, and Captain in the building. Knowing his Master was in one of the covering fighters made things a bit better but he would still be in command on the ground till the fighters could land.

They hit drop level and Sora leapt from the ship, the troopers following him. His lightsabres snapped to life and he began moving, deflecting the incoming fire even as they pushed towards the survivors.

"Captain Rex!" he called in relief at seeing the man.

"Commander, thanks for the help," the man called in answer, firing a stolen blaster at the droids. "The General went deeper in."

"They're out the other side," Sora told him as he slid into cover beside him. Were his hands shaking? A gloved hand gripped his briefly.

"It's normal Padawan, just keep breathing and focus," Captain Rex murmured gently.

Sora flushed but nodded and took a deep breath, working to release his emotions to the Force.

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"I'm hit! I can't shake them!"

"Just relax, Odd Ball. I'm right behind you," Obi-Wan answered calmly, carefully taking aim, the droid exploding as his weapons hit.

"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry I panicked."

"That's all right, Odd Ball, it happens to everybody," he assured him, glancing down at the battle with a frown, he could sense his new Padawan in the thick of it, could even see the slight glow of his sabers, but no others. "The battle seems focused on the east side of the palace."

"I see it, sir."

"Half of you stay here to cover them, the rest with me to find Anakin and the ship."

"Yes sir."

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"We're taking this junker?" Ahsoka stared at the ship, this was what the Separatists were planning to use? "We'd be better off on that big bug."

"Get aboard and prime the engines," Master Skywalker ordered. "Assuming it has engines," he muttered, and she had to agree with that.

"Hey! You're that caretaker droid," she called as the droid walked down the ramp. "I wondered what happened to you." Smart of him to retreat.

"Oh, young one. I mean, soon to be Jedi Knight. I had to get away from that terrible..."

"Okay, everything's loaded. Let's get out of here."

She blinked at the battle droid and then turned to the caretaker. "Why, you tin-plated traitor!"

"Blast her!" a droid called and Ahsoka leapt, lightsabre in hand.

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"Alright Padawan Sora?" Cody asked, Rex had told him to check on the kid once they were safely aboard the ship.

The teen looked up at him with big blue eyes. Adorable. And they'd have to go over protection protocols cause the kid was definite kidnapping bait with his looks. He hadn't seen his file yet…but he'd bet on him not being baseline human, likely near-human. And he did look a bit shaky. He'd expect such a reaction after the first fire fight which had been Christophsis. Unless the upcoming expected battle had kept him focused?

"Come on, let's get you settled," he gently guided the boy to where the General's room were, where General Skywalker used to have a room too till he got his own command ship. He checked his comm for Sora's room assignment and led him in, finding the kid's belongings had already been delivered.

And that was when the kid really started shaking, breathing speeding up. Cody stripped out of his upper armour and sat down before drawing the kid into his arms, holding him firmly but not too tight, gently rubbing his back and humming. It was something he'd learnt to help shinnies post battle. It wasn't surprising when shaking hands grabbed onto his blacks.

Eventually the shaking stopped and then slowly the kid went limp, fast asleep. Cody waited a while longer before standing and carefully settling the boy down on his bunk, working his boots and then outer robe off, then his utility belt before covering him with the blanket.

He nearly ran into the General as he left the room.

"Commander?"

"He's alright sir, asleep now."

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Obi-Wan nodded and motioned Cody into his own quarters, he had sensed disquiet from Sora but had been unable to break away till now. "What happened?"

"Rex warned me the kid might need a supporting ear. Seemed like the typical shinny reaction to the first battle."

"Except for Sora, it is likely remembered trauma," he sighed. This was why he should not have been sent to the front.

"Sir?"

"Sora was Master Yaddle's Padawan, she died ensuring he would survive the journey back to the Temple. They were attacked by battle droids while overseeing what was meant to be talks on Ansion to keep them with the Republic. Sora was wounded while defending the diplomats, as was Master Yaddle. She placed him into a deep trance to allow him to survive the journey but in doing so," he sighed sadly.

"She died," Cody finished, and Obi-Wan nodded.

"The last I knew; Sora was still in a coma. Obviously, he woke sometime after Geonosis and was cleared by the healers but I doubt they meant for him to be sent straight into battle again. If the Council had realised our position, they likely would have held him back till our next leave or assigned him to another Master."

"You've only called him Padawan Sora, sir. What are we meant to call him?"

"His only name is Sora; he was told he could choose another name but he never has. While it isn't common for human or near-human Padawan's, it does happen."

"He's near-human then?"

"Hapan," Obi-Wan answered, seeing Cody's surprise. "He was the sole survivor of a starship crash, thankfully the ship crashed on a farm and the owners found him before the wildlife could. They took him in and contacted the Agri-corp base nearby to have him evacuated immediately. Little investigation was made but it appears the family was fleeing, likely because Sora had shown obvious Force abilities. According to his file, no attempt to contact the Consortium was made given their attitudes to male children and Force users. And Sora has never asked to make contact or try and track any surviving family. He was a toddler; he may remember something." He had looked at Sora's file while on medical leave after Geonosis, curious about the boy.

He understood why the farmers had done what they did, knew Sora was very lucky to have been found by such an honourable couple. He would have been worth a lot if sold to slavers after all.

In a few hours they would reach Tatooine, he only hoped that Anakin and Ahsoka had managed to return Jabba's child without further problems.

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"Anakin has reached Tatooine with the Huttlet, Master but he's still in grave danger. Separatist troops are desperate to intercept him. I think this whole plot was engineered by Dooku to convince Jabba we kidnapped his son," Obi-Wan explained.

"If believe this, the Hutts do, ended will our chance of a treaty with them be. Join Dooku and the Separatists, Jabba will, yes."

"That would be a disaster. We must have this alliance with the Hutts if we are to win the war in the Outer Rim," the Chancellor was frowning.

"In Skywalker is the Republic's only hope. Return Jabba's son, he must," Yoda murmured.

"Anakin's experience with the Hutts should help. He'll come through," Obi-Wan stated, bowing to them before his image vanished.

Chancellor Palpatine sighed. "Please, excuse me, Master Yoda. I must return to the grand adventure of politics," he offered as the door chimed before opening.

Yoda nodded and moved to leave, smiling at the young woman in the doorway. "Greetings, Senator Amidala."

"It is good to see you again Master Yoda," she returned, smiling at him before heading for the Chancellor.

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"Greetings, Ziro. I am Senator Amidala of the Galactic Congress," she introduced herself to the Hutt before her.

"A senator? In this neighbourhood? Hmm."

"I know that you are the uncle of Jabba the Hutt of Tatooine. I come to ask a favor of you," she stood tall.

"A favour? Hmm?"

"There has been a grave misunderstanding between Jabba and the Order of the Jedi," she began to explain. The club had her feeling on edge, it was not a safe place, but she hadn't come unarmed and if she didn't call within a certain time, Threepio would call for help.

"How may I serve you, Senator?"

"I was hoping you and I could resolve this dispute and broker a treaty between the Republic

and the great clan of the Hutts," she explained.

"A treaty? A treaty? A treaty is impossible. My nephew Jabba's son has been kidnapped by your Republic Jedi scum," the Hutt yelled at her but something about it felt…fake.

"But, sir, there's been a misunderstanding," she tried again.

"There is no misunderstanding," Ziro sneered, well as much as a Hutt could. She was honestly surprised his basic was so good. Then again, she hadn't really dealt with the Hutts before.

"It is the Jedi who have rescued his son. If you can put me in touch with Jabba, I am confident I can convince him of the truth."

"No! No more discussions. Escort her out!"

"Please, Ziro! Your nephew Jabba is in danger. You're being deceived."

"I said throw her out," Ziro yelled and Padme dodged the guards grasping hands.

"Don't touch me," she warned, walking from the room. Something about this just wasn't right. Could Ziro be involved?

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Sora had been left on the ship, Master Obi-Wan heading to the planet with only a handful of troopers. They would be in time to save Master Skywalker and Ahsoka, they would. He was so embarrassed by what had happened with Commander Cody and was glad he was on the planet with Master Kenobi. He was a senior Padawan, not a Youngling! He didn't understand why he'd reacted like that.

And then the ship returned with all three jedi and he relaxed. When Master Obi-Wan motioned to him, he followed him to his quarters.

They knelt on cushions and Master Kenobi smiled gently at him. "It is time to create our bond, Padawan."

"Yes Master." He lowered his shields for his new Master. He felt the gentle presence reach out to him and slowly reached back, feeling the bond forming between them, rooted deeply into his mind. It felt…good.

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He touched his chest, for a brief moment, he felt a surge of…warmth? That was strange. Master was gone but the droids were there like always, watching him for Master. He finished his meal and returned to his room to sleep. He was allowed to sleep tonight which was nice. He had to be able to function even if unable to sleep so that training was all for his own good.

He wanted to be the best Apprentice possible for his Master after all.

TBC…

Using an online Mando'a dictionary:

Burcyan – comradeship

Haar'chak – Damn it!

Kih'parjai - No problem. Don't mention it. (lit. small victory)

Vor entye - Thank you (lit. I accept a debt)