"There should be a Captain in there somewhere"

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Chapter Fourteen

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Othanian Translations

Rowuk - Bitch/bastard

Vaureh - Mix of the words Vau (child) and cioreh (brother), made by (Y/n) to describe their relationship with Anakin

Nersh - Fuck

Mando'a Translations

vod/vode - Brother/Brothers

Vode - Refers to the clones as a whole

Beskad - Slightly curved saber of Mandalorian iron

Aay'han - bittersweet perfect moment of mourning and joy - *remembering and celebrating*

~*~

"Remind me to tell Anakin that this rescue makes up for the Gundark pit," you told Obi-Wan through the internal comms of your spacesuits.

"I shall do so after we see if he's actually on this ship," Obi-Wan looked over the outer control panel and pressed the bottom button, opening a hatch onto the ship.

Dropping down, the two of you were quick to pull off your space suits and hide them away in an insignificant room. Before you started this mission you memorized the outline of the ship, as one should do before a rescue mission (Anakin). Currently, you were a couple of halls away from the detention area.

Moving silently with some assistance from the Force, you paused in a control room doorway being operated by a single battle droid.

It'd be better to avoid detection, you sent through the bond.

Agreed, on three? You nodded in agreement, One, two, three!

The two of you sprinted across the room, using the Force to shut the door behind you. A small pause, and when there were no alarms and the droid didn't follow, you continued on.

"Door number one," you mumbled, opening the first door in the detention center. A pair of Nikto were playing sabacc on the floor and were evidently not who you were looking for.

"Don't bother to get up. You're not the prisoner I'm looking for," Obi-Wan quipped and shut the door.

Moving on to the next cell, you opened it to find the room empty, but the lingering supernova Force presence implied otherwise. A subtle motion of your hand prompted Obi-Wan to follow you inside.

Whoosh!

Anakin landed behind you, having been hiding on the ceiling, "Oh. It's you."

"Don't sound so disappointed," You rolled your eyes, noticing the distinct lack of bonds on him, "Any Force suppressants?"

"Just the weak drugs, they run through my system fast," Anakin shrugged, though past experiences showed Anakin was always extremely uncomfortable when his connection to the Force was hindered. It was technically half of him, after all. "You got my lightsaber?" Obi-Wan unclipped it from his belt and handed it over, "Thanks."

"Did you manage to locate Dooku before landing in jail?"

"Well, I know he's on board. Might have been able to do something about it if I'd had my weapon."

Obi-Wan waved his hand dismissively, "It was important for you to arrive without it so your capture would be convincing."

"Oh, they were convinced, alright. But how come I'm the one getting caught all the time? It doesn't look good."

You chuckled, "When you're a Jedi master, you can make someone else get caught."

"Can't wait for Snips to get Knighted, then. I have a reputation to uphold."

You held back your laugh as you stepped out into the hall, though you sent your amusement through the familial bond. Obi-Wan did the same, and the two of you ignored Anakin's pouting response.

In another section of the ship was supposedly Dooku's quarters, though the lack of furniture led you to believe it had been converted into a meditation room at some point. Not that it mattered much, considering that Dooku was inside either way.

"Surprise, surprise," Obi-Wan said in lieu of a proper greeting. The three of you drew and activated your lightsabers, "If it isn't Count Dooku."

"Grandpadawan, Master Pavond. I thought I sensed a disturbance in the Force. I see you've freed young Skywalker. Where might he be if you weren't always around to rescue him?"

The ship shook, swaying you slightly.

"Sir, there's a Jedi cruiser attacking!"

"Your ship is surrounded, Count. Republic troops are boarding as we speak."

"Jedi fools," a trapdoor under Dooku opened, sending him down a narrow slide meant for escape.

"That rowuk, no wonder he was so calm," you hissed.

"Yes, we should've seen that coming," Anakin ran to the hatch, "What are you doing?"

"Following him."

"Not that way, we need to cut him off."

"You two cut him off. I'll follow him and meet you at the hangar," Anakin jumped down the hatch.

"Why do I even try?" Obi-Wan sighed.

Snorting, you turned and ran from the room, Obi-Wan following close behind, "He gets that from you."

"Oh. I beg to differ."

"Beg all you want Obi-Wan, I'm not going to give in," you smirked, relishing in the flush that enveloped your husband's face.

"(Y/n), we are on a mission!"

"And currently alone sprinting down a hallway, I see no reason why I can't make a few jokes that get you flustered. I love seeing you all embarrassed."

You'll be paying for that later, Obi-Wan didn't look at you when he sent it through the bond, but you could see the grin spreading across his face.

I look forward to it

The two of you arrived at the hangar just in time to see Dooku taking off in a ship. Spotting one that had yet to take off, you ran toward that one and destroyed the droids guarding the entrance. Hurrying inside, you took the pilot's seat while Obi-Wan took co-pilot.

"Anakin's arrived," Obi-Wan reported.

A small thump came from the back, signaling that Anakin had jumped onto the ship. With that confirmation, you engaged the thrusters and took off out of the hangar after Dooku.

"I thought you were following Dooku," Obi-Wan teased when Anakin sat in the third seat.

"I was. I followed him here. Can I fly?"

"No!" You and Obi-Wan responded in unison.

Pouting, Anakin crossed his arms and slouched in his seat. Rolling your eyes, you turned your attention back to the small fleet of ships you were pursuing - though your main focus was Dooku's.

"Ahsoka, Dooku managed to escape. We're in pursuit, but we could use reinforcements. Follow us in what ships you can round up."

"We'll get there as soon as we can."

"Obi-Wan, man the guns."

"Of course."

Obi-Wan, despite despising blasters of any kind, was an excellent shot and it showed when he hit Dooku's ship dead on, damaging it severely.

"That was easy," Anakin mused.

"Lucky for you, I'm an excellent shot."

Separatist fighters arrived to support Dooku, flying up behind the ship and firing rapidly.

"Well, now those fighters are attacking."

"I'm on it."

The farther you flew, the faster you realized that Dooku's ship was getting much closer. The damage must have been more extensive than you thought for his speed to have been impacted so thoroughly.

The ship was hit. Cursing under your breath, you glanced at the diagnostic screen for the report. It wasn't looking good, and that was an optimistic view of things.

"This is going to be a rough landing!" You warned, pulling up sharply in an attempt to lessen the impact.

All of you grunted as the ship slammed against the ground. Nearly losing grip of the controls, you fought to keep the ship steady and prevent it from flipping and worsening your situation.

"This wouldn't have happened if I flew," Anakin called out in annoyance.

"No, it likely would have been much worse!"

Unstrapping yourselves from your seats, you released the back hatch so the three of you could exit the ship. Based on the damage there was no way you'd be able to fly back to The Resolute. All of you would have to wait for backup.

Anakin pointed at Dooku's crashed ship a short distance away, "Dooku."

Considering how you hadn't been attacked yet, it was unlikely that Dooku was still on the ship. The three of you approached, and Obi-Wan focused on the hull.

"What's this? A homing beacon?

"Which means the distinguished count is waiting for help. So he can't be far off."

"His engine is damaged. He's not going anywhere."

Unclipping your saber from your belt, you slashed the beacon and destroyed it, "Our backup should arrive before his at the very least. That'll give us more time to apprehend him."

Stroking his beard, Obi-Wan looked over the barren landscape, "There. Caves are a good start."

Without argument, you and Anakin followed. The closer you got to the cave the more life you sensed, but it didn't feel especially sentient. Animals, perhaps? Their Force signatures were always blurrier than that of humans. The downside of that was that it would be nearly impossible to pick out Dooku. A smart decision on his part.

"We aren't going to be able to find him by simply reaching out," you sighed, lighting up your saber to have a light in the darkness.

"Let's try to find him before something else does, then."

Despite sensing so many life forms, you didn't come upon anything while you were exploring the cave. In fact, it seemed a bit too quiet- a low rumble broke through your thoughts and proved them wrong.

"What's that?"

The Force screamed a warning, and you looked up to find several boulders falling just above you.

"Run!" Obi-Wan urged.

Sprinting to the side, you turned off your saber and clipped it to your belt in order to keep it safe. Dust poofed off the rocks as they hit the ground, attempting to invade your lungs and causing you to cough.

Are both of you alright?

The rocks shifted before Anakin replied, I'm fine

I'm alright as well

"Anakin, when I tell you to run, run," Obi-Wan chided, stepping into the light now provided by the hole at the top of the cave.

"You had a head start," Anakin grumbled.

"And you have longer legs," Obi-Wan shot back, giving Anakin a probing once over to look for injuries, "Where's your lightsaber?"

"It got knocked out of my hand."

"By a rock?"

"Yeah, by a rock."

"That is a feeble excuse."

"You know what would be helpful? A little more light."

Rolling your eyes at their endless, but loving, bickering, you pulled your saber from your belt and lit it. Obi-Wan did the same, though his saber flickered several times before finally dying out.

"Silly thing. It was just working a minute ago," Obi-Wan tapped the hilt against his hand a couple of times.

"You don't suppose it was hit by a rock do you?"

A low growl sounded from above and echoed around the cave. A Gundark dropped down, ferocious and out for blood.

"There's one of the lifeforms I was wondering about. Why did it have to be vicious?" You complained. There was never an easy mission when you were paired up with Anakin and Obi-Wan.

The Gundark zeroed in on Anakin and began a chase. Realizing he was the main target, Anakin was quick to jump into action and sprint away. As a predator, the Gundark screeched at the challenge and began to pursue.

"You don't think it's Force-sensitive do you?" You asked Obi-Wan while he looked over his lightsaber.

"It would certainly explain why it went after Anakin. He's the most powerful out of the three of us."

"Therefore he'd be the biggest challenge," you concluded, glancing at Obi-Wan's saber, "You don't think it's the power cell, do you? It could have gotten jostled around if it got hit."

"The results would have been much more explosive if the power cell was hit," Obi-Wan shook his head.

"Jump in anytime!" Anakin yelled from across the cave, still actively avoiding the Gundark.

"Oh, you're doing fine. She seems to like you," Obi-Wan called back, unconcerned.

"Yeah, lucky me! This isn't as much fun as it looks. I thought gundarks were only found on Vanqor."

"Then this system must be Vanqor."

"So that would make this one..."

"The mother of all gundarks, precisely," Obi-Wan returned his focus to his saber, "Maybe it's one of the converters..."

Anakin's leg was caught in one of the gundark's arms, and he tripped as a result. The gundark slowly pulled him closer.

"I should probably help him," you sighed, using the Force to jump over to where Anakin was struggling to escape the gundark's clutches.

With Anakin serving as a distraction, you cleanly cut off one of the gundark's arms. The creature screeched in pain and dropped Anakin, turning to you. Denying it the chance to fight, you simply jumped up once again and cut off the creature's head. Landing lightly on the ground, you walked over to Anakin and held out a hand to help him up.

"You took your time," he complained but took your hand all the same.

"I had to help Obi-Wan with his lightsaber," you smirked.

Anakin scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I know where your priorities lie."

"Don't tell me you're upset I'm not showing you as much attention," you grinned teasingly, stretching to wrap an arm around Anakin's shoulders, "Why Anakin, if you wanted to spend more time with me you could have just asked. I'll always have time for my vaureh."

"I'd take you a lot more seriously if you didn't have to stretch to touch my shoulders," Anakin snorted, stepping to the side so your arm fell.

"How about you shrink a bit? Someone is half Force and all of the sudden they're a giant," you lamented dramatically.

"Such a wonderful bonding moment," Obi-Wan seemed to have given up on his lightsaber for a moment, "Should I let you two continue to argue about your heights or shall we find a way out of here?"

Anakin grinned, and you knew exactly what was coming, "You just want us to move on because you don't want us to bring up your height, Master."

Sending Anakin a "If you don't shut up you'll regret it" glare, Obi-Wan huffed and turned, heading toward the entrance. Anakin held up his fist, and you bumped it with your own before following after your husband. Sometimes it was too easy to get under his skin (said with love).

"It shouldn't take too long to clear a path if we're efficient about it," you commented, looking over the caved-in entrance. That and the first rockfall was the work of Dooku, no doubt. Which meant he escaped. Oh well, you couldn't say you were surprised. At times it felt like the chase would never end.

Nodding in agreement, Obi-Wan lifted his hands and moved the first rock away, "Let's get to it, then."

The three of you began lifting and shifting the rocks with the Force, slowly clearing a path that would get you out of the cave.

After what felt like hours of lifting and moving rocks, you felt the early effects of Force exhaustion. It'd been a long day and all you wanted to do was sleep - preferably next to Obi-Wan, though sleep with or without your husband was welcome at this point.

A distant roar echoed around the cave, "Sounds like another gundark."

"It's too far away to worry about."

"It won't stay far away."

The next set of rocks that all of you dropped landed just right, releasing streams of visibly colored gas into the air. The smell was noxious, hinting at the gas being potentially toxic.

"New problem," Anakin announced.

"That's not good," Obi-Wan stated the obvious.

"Both of you focus on controlling your breathing," you ordered, "I have a better chance of processing the gas well. I lived in Master Plo's rooms for years, after all."

The two seemed hesitant to let you go all the work, but as the gas continued pouring into the cave it became obvious that it really was toxic to humans. You even felt some discomfort in your throat and lungs, but you were willing to ignore it in favor of continuing to open a path.

Thump. Thump.

"Oh kark," you hissed, spinning around to see the boys lying unconscious on the ground. Hesitating for a split second on whether you should hold them or continue trying to get out, your choice was made for you when something broke through the rockfall. Sunlight and fresh air spilled in, flushing out the toxic gas.

Kneeling next to Obi-Wan and Anakin, you first checked their pulses. They were steady, meaning the gas hadn't done too much damage. Looking back up at the new entrance, you spotted Ahsoka and some of the 501st.

"I need medics down here!" You called out.

"I'm alright," Obi-Wan groaned, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"Anyone catch the identification number of the speeder that hit us?" Anakin questioned, rolling onto his side before slowly trying to stand.

"Oh no, no, no. Stay on the ground until a medic clears you. Both of you," you shot Obi-Wan a warning look, stopping him in his tracks as he was attempting to get up.

Kix slid down the remaining rocks, looking over Anakin first before moving to Obi-Wan, "I want both of you to be on oxygen for a bit back on the ship, but other than that there should be no long-lasting effects. I'm clearing you to get out of here on your own, but I want you to take it easy."

"Understood," Anakin and Obi-Wan stated in unison. Kix wasn't to be messed with when he gave such strict orders.

"Are you alright General Pavond?"

"I'm fine. Othas can survive in several environments that humans can't. We're lucky that this was one of them."

"I'll be prescribing you rest as well."

"You won't hear me complaining."

The four of you climbed out of the cave, greeting a relieved-looking Ahsoka, "Looks like I got here just in time."

"Just in time?"

"You were obviously in trouble."

"Trouble? We were simply searching for Count Dooku," Obi-Wan obviously lied, smiling in response to Ahsoka's eye roll.

"We had the situation well under control, my little Padawan."

"I see. So which part of the situation did you have under control? The blocked entrance, the poison gas, or that gundark behind you?"

"Gundark?"

"You mean the one that's too far away to worry about."

Placing Obi-Wan and Anakin's slow reactions on the gas, you turned to the troopers, "Block the entrance."

They lifted their guns and shot at the rocks above the recently unblocked entrance, causing another rockfall and blocking it before the gundark could run through and attack the group.

"There's still Dooku to deal with," Anakin sighed.

"You let him get away?"

"No, not get away exactly. Just..." Anakin looked to you and Obi-Wan for help, but neither of you were eager to say anything, "Chime in anytime."

"Oh, no. I'm enjoying this far too much. I believe this is payback for the comment about my height."

"Jedi don't believe in revenge, but we're good at payback," you chirped. It was a well-known, but unspoken, philosophy of the Temple, one that the Masters grew up with and expertly ignored whenever the younglings made use of it.

Anakin and Obi-Wan were on oxygen for an hour per Kix's orders. During that time you reestablished contact with Coruscant and checked in with The Gray and The Negotiator since both of them were currently restocking on Republic planets while you and Obi-Wan were with The Resolute.

An hour later the boys were off oxygen, you'd taken a power nap, and you got on a call with Master Windu and Master Yoda.

"A pirate by the name of Hondo Ohnaka has captured Count Dooku and is holding him for ransom on Florrum. We've confirmed that this is true, however, Senator Amidala suggested sending a small team of Jedi to confirm in person. His only stipulation is that you arrive unarmed."

"Unarmed?"

"We know very little about these pirates. We may be walking blindly into what could very well be a hostile situation," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"We can't let Dooku slip through our fingers again. Report back as soon as you arrive."

"Understood, Master Windu."

The transmission ended, and all of you exchanged uneasy looks. Trusting a pirate was never smart, trusting a pirate holding a very valuable asset? That was an even bigger risk.

"I'm taking another nap before we arrive, something tells me I'm going to need it," you announced.

"I believe I shall meditate. I have a bad feeling about this mission and I want to know why," Obi-Wan added.

You two are so obvious, Anakin sent a mental eye roll through the familial bond.

Not as obvious as you and Padme, Obi-Wan argued as the two of you left the bridge.

It'd be hard to be so painstakingly obvious, you agreed.

Anakin, in response, closed off his end of the bond. You and Obi-Wan exchanged chuckles and continued on your way. It would be nearly a day before you arrived on Florrum, some rest with Obi-Wan would be nice in the meantime.

Sharing polite greetings with the soldiers you passed, you were glad that yours and Obi-Wan's quarters were in the same hall. Even if it was an open secret that the two of you were together at this point, that didn't mean you couldn't still have some tact. Having one of you sneak into the others room so obviously was not proper in any sense of the word.

After an unspoken agreement, the two of you entered Obi-Wan'sroom. It was bare aside from a few datapads on the small desk, but considering that this wasn't Obi-Wan's ship it made sense.

Pulling off your boots, you jumped onto the bunk that'd be just big enough to fit the two of you. Obi-Wan pulled off his armor and set it aside, but you held a hand up to stop him from getting any closer.

"Fresher and new robes," you ordered, causing Obi-Wan to smile sheepishly.

"Yes, I suppose I'm not in the best shape right now," he chuckled, before stepping into the fresher. Part of you was tempted to follow him inside, but you reminded yourself that the two of you had a scheduled leave together after this campaign and that you'd leave a remnant of your act in the Force. Something Anakin - or Force forbid Ahsoka - didn't need to stumble upon.

Having left your armor in your room, you simply slipped off your tabards and obi and laid them on the floor while waiting for Obi-Wan. Your husband returned to the room a few minutes later, skin flushed from the vibrations of the sonic. You hummed appreciatively when the towel around his waist nearly slipped and fell before he caught it and pulled it back up. Despite not getting a full show before he pulled on pants, you were happy to enjoy your view of the pale, muscled expanse of his back. He turned to face you before he put his tunic on, and you knew it was because he wanted you to see the muscles in his arms and abdomen flex as he pulled the tunic over his head.

"You could just leave the tunic off," you suggested.

"We both know that'd be a bad idea," Obi-Wan slipped into the bunk next to you, turning onto his side to face you and drape an arm over your waist, "We wouldn't rest at all, I'd be too irresistible."

You snorted at Obi-Wan's played-up vanity, unable to remember the last time you'd been able to be so close and relaxed like this.

"I'm sure you'd reciprocate just as eagerly," you responded, leaning forward to press a light kiss against the portion of his collarbone not covered by the tunic.

"Oh darling, I find you irresistible no matter what you do, or don't, wear," Obi-Wan admitted lowly, peppering kisses along your jaw that sent your hand to his hair to grip the freshly cleaned strands.

He ghosted his lips over your jaw and cheek, hovering over your lips. Leaning forward the remaining way, you pressed your lips against his. Force, you had missed this. Obi-Wan's tongue ran across your bottom lip teasingly, questioningly, and you were quick to pull back. A sweet taste was invading your mouth, and by the expansion of Obi-Wan's pupils, you knew you were aroused enough to begin producing aphrodisiacs.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked. You raised a brow, and he hummed in understanding, "Right, aphrodisiac production and all that."

"Mhm, try again later and we'll see how long I can last," you tucked your head into his shoulder and smiled against the fabric of his shirt, "I'm afraid you are a bit too irresistible."

"It's a blessing and a curse," Obi-Wan pulled your closer, pressing a kiss against the crown of your head, "This war has taken much from us, but I'm glad we can still have moments like this."

"We're going to lose ourselves to this war," you whispered, unsure of who the "we" was. You and Obi-Wan, your family, the Jedi, the Republic, there were too many viable options to be sure.

"We won't lose each other," Obi-Wan stated surely, though his surety wasn't a promise. It couldn't be, and that was the most painful part, "...I'm frightened, beloved, of the monsters this war could make us."

"Acknowledge your fear and let it go. I'll never let you fall far enough to lose yourself, just as you've never let me."

"And Anakin and Ahsoka? The Vode?"

"They're our family, Obi-Wan. We can't give up on them either. Without them we have nothing."

Obi-Wan pressed another kiss to the top of your head, and you kissed the underside of his jaw in response. Closing your eyes, you lowered your shields and reached out to Obi-Wan in the Force. Without hesitation he did the same, melding his Force presence with yours. Fear, frustration, and exhaustion were prevalent in both of your minds but deeper than that was the prevailing sense of love, determination, and devotion. As the two of you came together, it was those emotions that overcame the others.

For as long as you were together this way, everything felt like it was okay.

~*~

Florrum wasn't a pleasant planet. From the actual geography to its entire feeling in the Force, Florrum was unpleasant and... shifty, to say the least. So when the three of you walked into a den of pirates, you weren't surprised when the Force gave off a quiet but persistent warning to stay alert.

"This should be fun," Obi-Wan stated with a wince. The Force was always much louder with him when it came to warnings.

You, Anakin, and Obi-Wan paused when a guard stepped up with a scanner. Your lightsabers were hidden away on the ship, where a cursory search wouldn't uncover them.

The scanner ran over your robes and came up with nothing. You watched the guard closely and kept your feet planted firmly on the ground. The guard didn't scan further than your knees, and you were grateful for it. If he went farther the scanner might have picked up on the beskad hidden in the fake sole of your boot.

"Follow me," a second pirate ordered.

The pirate led you through a small village full of violence and criminals. The sight of such dealings in plain sight was strange, but everything was strange in this time of war.

At the center of the town was a bar, where, despite the early hour, many Weequay were getting drunk.

"Gentlebeings," a Weequay dressed more opulently than the others greeted you with open arms, "Can I offer you something to drink?"

"No, thank you. Congratulations on your capture of Count Dooku. Very impressive," Obi-Wan flattered the man.

"Yes, it was. Even a Sith Lord is no match for my warriors. He put up quite a fight. Blasters, cannons, that glowy thing..."

You raised a disbelieving brow, glancing down at the man's belt and spotting Anakin's lightsaber hooked to it. It wasn't crushed during the rockfall, Dooku must have found it and taken it with him, "His lightsaber?"

"That's it! And I don't need to tell you, those things can do some damage. Carved up some of my best men pretty good before I could get the jump on him."

"And how exactly did you get the jump on him? With this?" Anakin reached out and drew his saber to him with the Force. Every gun in the bar was immediately trained on the three of you. The Weequay's pet Kowakian climbed up on the pirates and took the lightsaber back from Anakin's hand.

Sensing the tension in the room, Obi-Wan was quick to jump in, "We have no interest in disagreeing with you. All we want is to confirm you are holding Dooku, and we'll go."

"I will arrange a meeting," the pirate assured, waving one of his men over and whispering into his ear. The man nodded and hurried off.

Feeling a need to fill the silence, otherwise, there'd just be a tense staredown going on, you spoke up, "I'm afraid we've been rather rude. I am Master (Y/n) Pavond, this is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Knight Anakin Skywalker."

"Oh I know who you are," the pirate waved a dismissive hand at your introduction, "We may not be involved in the war, but the great Hondo Ohnaka is not out of the loop."

Hondo Ohnaka was this pirate's name, then. You'd have to look into him more after the three of you secured Dooku and were on your way back to the Republic. The pirate Hondo whispered to earlier returned and muttered something too low for you to hear.

"Lead them to the Count," Hondo ordered.

The three of you were led away from the bar and deeper into the pirate's base, though you were presumably kept away from important areas as you took a longer route around the outside of the compound rather than through. Finally, however, you entered what seemed to be a hallway full of holding cells. The pirate stopped in front of a door guarded by two others. One of the guards opened the doors, and the three of you entered.

Count Dooku was suspended in bonds eerily similar to those used against you on Geonosis. The sight amused you, seeing the hand karma had dealt the one great Jedi Master.

"Look how the mighty Sith Lord has fallen," Obi-Wan taunted.

"This place suits you, Count."

"It wasn't so long ago that you yourself were in similar surroundings on my ship," Dooku responded dryly.

"Yeah, but now I'm free, and you're not."

"I'm confident the situation will rectify itself soon," Dooku remained unbothered, though his annoyance was obvious in his Force presence. His weaker shield meant he must have been under Force suppressants somehow. These pirates were smarter than you gave them credit for.

Scoffing, you crossed your arms, "Soon you'll be brought to trial before the Senate. They, of course, will love to hear your surrender in person. I, however, am more interested in the Master you've shamefully placed yourself under. And after all that information is pulled from your mind, you'll spend the rest of your life in a cell like this one, cut off from the Force."

"If you're lucky," Anakin added.

"I assumed you were smarter than this, my friend. You must be overly optimistic if you think these Weequayans plan to let you leave this planet."

"They're planet-hopping thieves looking for a quick score. They have no interest in picking a fight with Jedi," Anakin rolled his eyes, overconfident. While you had hope that you could get off Florrum with Dooku, you weren't stupid enough to trust the pirates completely.

"They are devious and deceitful... and most importantly, stupid."

"It's a wonder you don't get along with them Dooku. You have so much in common," Obi-Wan quipped, causing you to hide a laugh behind a fake cough, though from the smirk on Obi-Wan's face and the frown on Dooku's you'd failed.

"You underestimate them at your own peril, Kenobi."

We've taunted him long enough, let's leave lest we make him mad enough to draw on the Force, you sent through the bond, receiving assenting replies from Anakin and Obi-Wan.

The three of you left the cell, the same Weequay from before led you away from the holding cells and back to the entrance of the base. Night had fallen, and the streets were even more crowded with scum.

"I don't know about you, but I could use some rest," Anakin commented idly.

"Remember, Anakin, this could still be a trap."

"You're not worried about Dooku, are you?"

Obi-Wan lowered his voice, "I'm worried about these pirates."

"Jedi! Now that your business is completed, we invite you to join us in the grand hall for a banquet. And a true Weequay banquet is not to be missed."

Plastering a fake smile on your face you replied, "We will be happy to join you in a few moments, we must contact our superiors and inform them that Dooku is here."

Seemingly satisfied with your answer the pirate nodded and left. Letting out a relieved breath you motioned for the others to follow you. A cursory search of the ship revealed nothing to be missing or damaged. The kyber crystal in your lightsaber still hummed steadily from your hiding place, so yours and Obi-Wan's sabers were safe as well.

"Now that we know that nothing is stolen, we really should reach out to the Republic," Obi-Wan stepped up to the console, sending out a comm request that was immediately answered, "No question, they have Dooku. Send the ransom."

"He's being securely held?" Mace questioned.

"He's under Force inhibitors, admittedly weak but that on top of his binds suggests a difficult escape."

"Yes, he's very cranky about that fact."

"Good. Senator Kharrus and Representative Binks," Obi-Wan and Anakin winced at that. You'd never had the (dis)pleasure of meeting Jar-Jar Binks, but it seemed like now was your chance, "will be dispatched immediately."

The call ended. The three of you took a few minutes to collect yourselves and enjoy a reprieve from the slimy feeling that covered the village. When you were nearing a time riding the line of "it's taking suspiciously long" and "they're talking business", all of you left to join the pirates in the great hall for their so-called feast.

It was definitely a party. Loud music plated, dancers spun around the tables, and there were several small fights occurring. Exchanging feelings of disgust-caution-displeasure through the familial bond, the three of you found an open area on a bench and took a seat, with Obi-Wan and Anakin on either side of you. They'd always taken that position in some form when in seedy places, Othas were valuable slaves and neither of them were quick to forget that fact.

You'd barely sat down when Hondo approached, "Now, can I persuade you to join us for a drink? It's a tradition, in the name of friendship."

"Alright, but nothing too strong. He's flying," Obi-Wan accepted the offer with a smile.

"Bring our guests some refreshments."

Master he's going to drug us, Anakin pointed out the obvious.

Well then, we'll simply have to switch the drinks, Obi-Wan replied, unconcerned.

A server walked over with three cups of something that smelled strongly alcoholic.

"To a successful transaction," Hondo toasted.

"To strong pirates and new allies of the Republic," you raised your cup.

"Enjoy your evening, gentle beings," Hondo took his leave.

Obi-Wan and Anakin switched out their cups with the people next to them with the Force. Sensing eyes on you, you lifted the cup to your mouth and kept your lips tightly sealed around the rim. The drink touched your upper lip. You lowered the cup and pretended to swallow, wiping your mouth on your sleeve. The eyes were gone. Quickly dipping the cup under the table you poured some of the drink out.

"I still don't get it," Anakin sighed frustratedly.

"Get what?"

"How a bunch of drunken pirates managed to catch Dooku when we couldn't."

"Maybe there's a lesson to be learned here."

Anakin's eyes narrowed in thought, but he eventually just sighed again and shook his head, "I still don't get it."

"It's to remind us to be humble and never too proud, to accept a gift when it comes our way."

"Well, to unexpected gifts, then," Anakin raised his glass for a toast. You and Obi-Wan clinked your cups against his.

"Hear, hear."

On either side of your group, the men that Obi-Wan and Anakin switched cups with passed out. Grimacing, you set your cup down without plans of touching it again.

~*~

Waking with a pounding headache wasn't a rare occurrence by any means, but that didn't mean it was enjoyable. What made the situation worse was the fact that someone was poking you on the side.

"Anakin if that's you I'm going to cut that finger off," you hissed venomously, relaxing when the poking stopped. Then you received a mental poke. Snapping up you were ready to smack Anakin upside the head when you noticed where you were, "Oh nersh."

It seemed that despite all your precautions the night before, the pirates were still able to take you and your companions hostage.

"Did we accept any drinks after the first?" You asked, sitting up and running a hand over your face. Anakin and Obi-Wan shrugged in response, "I'm going to take that as a yes."

"Why would they risk losing the ransom?" Anakin questioned.

"They want more money," you have the obvious answer, carefully looking over the binds on your hands. There was no lock, making you assume they were magnetized. You were impressed with the pirate's wisdom in dealing with Force users earlier but now you were just annoyed.

"A shrewd observation, my old friend."

Repressing a jump, you looked up and met Dooku's amused gaze. Scowling in response, you returned your focus to your binds.

"Oh great, it's you," Anakin didn't bother hiding his displeasure at the sight of the Count.

"I did warn you these pirates were devious. You will notice our shackles are bound together. I have tried to separate us, to no avail."

"It's bad enough we have to be in the same cell, but could you at least spare me the sound of your constant chatter?" Anakin stood and took a menacing step toward Dooku. Obi-Wan was quick to jump up and hold him back. Your presence in the Force was muted, which meant Force inhibitors that would have been used on Anakin and Obi-Wan as well. Anakin always struggled to properly handle his emotions, but without the Force it was worse.

"And while I hold my tongue, the three of you will devise a brilliant strategy for getting off this godforsaken planet?

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Excellent," Dooku fell silent while Obi-Wan and Anakin looked around the cell.

Looking up from your binds, you checked the corners of the cell and found no cameras. The door to the cell had several holes, which meant the pirates didn't feel the need for cameras.

Reaching down to your left boot, you pulled on the sole and slid it off. Inside the fake sole was a collapsed beskad, made for you by the armorer in Little Keldabe on Coruscant. A flick of your wrist released a sword about the length and width of your forearm.

"I knew you looked taller in those boots!" Anakin exclaimed, drawing exasperated sighs from you, Obi-Wan, and Dooku.

"I just pulled a beskar sword from my boot and that's what you're concerned about?"

"I was just making an observation," Anakin flushed in embarrassment.

Shaking your head in disbelief, you turned to Obi-Wan and held out the sword, "Cut off my binds."

"What?"

"Cut off my binds. You know how to use a beskad nearly as well as you do a lightsaber, so I want you to cut my binds off then I'll cut yours. You'll have to go for the metal, not the energy binding us together."

Carefully taking the sword from your hands, Obi-Wan carefully weighed it in his grip and nodded once when he had a good feel for the weapon. Holding out your hands, you met Obi-Wan's nervous gaze with a confident smile. Lifting the sword up, Obi-Wan brought it down on your left wrist first. The cuff broke off with little resistance, the strong metal no match for beskar. Obi-Wan swung the sword again and freed your other wrist. Turning to the side, you faced the wall to make it easier for Obi-Wan to cut through the blinds around your waist. This hit was stronger and jerked you forward a bit due to the force. Those blinds fell as well, and the Force sang around you as you could sense it once again.

"Alright, now I'll free you," you took the sword back and motioned to Obi-Wan's hands.

"I don't believe that's a good idea," Obi-Wan took a step back before you could swing.

"What are you talking about? This way we don't have to worry about being bound together when we escape."

"The pirates are planning on ransoming Dooku to the Republic and us to the Separatists. My first priority is to make sure that you don't end up in their hands, it wouldn't end well, you know that. If only you are gone there will be less alarm and less attention. You can go and return with reinforcements to free us later."

"If we escape now then we don't need to worry about being sold to the Separatists in the first place," you argued.

"Obi-Wan's right, (Y/n). No matter how concrete our plans are, something always manages to go wrong," Anakin cut in, "If all of us try to escape together we might just get caught again and put under more security with no chance of escape. If it's only you they'll be confused long enough for you to get help."

Pursing your lips, you remained hesitant. Escaping on your own felt incredibly selfish, though if Obi-Wan and Anakin had a bad feeling about attempting an escape together then maybe...

"If the Separatists gain you through ransom my master will order you to be tortured and then killed," Dooku's eyes trailed over to you, "Or perhaps worse. I have no doubt he would have you mind-wiped and put into slavery."

"What a wonderful master you have," you hissed.

"There is a reason your only options are to truly join me or die, (Y/n)," Dooku responded, more emotion in his voice than you'd heard since before he left the Order, "I am not so callous as to condemn you to such suffering."

Holding back a surprised sound, you met Dooku's intense gaze. His eyes weren't entirely gold, you'd never noticed that before. Formerly they were dark brown, now they were brighter and ringed with yellow. Dooku, a Sith who was supposed to thrive on selfishness, wanted you to protect yourself and escape on your own.

"Jedi are encouraged to place their mission above anything else, unless a disproportionate number of lives are threatened. This mindset could lead to leaving a member of our family behind in favor of the mission. It's a callous notion."

Humming in quiet agreement, you watched a pair of birds take a loop around the gardens, "Sometimes hard decisions have to be made. I can't imagine leaving behind a member of the Order, but... if their life saved thousands then what else are we to do?"

"Let's hope we never have to make a decision like that, yes?" Dooku asked, something you recognized as a teasing lilt in his voice.

"I'm afraid you've jinxed us now, Master Dooku."

You turned back to Obi-Wan and Anakin and gave them a nod of affirmation. Walking over to the door to the cell, you peeked out. There were no guards which explained why there were no alarms raised at the sound of beskar breaking through metal. On your right side was what looked like a card scanner. Sliding the sword through one of the holes in the door, you used the Force to float it over to the scanner. When it was positioned properly, you jerked the beskad into the scanner. The door beeped for a moment before it slid open. Plucking the beskad from the air, you turned back to face the others in the cell.

"I'll return with reinforcements as soon as I can," you assured them.

"May the Force be with you."

Be safe, beloved.

"And with you."

I will be.

Keeping your senses alert with some help from the Force, you hurried down the hallways of the pirate's base- going off of small nudges from the Force and memories of your walk through the base the day before.

Something moved at the corner of your eyes. Turning to where the movement came from, you reached out with the Force. There was a lifeform near, small and non-sentient.

Lifting your hand, you reached out with the Force and caught the creature in your grip. Pulling it toward you, you frowned at the sight of Hondo's pet. Something in you just screamed to kill the creature and be done with it, but instead, you placed a sleep suggestion strong enough to keep the pet knocked out for days on the Kowakian's mind. Setting the creature behind a pile of crates, you were quick to move on.

The main entrance wouldn't be a viable escape route, so you searched for other doors to the outside. There were several that gave you a bad feeling, so you ignored those and continued looking. If Obi-Wan were with you then you'd have a more concrete idea of whether or not your bad feeling was correct, but at the moment it was simply better to be safe.

Finally, there was an exit tucked away in an obscure corner of the base. The entire area seemed empty and disused, which you were relieved to see. Stepping through the door, you quickly ascertained that you had stepped out on a far side of the base.

Making sure to keep out of sight, you made your way back to the area the ship was docked. There were pirates and criminals milling about casually, but none were actively guarding or searching the ship.

Cloaking yourself in nothing-invisible-look away, you rushed over to the ship and slipped inside. It had gone through a general ransacking, anything that was of obvious value had been taken. Hurrying over to the fresher, you pulled away the loose wall panel and sighed in relief at the sight of yours and Obi-Wan's lightsabers. Clipping both to your belt, you moved up to the cockpit and sent out a comm request to Mace and Master Yoda. Both answered quickly.

"Masters," you spoke before either of them could, "The three of us were captured by the pirates to be held ransom to the Separatists. I managed to escape. We need immediate reinforcements."

"Troubling, this is," Master Yoda hummed thoughtfully.

"We have lost contact with the cruiser holding the senate representatives and soldiers escorting them," Mace expanded upon the vague statement, "We have reason to believe they were shot down."

"That doesn't make any sense. Hondo's going out of his way to get as much money as possible, why would he shoot down his first payment?"

"Perhaps the Separatists discovered the Count's location and are attacking?" Mace suggested.

"If that were the case they would have attacked the pirate's base by now," outside the viewing window you spotted a pair of pirates approaching the ship, "Reinforcements- can you send them?"

"Send them as soon as we can, we will."

It would have to be good enough, "Thank you, Masters."

Ending the call, you heard footsteps coming up the ship ramp. Cursing under your breath, you looked around for a spot to hide. Finding nothing, you looked up at the ceiling with a grimace. Jumping up, you wrapped yourself in invisible-harmless-look away and gripped a pair of pipes for dear life.

"The Otha isn't on this ship," one of the pirates grunted, entering the cockpit and doing a cursory look around. They never looked up.

"Of course they aren't, they wouldn't be stupid enough to come back here. They must be somewhere in the city waiting to steal a ship," the other pirate commented, checking quickly as well and overlooking you.

The two pirates quickly left. When you were sure they were gone you dropped from the ceiling and let out a sigh of relief. If they were expecting you to be in town then you'd have to get out, though that'd mean traveling even further away from Anakin and Obi-Wan...

Contemplating for a few moments, you decided that getting out of town was a better option even if it meant temporarily leaving the others behind. Darting out of the ship, you kept to the shadows and avoided the sparse population expertly. You'd have to thank Quinlan later for all the Shadow tips he'd given you over the years.

When you were out of the town and trying to decide where to hide out until reinforcements arrived, you spotted three tanks leaving the pirate compound heading toward seemingly nowhere. Confused and intrigued, you ran after them.

Having to draw energy from the Force after a while due to the long distance, you suddenly realized that the tanks might be going after the Republic ship that was supposedly shot down. If there was a need for tanks that meant that there were survivors!

Tired of simply following the tanks, you used the Force to leap onto one of them and cut into the side. The pirate driving startled and drew a blaster, but you simply pulled them out of their seat and threw them from the tank. Glancing behind you, you spotted the power lines that likely fed the city and had an idea. Taking over the controls, you spun the tank around and sent it full force at the power lines. Jumping from the tank before it could hit, you landed on the second and tuned out the sizzling explosion of the first. When you landed on the tank you had to dodge a blaster shot from a much more prepared pirate and stabbed your saber into the controls. Leaving that tank before things could go south, the loud crashing noise behind you signaled that it was taken care of.

"So you're the Jedi that escaped," the final pirate actually stood from their seat to fight you, and you took his confidence as a sign that he was the leader of the operation. Not wanting to deal with a drawn-out fight, you backed up to the edge of the tank and stepped off, gracefully rolling when you hit the ground to avoid injury. Pulling both yours and Obi-Wan's sabers from your belt, you lit them both and sprinted toward the tank, ducking under and running both sabers through the underbelly- no doubt severely damaging vital systems. Keeping up your run, the panicked shouts of the pirate and ensuing explosion signaled the end of that.

"General!" A group of four clones ran up to you, followed by Representative Jar-Jar Binks, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, if a bit tired from constant use of the Force," your head throbbed as if punishing you for reminding yourself of your probable Force exhaustion, "What's the status report on your group?"

"Senator Kharrus is dead, we gave him as proper of a burial as we could."

"And what of the Vode on the mission?" You asked, and the stark surprise in each of their Forcepresence's nearly made you flinch. The red on their armor marked them as Coruscant Guard, was their treatment so bad that they truly didn't think you'd care about them as well as the Senator?

"Our two pilots are dead."

Nodding, you said, "On the way back to Coruscant you'll be given proper time to grieve, of course. If it's my ship that we rendezvous with then I can introduce you to the Aay'han room."

Another burst of surprise, though you were more prepared for it this time. You'd have to speak to them about their conditions on Coruscant when you got the chance and perhaps speak to the Vode Council and your allies in the Senate as well to see if changes could be made.

"Representative Binks, I am glad to see you are well."

"Mesa so glad yousa be saven us," Jar-Jar replied with a surprisingly tact bow.

"I'm afraid Generals Kenobi and Skywalker are still at the base, we ran into some complications. We should hurry."

Your group rode friendly beasts native to the planet back to the pirate's compound, the spice being dragged behind you all. Sensing Obi-Wan and Anakin's presence fully, which meant the inhibitors were gone, you steered your creature in that direction.

"What chance do you really have, Jedi?"

"A very good one, Captain," you announced your presence, holding up Obi-Wan's lightsaber and allowing him to guide it to his hand. Anakin's was already in his hand and held against Hondo's neck.

"Ani! Obi!" Jar-Jar greeted joyously, "Mesa have arrived with the spicen."

"Excellent, Jar-Jar. Assuming the pirates still have Count Dooku to trade-"

A ship flew off from the compound, clearly holding Dooku inside. Well, there goes your best chance at ending the war early.

"Well, that answers that question."

"Commander Stone, can you start the ship's engine?"

Stone nodded and hurried inside the ship to get it ready for takeoff. You slid off your animal and directed the other soldiers to bring the remaining spice into the ship since you wouldn't be trading with the pirates anymore.

"So what now, Jedi? You're going to arrest me?"

"No, Anakin, release him."

"What?"

"Captain, you have nothing we want. And since we're not prisoners anymore, you have no bargaining power. Let's leave on even terms."

Anakin let Hondo go, and as soon as he was safe the pirates lifted their guns.

"Hold. Hold! Jedi, after everything, you're just going to walk away?"

"We have no quarrel with you and we seek no revenge."

Hondo nodded, seemingly impressed, "Indeed. Very honorable, Master Jedi."

Smirking, you walked up to your boys and added, "Captain you will find that the Separatists are not as forgiving, and they know where you live. Good luck."

Stepping inside the ship, you let out a sigh of relief as the ramp closed and you took off.

"As far as pirates go he was pretty okay," you shrugged.

"Yes, and something tells me that won't be the last we see of him."