Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Star War: The Clone Wars.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait... A year-long wait... Sorry about that, been looking at some Spider-Man stuff for my Ultimate Spider-Man story I guess some of his humor stuck on me. In all seriousness, I needed a break due to writing all the Ch's for the mass update together as usually I take a day break before starting the next Ch and this time I didn't have that time.
Beta: Chaos-PSD. Contributor: Kuronodono12.
Chapter XVI: Dooku Captured.
The Winding Path To Peace Is Always A Worthy One, Regardless Of How Many Turns It Takes.
Manhunt! After a long and perilous search, the Jedi finally track down the Separatist leader, Count Dooku. During a heroic attempt to capture the Count, Anakin Skywalker has gone missing. Having lost contact with Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Naruto Uzumaki heads toward their friend's last known location, a lone Separatist frigate in the far reaches of the Outer Rim...
Vancor System.
In space, both Naruto, and Obi-Wan are in space suits using thrusters to fly to a ship that's in front of them. They then went to a hatch on top and jumped down before taking off their suits as BD ran out of Naruto's and shook. "Come on buddy," Naruto said, kneeling and having BD run up his arm onto his back.
They then ran down a hall and to a control port where a B1 battle droid was at a control panel closing a door before they both dashed in and slid on the floor as the door closed behind them. Standing up, they saw doors before Obi-Wan opened one and saw two Weequay men sitting at a table before quickly closing the door.
"Not the man we're looking for," Obi-Wan commented as they walked down several doors and found the room was empty. Walking in, the two Knights quickly turned and turned their sabers on as Anakin had jumped down from the ceiling.
"Oh, it's you!" He said as the Jedi turned their weapons off and Obi-Wan crossed his arms.
"This is how you thank us for rescuing you? Pouncing on us from the ceiling? (Sigh) What am I going to do with you?"
Anakin shrugged at that. "Kind of difficult without a…" He trailed off as Obi-Wan hands him his lightsaber and Anakin snatches it from him. "...lightsaber."
"Did you find Dooku?" Naruto asked as they walked out.
"He's onboard… Might have done something if I had my lightsaber."
"It was important for you to arrive without it so capturing you would have been easy."
"How come I'm the one who's caught all the time?!"
"When you're a Jedi Master, you can make the plans," Obi-Wan said as they continued to walk.
"How can I become a Master when I'm always getting caught?"
Naruto shrugged as he glanced back. "You're a Master… At getting caught."
"Very funny."
They then walked to the end of the hall to a room where, once getting inside, they saw Dooku meditating.
"I thought you two were here." He said, keeping his eyes closed. "I felt an unease in the Force."
Suddenly the ship shook as a Star Destroyer started attacking before Dooku opened his eyes, and had a door open under him revealing a hatch to a slide. Anakin jumped over as the other two turned.
"What are you doing?"
"Following him."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not that way, We need to cut him off."
Anakin then jumped down into the chute after Dooku. "You cut him off, I'll follow him and meet you at the hangar."
"Why do I even try?" Obi-Wan asked with a sigh as the two dashed down the hall.
In the chute, Dooku fired force lightning at Anakin, which the Jedi Knight defected with his lightsaber, but it made him lose sight of the count at a junction where he landed on the divider. Down below, Dooku made it to the hangar where an OOM command battle droid reported that his Punworcca 116-class solar sailer was ready for his escape.
Naruto and Obi-Wan ran in the hangar, only to see Dooku escape with his FA-4 pilot droid on his solar sailer, alongside an escort of several vulture droids. They then fought their way to a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle, which Anakin also boarded. "I thought you were following Dooku," Naruto said as BD ran to stand on the console to look out the windshield.
"I was, I followed him here."
They then flew out after the Sith as Obi-Wan contacted Ahsoka and Rex for backup. They then hit Dooku's ship, having it fly to the planet they're over.
"Lucky for you, I'm an excellent shot!" Obi-Wan said as they followed before being shot themselves.
Anakin tried to control the ship as it started spiraling straight down about to crash. "Lucky for you, I'm an excellent pilot!"
"Who somehow manages to crash like 90% of the time!" Naruto yelled as BD got on his back "Hold on!"
They went through the atmosphere and crashed on the gravel-like planet beside Dooku's ship. "I've had better landings," Obi-Wan said as they got out of the crash.
"At least we lived," Naruto said as he walked to Dooku's ship and saw his pilot was dead. "A homing beacon," Naruto said, seeing a small device and cutting it with his saber before they saw a cave.
They then walked to it and used their sabers as light sources before the cave shook and rocks fell,
"Run!" Obi-Wan yelled before the rocks hit the ground as Dooku with his hood up walked in, took Anakin's saber that was on the ground, walked to the entrance, and pulled the rocks down to close the Jedi in.
He walked out to see Weequay men and women by a large ship that landed before walking up to one who was drinking.
He's wearing a helmet, goggles, and a red and blue jacket. He has a white shirt, tan pants, and boots.
This is Hondo Ohnaka.
On his shoulder is a red monkey-lizard alien.
Dooku then walked up to the group who was looking over the ships and fighting each other as Hondo looked at him. "Well, what do we have here?"
"Who are you?" Dooku asked as the animal jumped off Hondo and ran around.
"More importantly, my friend. Who are you?" Hondo asked before looking at Dooku's ship. "Your solar sailer, it's very beautiful… Pretty rare ship. Very expensive, what are you doing all the way out here?"
"I sustained some damage in an asteroid storm and had to make a landing. Feel free to help yourself." Dooku replied as Hondo was walking around him before stopping in front of the Sith.
"If you need transport, the nearest planet is six parsecs away."
"Is it civilized?" Dooku asked Hondo.
"That depends on your definition of civilized… But you'll be more comfortable there, then here. I promise you that."
"Perhaps I shall take you up on your offer," Dooku said as they walked to Hondo's ship.
Inside the cave, Naruto pushed the rocks away as Anakin looked to see his saber was missing from his belt.
"When I tell you to run, run."
Anakin turned to Obi-Wan who was dusting himself off. "Master! You're alive."
Obi-Wan looked to see Anakin's weapon was missing. "And where's your lightsaber?"
"It got knocked out of my hand."
"By a rock?"
Anakin turns to look through the rubble and begins searching for his lightsaber. "Yeah, by a rock. It's got to be here somewhere."
"That is a feeble excuse."
"You know what would be helpful? A little light."
Obi-Wan chuckled at that. "Certainly." He then turns on his lightsaber but it sputters and goes out. "Silly thing. It was just working a minute ago."
Naruto sighed before lifting his saber to turn it on as BD looked over and had his light on as well.
"You don't suppose it was hit by a rock, do you?"
They then heard growling before looking up to see two animals clinging to the stalactites.
They both have light-colored fur, large, bat-themed ears the width of their heads, and four arms.
"Gundarks!?"
They dropped down as Naruto caught one's attention before using the Force to calm it down and then reached out with his hand. He then felt the Gundark nuzzle his hand before he started petting it. "Good girl." He said as Oi-Wan tinkered with his saber as Anakin was being chased by the male Gundark as Obi-Wan stood aside and examined his lightsaber. "Jump in anytime!"
Obi-Wan looks at his lightsaber as Naruto starts scratching the female's stomach. "Oh, you're doing fine. He seems to like you."
"Lucky me! This isn't as much fun as it looks. I thought Gundarks were only found on Vanqor."
Obi-Wan then takes his lightsaber apart. "Then, this system must be Vanqor."
Anakin trips and the Gundark grabs him by the ankle and pulls him towards him as he struggles to get "So, that would make these two..."
Obi-Wan then taps the lightsaber on a rock as Anakin is held upside down in the air by the Gundark. "The mother and father of all Gundarks. Precisely."
"Are you gonna help me?"
Naruto then used the Force to calm the male down before the cave opened to show Ahsoka and Rex.
"Looks like I got here just in time," Ahsoka said with a grin as the three walked out.
"What do you mean, just in time?"
"You were in very big trouble."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at that. "Trouble? We were simply searching for Count Dooku."
Anakin then coughed from the dust. "Yeah, we had the situation under control, my little Padawan."
Later, the Jedi learn from Yoda that Palpatine and representatives received a message from Hondo concerning a reward for him capturing Count Dooku And at the suggestion of Padmé, the Jedi High Council assigns Naruto, Anakin, and Obi-Wan to meet with the pirates to verify that they do indeed have the Count in custody, agreeing to the condition that they must arrive unarmed.
Florrum.
The Jedi landed in a shuttle at an outpost Hondo used as his HQ before being surrounded by his gang and they scanned them to make sure they were unarmed. They were then escorted inside the large outpost where they saw multiple tables around with Hondo sitting at a large round one. "Gentlemen!" He said as BD looked over Naruto's shoulder.
"(Trills-Boop!)"
"Congratulations on your capture of Count Dooku," Naruto said as Hondo pushed a cup to the Jedi who took it and took a drink. "Can we see him?"
"But of course!" Hondo said before he had one of his men take him to the cell in the back where Dooku was floating via a stasis pod.
"How the great Sith lord has fallen."
"This place suits you Count."
"It wasn't long ago, you were in similar surroundings," Dooku said to Obi-Wan as the three Jedi walked up to him.
"It's only temporary until you're in one in Coruscant," Naruto said to the Sith.
"Just know this about the Weequays, they are devious and deceitful and most importantly, stupid."
Obi-Wan started to walk out of the cell at that. "It's a wonder you don't get along with them, Dooku. You have so much in common."
Naruto then brought up his watch and let Yoda know it was the real Dooku as they walked back outside where they saw the pirates partying, drinking, and dancing.
Dooku was held for ransom! After escaping capture by Jedi Knights Naruto Uzumaki, Anakin Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the villainous Count Dooku fell into the clutches of pirates led by the brigand Hondo Ohnaka. Eager to get custody of Dooku, the Republic agreed to pay Hondo a hefty sum in exchange for the Sith Lord. But Naruto, Anakin, and Obi-Wan had not counted on the treacherous cunning of Ohnaka and his band...
Naruto woke up in a cell tied to Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Dooku with an energy tether. He then remembered tasting something funny in his drink before blacking out.
"You woke up quite easily," Dooku said as BD stood up over Naruto. "And I'm surprised the pirates didn't take him."
"Yeah, BD might be rare, but he's only an exploration droid. Not much demand for them."
"(BOOP!)"
"What it's true!" Naruto said to BD who angrily beeped at him before he turned back to the Count. "What made you leave the Order?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Just curious. Got time as these two will be knocked out for a while."
Dooku stared at him for a moment before explaining that, the corruption in the Galactic Senate, as well as the traditions of the Jedi, disillusioned him, causing him to voluntarily leave the Order and return to his homeworld where he reclaimed his title and heritage as a nobleman. His former peers believed his decision was misguided but still held him in high esteem.
Once he finished, the others woke up and concluded that Hondo wanted more money for all four of them before they stood up.
In another room, Hondo looked out a window as one of his men walked to him. His man explained they could have possibly gotten a bigger ransom from the Separatists before Hondo shot that down explaining they would sooner send their droids to take Dooku back. They then walked out where the man plotted with another group to steal the ransom for themselves and leave the gang.
With the others, two men came in and unhooked Naruto before taking him out and to another cell where Hondo was sitting at a table.
"Hello there, Hondo."
"Hello yourself Uzumaki," Hondo said as Naruto took a seat.
"I thought you should know, I feel some of your men are going to betray you."
Hondo nodded at that. "That happens from time to time. Think that they deserve a bigger cut or try to take the money for themselves."
"And I've gotten reports of Separatists Spoils of War transports traveling through the Bothawui System."
"Ah, thank you for that Uzumaki. You're a kind employer."
"I tend to help out my informants," Naruto replied leaning back in his seat.
"And I have been hearing vague rumors that the Zygerrians might be trying to rebuild their Slave Empire... And ever vaguer rumors that a faction of Zygerrian's who are Anti-Slavery is forming to combat them. And there's a small Separatist fleet seen heading towards the Quell."
"Thanks," Naruto said as Hondo left the Jedi alone in the room
Meanwhile, Jar Jar Binks and Senator Kharrus fly to the Weequay pirates' lair with a bounty of spice on board as a ransom for Dooku. As they get near, they are shot down. The pilots and Kharrus die in the resulting crash, and Jar Jar subsequently gets unintentional command of the surviving clone crew.
Turk Then leads his band to hunt the survivors of the Republic delegation near acid geysers. Jar Jar has the clones jump into a geyser, making the Weequays decide to let the acid kill them. Jar Jar is extremely confident, as the local fauna's behavior determines when a geyser is about to erupt, which ultimately saves the group's lives.
Returning to the wreckage of the shuttle, they find that the spice ransom is gone. Though the clones think of waiting for reinforcements, Jar Jar plans to go after the pirates, riding the skalders to catch up. They intercept and defeat the pirates, and with the spice back in hand, they follow a series of power supply lines straight to the pirate base.
With the captives Jedi, and Sith, they escaped the cell with Dooku Dooku used the Force to levitate a knife into the key slot of their holding cell, overriding the locking mechanism. Their escape was short-lived, however, as they were re-captured and chastised by Ohnaka. Kenobi then used a mind trick to convince their guard to open the door and go get something to drink.
The trio made their way, unimpeded, through the halls to the base exterior. Once they reached the exterior of the building though they were spotted after tripping an alarm. They ran out and Anakin attempted to pole vault the three over the wall but came up short, all while being shot. While struggling to hang on to the perimeter wall, Hondo came and stood over his prisoners, once again taking them into custody.
With Jar Jar and the clones, they find shelter behind an outcropping of rocks, spotted tanks that were sent to destroy them. The Commander clone sent Binks to negotiate with them, knowing that the pirates would be distracted by the Gungan. As Binks climbed aboard one of the tanks, he slipped, causing the driver to lose control and send the tank crashing into another pushing them both into the power lines. This knocked out power to the base and inadvertently freed Anakin and Obi-Wan.
Back in the base, Anakin and Obi-Wan were held in the banquet room before the power went out, having the two Jedi quickly recover their weapons and proceed to capture Hondo. Using the Weequay as a shield and hostage, they made their way out of the base to the landing pad where the Twilight was docked. There, Jar Jar and his clones arrived in the remaining commandeered Weequay tank.
"By the way, Hondo… Any more of those Meilooruns left? I ate the ones in my cell."
They turn to see Naruto walking out before Naruto sees the situation with the others before speaking. "I guess our vacation is over?"
"Vacation?!"
"Yeah," Naruto said before seeing a ship fly out. "By the way Hondo. I don't think Dooku will be as kind as we are since we're just leaving. Nothing against you and we don't do the revenge thing."
"I'll take that to heart, Jedi," Hondo said as the group walked out to their ship and left.
To Be Continued.
A/N: Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.
Beta: Chaos-PSD. Contributor: Kuronodono12.
We do have a temporary name for Naruto's Star Destroyer but feel free to put names in reviews or send in a P.M. The next EMH Ch will be up in a couple of days. Actually, it would have been up with this but had no time on the computer for the past couple of days, and for this story, we're about 15 Ch.'s ahead.
Nothing else to say.
Talk To You Later,
Lone Wolf Out.