The Delusions of Dreamers

Nine

They were almost to Cad Bane's ship when Qui-Gon gave Obi-Wan The Look, and they sprang into action.

The two Jedi whipped out their lightsabers and pointed them at Cad Bane's face before he could even pull the trigger on his gun.  The Duros went from startled to angry, glaring at the Jedi with those red eyes.

"We all know you aren't going to honor Jabba and let us go," growled the Padawan. "You're just going to sell us to someone else. Well, you were. Now, you're going to drop your weapons."

The bounty hunter spat at their feet. "Jedi scum." But he dropped his pistols in the sand.

"And handcuffs?" Obi-Wan curled his fingers as if to say, "hand them over." Bane grumbled and pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, giving them to the Padawan.

Obi-Wan clamped them around Bane's wrists while Qui-Gon kept his green saber in his face.  And before they made way to the ship, Obi-Wan plucked one of the blasters from the sand.  Maybe Satine could use it later.

When they arrived at Cad Bane's shuttle, the Jedi locked him in another room.  "You'll pay for this," the Duros grumbled as the doors were closing.  The Padawan rolled his eyes.  He had heard that plenty of times, and it was almost never true.

Then he sat down in the captain's chair in the cockpit, and Qui-Gon settled down next to him.

"Why didn't we save Satine right away?" asked Obi-Wan. Nothing had ever nagged at him this much before, and he was fidgeting all around in his seat.

Qui-Gon smiled. "Well, if we saved the duchess, we would have angered Jabba the Hutt. We don't want him as an enemy. Trade routes would be closed and whatnot." His Master narrowed his eyes. "Are you thinking straight, Obi-Wan?"

He chuckled, running a hand through his short, blond hair. "I guess not." He couldn't stop thinking about that awful look in Satine's eyes when they left her. She had seemed so hopeless and afraid. He hated seeing the strong, stubborn duchess like that. "So... what's our plan?"

Qui-Gon stood up and started searching the ship. "I'm sure Bane has some clothes in here that we can use as disguises."

After lots of snooping and opening boxes, Qui-Gon found a mask that completely covered his face and Obi-Wan was wearing a big, black coat.

He rubbed the fabric distastefully.  "I hate black." His Master just laughed.

The pair started walking down the ramp of the ship and across the sands, a soft breeze whispering in the air.  "Where do you think they have Satine?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"Probably in the dungeons," Qui-Gon answered.  "At least I hope so."

The Padawan giggled nervously.  "Usually, one does not hope for their friend to be locked away in prison."

The older Jedi just shrugged.  "Better than her being Jabba's little pet, sitting at his right hand."

Obi-Wan cringed.  "True." They were getting closer to the Gamorreans now.  "How are we going to get past them and into the dungeons?"

"The way we always do," Qui-Gon grinned.

Finally, the Jedi stopped before the disgusting pigs, causing them to snort and growl.  Their axes came down and made a huge "X", blocking the entryway.

Obi-Wan's Master slowly waved his hand in the air.  "You will take us to the dungeons, and if anyone asks, we are prisoners." The pig man on the left blinked slowly, and then he garbled something in Gamorrese.

The awful creatures lifted their axes, opening the doors to the palace.

When they got inside, Obi-Wan walked briskly and looked around anxiously.  He hoped Satine was okay.