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It was later going back to the Fetts’ room that Anakin frowned. Their belongings were missing; apparently, they had realized that something was guaranteed to go wrong now that he had showed up and decided to flee. Smart move, one could say. Even drawing up the viewscreen for their departure, he could already see them getting away.
He sighed, before running towards the ship. Because he would be damned if they got away that easily. Even now...
“Boba!” Jango shouted. “Get in the cockpit! I’ll hold him off!”
The boy obeyed, eyes wide with fear.
Even now, Anakin could not help but feel a twinge of doubt in him. How could he harm Jango Fett, when his son was nearby? But considering the assassination attempts on Satine’s life, which Jango was without a doubt a part of, he had to be brought in for questioning.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Anakin said, trying to keep his voice level, “But I will if I have no choice.”
Jango, of course, didn’t listen. Even now, grappling, fighting, and so on and so forth, even managing to sever Jango’s jetpack from him, Anakin realized, almost too late, that he was slipping towards the edge with Jango, with his feet tied as well.
Oh, not good --
Even now, it was a good thing that Anakin managed to right himself in time, but even that was cold comfort. He sighed, sliding back onto the deck, just as Jango ran towards Slave I and got on board, just as Slave I was about to take off.
But not before Anakin managed to toss a tracking device onto the ship. If only for luck. Sighing, soaking wet, and humiliated, Anakin stumbled back towards his ship. At the worried-sounding beep from R4, Anakin grinned, if wearily.
“I’m all right, Ar-Four,” he said, “I just...got into a bit of a scuffle.”
The astromech let out an almost disapproving-sounding whoo.
“Really, I’m all right. As long as we follow that ship, we’re going to be fine.”
It was long after a series of less than pleasant events, to say the least, that Anakin finally managed to file his report to the Council. He told them everything – about the army, about Taun We and Lama Su, about the differing accounts of Darth Tyrannus (whoever that was; even now, the name didn’t inspire confidence, and that was probably putting it mildly) and Lama Su (and even telling them this, he could not help but wonder – what if Lama Su had actually been Darth Tyrannus before he died? But he quickly brushed aside the thought. It was too ridiculous. The Council would have known if a Sith Lord was among them, after all…) calling Lama Su to create the clone army, versus hiring Jango Fett as the DNA code. He told them everything. When he finally finished, Master Windu spoke.
“If what you have told us is true,” he said, and Anakin could not help but flinch in annoyance at the words – did Master Windu think he was simply concocting this story for the sake of an elaborate prank? But he quickly, mentally, reproved himself – after all, Mace and the others on the Council were doing the best they could. They didn’t always agree with him – in fact, Anakin thought, it would be very rare when they did agree with him – but at the very least, their intentions were genuinely good. “Then the Republic is in trouble indeed.”
“Into custody, you must take this Jango Fett.” Master Yoda.
“I’m on my way right now.” Anakin paused. “There also seem to be a lot of Trade Federation ships around Geonosis.”
“Believe you do, that the Trade Federation may have a part in this?”
Beat.
“I have a hunch,” Anakin said. “I just hope I’m wrong.”
Long after his meeting, of sorts, with the Jedi Council, ended, Anakin turned towards R4-P17. “Arfour,” he said, “I have a bad feeling about this.”
R4 continued to beep.
“Maybe it’s just a coincidence,” Anakin said, “But if there’s anything you learn when you’re with the Jedi, it’s that there’s no such thing as coincidences.” He sighed. “I’m thinking the Trade Federation was trying to make up for its lost dignity at the battle of Mandalore. If they had any to begin with.”
R4 beeped again, sounding almost amused.
“Really,” Anakin said, “Considering their actions at Mandalore…they’re not the most intelligent criminals out there.”
R4 beeped, almost as if in agreement.
Anakin brought the ship in for a smooth landing. Even now, reaching out his Force senses, he could already feel the presence of the Trade Federation on the planet. And something else – something that felt too familiar.
Anakin furrowed his brow. Even that presence – and another presence he felt, even more powerful than the other – felt, almost unpleasantly, like the Dark Side. He already ached to whip out his lightsaber, but even now, he knew that he was here to get answers, not cause mayhem.
Not that he was necessarily very good at it. Obi-Wan was the calmer, more disciplined one. Anakin, meanwhile, preferred the plainness of combat.
It was taking out the supplies from the ship that he found something that would surely help him in terms of getting answers: a Stealth Generator. And a speech recorder.
Anakin grinned, almost in spite of himself. This…this he could do.
“Arfour,” he said, “Stay with the ship.”
Arfour beeped in disappointment.
“I know, I know.” Anakin gently, comfortingly patted his dome. “But I’m going to have to do this alone. And if trouble breaks out, you’re going to have to be ready.”
Arfour’s beep was more resigned-sounding, if no less disappointed.
“I’ll be back. Don’t worry.”
And Anakin activated his stealth generator, before sneaking up towards the nearest balcony to see what would come to pass.
It took a while for the Separatists to assemble. Even now, perched on the balcony, watching them assemble -- they seemed to come from all sorts of worlds, Anakin mused. All sorts of planets that were less than happy with the Republic to say the least -- Anakin waited, coiled with anxiety, holding the recorder, listening to Count Dooku speak about forcing the Republic to sign a treaty. He waited, up until...
“What about the Duchess of Mandalore?” Gunray’s voice was thick with impatience. “I won’t rest until I have her head on my desk.”
Anakin nearly dropped the speech recorder in shock – and, later, he realized, anger. He supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised that Gunray was trying to get some degree of vengeance for what happened at the Battle of Mandalore, but even so…
Breathe. Don’t blow your cover. Do your job.
“Patience, Viceroy,” Count Dooku said, in that smooth, gentle voice. “She will die.”
“Are you certain that this is the right thing to do?” The girl. The girl from Mandalore. The Sith apprentice. “Killing Duchess Satine will hardly recruit more worlds to our cause.”
“Padme, child,” Count Dooku said, ever so calm as always, “Those against Duchess Satine will turn to our side in time. And in turn, it will uproot the Republic. The Chancellor will have no choice but to go to war. It will be perfect.”
The girl, Padme’s, voice was quiet. “I still don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
Even now, perched on the balcony, Anakin knew he had to contact Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi. But how?
It was then that he took out the communicator, changed it into more of a typing format. If they heard him, he would be sorry. And the mission would be sorry as well.
He typed, trying to keep it as quiet as he could. Fortunately, the Separatists seemed so deep in debate that it drowned out Anakin’s typing. At the very least.
Still, he had to be quick. Never mind if the Separatists could hear him or not. He still had to be quick.
MASTERS,
NUTE GUNRAY IS BEHIND THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON DUCHESS SATINE KRYZE. COUNT DOOKU IS IN LEAGUE WITH THEM. THEY INTEND TO START A CIVIL WAR BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC AND THE JEDI.
I HAVE BEEN TO KAMINO. EITHER LAMA SU OR THE SITH LORD DARTH TYRANNUS (WHOEVER HE MAY BE) HAS ORDERED A CLONE ARMY CREATED. THE SITH APPRENTICE FROM MANDALORE, THE SURVIVING ONE, THE GIRL, IS ALSO HERE. SHE SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY ONE AGAINST ASSASSINATING SATINE KRYZE. THE ONE WHO DONATED HIS DNA FOR THE CLONE ARMY EXPERIMENT, JANGO FETT, IS ALSO HERE – I HAVE TRACKED HIM TO GEONOSIS. THE TRADE FEDERATION, HOWEVER, IS THE MOST PROMINENT IN SATINE’S ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION AND POSSIBLE CIVIL WAR.
SEND A COPY OF THIS TO BOTH MASTER OBI-WAN KENOBI AND CHANCELLOR PALPATINE. IT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
-ANAKIN SKYWALKER.
Barely repressing a sigh of relief, Anakin sent the message off, wiped his brow, shutting off the communicator. Even now, though, he could sense that the argument had died off, replaced by a tense silence. Dooku then spoke.
“I believe we have a visitor.”
Stang. Even now, Anakin wondered whether to flee, or to fight. On the one hand, fighting was in his nature. He was usually the type to draw a lightsaber, while his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, preferred not to fight – though when he did fight, few could match him. On the other hand, Anakin was not a fool – he knew that he had to get back to Coruscant before he was captured.
In the end, he chose flight.
Not that it was easy. Even now, slicing through Geonosians that flew at him in a seemingly endless swarm, Anakin was already fighting for the exit. Except --
Blaster bolts. Blaster bolts, flying at him. And then he felt a stasis field settle over him, and, aching, sore, defeated, humiliated, Anakin settled into unconsciousness.
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no subject
Date: 2012-09-12 04:45 am (UTC)Ooh, Jango stays alive. :)
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Date: 2012-09-12 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-14 12:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-14 03:52 pm (UTC)personal loans today
Date: 2012-11-08 04:06 pm (UTC)