Obi Wan and the Duchess

Chapter Nine: The Bargin

"Originally we had wanted to use you as a bartering chip for access to hyperspace lanes used by the republic," the man said. Satine looked nervously at the jedi that laid beside her. Her fingers pressing lightly on his neck, searching for the faint heartbeat.

"What changed?" Satine asked, looking around slowly.

"You've brought a jedi with you, more has opened up for us," he laughed, the lights began to dim and the stomping of droids was audible from where she sat.

"You don't know what you're doing, you'll just stir up more conflict," Satine said angrily. "This, this won't help you. It'll destroy you."

***

Anakin sat alone in the temple's garden, protected from the burning sun by the tree's cool shade. He felt the wind blow in his hair, twisting the curls together softly. He tilted his head to the side, eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly, then slowly his eyes opened. Above him stood Mace Windu with a serious expression written on his face. He nodded slowly at the young man sitting cross legged in front of him.

"Obi Wan is in trouble," Anakin said in a low voice.

"I sense it too, Skywalker," he said holding his hand out, helping the jedi to his feet. He nodded back towards the temple, and began walking, Anakin following closely behind.

"Master," Anakin questioned, prompting his elder to stop walking and to face him.

"There is something you need to know, Skywalker, it's about Obi Wan," Anakin nodded silently and followed Windu into the building and up into the empty council chambers.

"I sent Master Kenobi on a undocumented mission," Windu started, locking the doors behind him, "his orders were to protect the duchess while she took a diplomatic trip to Toola. It was a distress call from one of the Duchess' old academy companions. We lost the ship after it dropped out of lightspeed somewhere in Hutt territory. We've been unable to track the ship between then and when it landed on Toola a few days ago."

"I feel a great deal of distress from Master Kenobi, they must be in trouble," Anakin said.

"I would imagine so, I feel it strongly as well," Windu said, slowly walking to the edge of the room, peering out at the city-planet below.

"But we can't do anything, can't we," Windu nodded.

"It would only jeopardize the Duchess' diplomatic agreement," Windu stated.

"But master," Anakin began, "Obi Wan is in trouble so that would only mean that-" The two jediseised speaking when the room lit up in a soft blue hue. In the center sat a hologram of none other than Duchess Satine and Master Kenobi. They both wore binders on their wrists behind their backs. Kenobi laid on the ground, his hair flopped over his brow as he laid unconscious. The Duchess' head hung low, her hair hanging past her eyes and burn marks from blasters shone on her pants. The two observed the silent and near still image. Anakin stepped closer searching the scene more intensely every step he took.

"Is this," Anakin paused, words swimming around his head as he couldn't take his eyes off of his former master.

"Yes," Windu said solemnly.

"Master Jedi," the duchess' voice was shaky as she looked up slowly, her eyes looking at the two men. "Do not give in to his demands, let him kill us but do not give him what he wants. This is a trap, it's-" She screamed out in pain, electric shocks sparked around her body.

"That's enough from you," a figure stepped out from the side, hazing into the hologram. The man was dressed in a long and tattered coat that sported three unrecognizable badges over a shirt tucked into slacks and boots. The man held a small blaster, its twin was holstered to his side, and a large blaster was slung over his shoulder.

"Master Windu, am I correct," the man asked, looking down briefly at the unconscious Jedi.

"Master Kenobi has a rather high bounty on his head for sending him out into Separatist territory, don't you think," sarcasm was thick in his voice, taunting the Jedi as he had one of their own.

"There weren't any potential dangers when the Duchess came to us, the planet had been abandoned for years," Windu said.

"And that didn't raise any suspicions," the man laughed.

"Who are you and what do you want" Anakin asked, stepping forward with his eyebrows furrowed. Windu watched the young Jedi carefully.

"Ah, the padawan, Anakin Skywalker," he said, swinging around his blaster.

"You seem to know a lot about the Jedi," Windu said slowly taking his eyes off of Skywalker to look at the man in the hologram.

"They say it's wise to know your enemy," he said, his tone taunting witty. Anakin watched Satine look over at Obi Wan, he could feel her distress clearly. He reached out to his old master, searching for his consciousness.

"What do you want?" Windu asked harshly.

"The Duchess will give me the secret Mandalorian hyperspace lanes, and you, Master Jedi, will provide me with the secret bases that the Republic has set up," he stated very confidently.

"And what if we don't give you what you want?" Windu asked.

"Then he kills them both," Anakin said before the man could speak. He smiled and chuckled deeply.

"You're a smart man, Skywalker," the man said, his face showed impressed. "I hope the decision you make is the right one."

"Master Skywalker don't give him what he-" the hologram cut out.