The Makings Of Greatness | Obi-Wan Kenobi

A Job Gone Wrong

Vale's P.O.V.

I wake up with a pounding headache. Lifting my head, I realize that I'm inside a ship. Frowning at my surroundings, I try moving my arms but feel it tug against something. Peering above me, I see my wrists in restraints.

My restraints wrap around a pipe above my head that's connected to the ship. Scanning around the room, I recall what had happened before I woke up here. Cad Bane had shot me with a sleep dart last night after leaving Padme's apartment.

When I hear voices, I snap my head and notice the sounds coming from the cockpit of the ship behind closed doors. I scan the room one more time to make sure I'm alone before sliding my restraints on the pole to get close enough to the cockpit and hear what's being said. Ignoring the headache, I stay silent and listen to the conversation on the other side of the doors to the cockpit.

"This might be the easiest job we ever had."

"The job's not finished yet. Not until we hand over her to Darth Sidious... Alive." I hear Cad Bane's voice through the doors. "Until we do, we're not making a single stop."

"Really? That worried?" Another guy snort before chuckling. "What is the Chancellor's daughter going to do if we make a pit stop?"

"I'm not worried about her if we make a stop." Cad Bane snaps at the other guy, irritated. "The price on Valera's head is so high... Everyone is looking for her."

"The bounty on her head was ordered three days ago." The other guy pointed out confidently. "... And I have no doubt everyone else is still trying to figure out what Space Region she's in."

Tilting my head, confused, I try to make sense of their conversation. Why would Darth Sidious put out and reward for me three days ago? None of this makes sense. I've done nothing to piss off the Dark lord in the past two weeks.

If he put a reward six months ago for me, then I'd understand why. Though, these last two weeks I've done nothing but say at Coruscant to fulfill my duties as a member of the Jedi council. Shaking my head at the new information, I push past my confusion to plan my escape.

Glancing around, I see my jacket on a chair, but my saber and communication radio are nowhere in sight. To make matters worse, I don't see a single thing in this room I could use to my advantage. When I peer up at the pipe above me, I raise my eyebrow at an idea.

It's not the smartest, but it'll have to do under these circumstances. Relaxing my wrists and closing my eyes, I focus on nothing else but the pipe and the force. When I hear the pipe crackle as it bends from the force, I open my eyes and focus directly on the part that's bending outward.

It's slowly bending, and it grinds on itself. When a few small little cracks appear, I stop what I'm doing to make sure the cockpit isn't aware of my movement. When I hear nothing from the cockpit, I move quickly and quietly.

Not thinking twice about it, I move until my restraints are right on the cracked part of the pipe. I grab onto the part of the restraint loop over the pipe and jump. My feet land on the wall beside the pipe, making a loud bang and instantly I tug the pipe away from the wall.

Just as the pipe snaps, a red light goes off and a warning sound goes off in the ship. Smoke comes out of the pipe wildly and the ship shakes and jolts. I fall back loose from the pipe just as the cockpit doors open.

I hit the floor on my back and I hear someone come into the room, but because of the smoke filling the surrounding air, I can't see them. Pouncing to my feet, I hear through the smoke a familiar rough accent.

"Shouldn't have done that, little darlin'."

"Why? Scared of crashing, baby?"

I growl out with amusement as I see the top of his hat through the smoke. In the next second, I kick him in the stomach and swing my restraints over his head. Pulling back with all my strength, the metal restraints push against his neck as his back hits my chest.