Clone Wars High School AU - The Movie

Chapter 12: The Chase

"Padmé and I will follow him," Anakin said. "Ahsoka, can you stay here with Rotta?"

"What? But I can help-"

"You are helping, Snips." Anakin put a hand on her shoulder. "And you're still recovering from hitting your head. Someone needs to keep an eye on Rotta, okay?"

Ahsoka's shoulders slumped and her gaze dropped to the ground. "Okay."

"Thank you. Let's go, Padmé. You take your car, and I'll go on foot."

Padmé nodded, giving Ahsoka another smile before she and Anakin chased after Ziro.

Ahsoka stared in the direction they had gone for another moment, then went inside. Rotta had his arms wrapped around Artoo, clearly afraid.

"What's happening?" he whimpered.

Ahsoka kneeled in front of him. "It's okay, my friends are going after your uncle. We'll get you back to your dad."

An opening door brought Ahsoka's attention from Rotta.

"Uh... what's going on?" Cody asked, a tray of milkshakes in his hand.

"Ventress, where's Jabba's son? I've heard reports that he's been found by teenagers."

"I...lost track of him."

"Need I remind you that Jabba cannot find out it was us who kidnapped his son? We have to be the ones who return him, or Jabba will never join us."

"I understand. I will double my efforts."

"I hope so, for your sake."

Still searching for Ziro, Anakin nearly slipped on a large puddle. He quickly regained his balance, squinting his eyes in a futile attempt to make out his surroundings. The sun had mostly set, causing it to be very difficult to see.

Not that he cared to. He had no desire to relive old memories of Tatooine.

He turned on his phone flashlight and almost jumped out of his skin when he saw what was in front of him.

More like who.

"Dooku?" Anakin exclaimed. It had been a while since he'd seen the principal of Serenno High, and they had not parted on good terms. It was Dooku's fault that Anakin had lost his arm.

"Skywalker. I'll waste no time on pleasantries. Please surrender the child."

Anakin groaned in frustration. "Why do you all want this kid so much?"

"That is not your concern."

"Aren't you a school principal? Why do you involve yourself in these kinds of things?"

"I'm growing tired of this, boy. Where's Jabba's son?"

Anakin blinked. Jabba, the Jabba, had a son? He'd known Rotta was a Hutt, but Anakin had expected him to be the son of one of Jabba's distant relatives.

Though Anakin wasn't scared of Dooku, he knew what he could do. "The kid's not with me, sorry."

"What a shame."

Dooku was very quick for his age; he'd shoved Anakin to the ground - back into the puddle - before he realized what had happened.

"Get rid of him," Dooku ordered as his goons emerged from the shadows. Dooku then made his escape, practically disappearing right in front of Anakin.

I'm so done with all this.

Padmé had spotted Ziro multiple times and informed the police whenever she did. She made sure to check with them before speeding or trespassing. She suspected they only allowed her to break these rules because they had spent so long trying to catch the Hutts.

Finally, she saw Ziro enter a warehouse, and she could no longer follow him by car. She parked close by and called the police one more time, telling them of Ziro's location.

Padmé began to record as she snuck into the seemingly abandoned building. Though it was very dark, she couldn't risk turning on her flashlight. She just hoped to at least get an audio recording.

As she wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of cigarette smoke, faint sounds of conversation reached her ears. She crouched behind one of the support beams in the warehouse, peering into the only part of the building that was lit. Padmé could make out two figures standing under the light.

"Your plot is coming apart, Dooku! The boy was found by teenagers, and they seem to have an idea about what we're doing. What if they find out I helped you kidnap Jabba's son?"

"Don't worry. I have convinced Jabba that these teenagers are the ones who kidnapped his son."

Padmé stifled a gasp. Though she hadn't personally met Dooku, she'd seen what he'd done to Anakin.

"When the teenagers go to return his son to him, which I'm sure they'll do, he'll have them . . . taken care of. I'm sure they've already alerted the police, so once Jabba is arrested, you, my friend, will be left to take control of the entire Hutt Clan."

"Then the plot against my brother has succeeded. But what of Jabba's son?"

"I doubt he'll remember any of this when he's older. I'll have him placed in an orphanage."

Something gripped Padmé around the arm. Whirling around, she slammed her heel into her attacker's foot. At the sound of his cry, Ziro and Dooku turned in surprise.

Another man, this one much larger than the first, took hold of both of Padmé's arms, bringing her into the light. Her phone was knocked from her hands in the chaos, but she hoped it would continue to record.

"Dooku," Padmé greeted coldly.

"Ms. Amidala, I presume?" Dooku replied, his expression almost bored. "I've heard many things about you. You're the top debate student at your school, yes?"

"I was just leaving," Padmé said, hoping for a small chance to escape.

"I'm sorry, that cannot be permitted now." He turned his attention to Ziro, who was glaring at Padmé. "This particular girl is well admired by her teachers and peers. As such, she is very valuable. If you hold her for ransom, they will pay a handsome price for her."

Ziro hummed thoughtfully. "I like the sound of that. You!" he addressed the man who still had a hold on Padmé. "You know where to take her."