“These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind.” Padmé said to Qui-Gon.
“Gambling, everything revolves around on betting on those awful podracers.” Shmi said at once.
Qui-Gon nodded in understanding, “Podracing. Greed can be a powerful ally, if it’s used properly.”
Anakin stood up in excitement, “I’ve build a racer! It’s the fastest ever. There’s a big race day after tomorrow, on Boonta Eve. You can enter my Pod…”
“Anakin, settle down, you know Watto won’t let you race.” Shmi reminded him.
“Watto doesn’t ussen have to know it is Anakin’s. Messa could claim it ussen mine and ussa sponsoring him to pilot it!” Jar-jar suggested.
“I don’t want you to race, Annie. It’s awful. I die every time Watto makes you do it.” Shmi said to her only son.
“But mom, I love it! Besides, the price money is enough to get the parts they need…” Anakin insisted.
“Your mother is right. Let’s drop the matter.” Qui-Gon supported Shmi then regarded her, “Do you know anyone friendly to the Republic that might help us?”
Shmi shook her head.
“Mom, you see the biggest problem in the universe is that nobody helps each other.” Anakin scowled.
“I’m sure Qui-Gon doesn’t want to put your son in any danger. We will find another way.” Padmé consoled.
“No, Annie’s right. There is no other way. I may not like it, but he can help you. He was meant to help you.” Shmi sighed heavily.
The group finished up their dinner as the violent sandstorm continues to ravage Mos Espa and the surrounding desert.
* * *
Jango Fett stared at the crackling fire before them as Cradossk devours his womprat raw. Aurra Sing stood by the edge of the cliff with her macrobinoculars watching the massive and powerful sandstorm over Mos Espa some ten kilometers from them.
“I will kill that Gungan the moment I see him again.” Jango growled.
“That’s the spirit kiddo.” Cradossk hissed.
“Something’s coming!” Aurra Sing warned them and Jango quickly put out the fire as Cradossk dropped his dinner and took his heavy repeater blaster at the ready.
The three took cover on one of the large boulder as a gleaming starship descended and landed just a few meters from where they were.
Aurra Sing recognized the Scimitar and went out of her hiding.
“What are you doing? Are you crazy?” Jango shouted at her.
“Relax. They’re friendlies.” Aurra Sing assured them.
Hesitantly, Jango Fett and Cradossk came out behind the boulder and stood behind Aurra Sing as the ramp of the sleek Sith Infiltrator descended.
A female strode down purposely and approached Aurra Sing while another hooded figure stayed at the foot of the ramp.
“Milady, we meet again.” Aurra Sing bowed.
“Aurra Sing, my kindred in the Force. And who are these?” Crimos asked.
“Cradossk, the Head of the Bounty Hunters Guild and Jango Fett, a new in the trade but a veteran and pure Mandalorian.” Aurra Sing introduced the two.
“Jango Fett. I have heard of you. You were the sole survivor of the Galidran massacre.” Crimos nodded at him.
“Only a handful knows of that.” Jango growled, his hand hovering on his blaster. The former Nightsister merely raised her eyebrow in amusement, her heterochromic eyes glinting by the firelight.
“True.” She nodded then returns her gaze at the fellow former Jedi, “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on Cato Neimoidia?” Crimos frowned.
“The Jedi they sent there has been dealt with. The Viceroy’s spy within the Royal Starship informed him they were heading here so they sent me to get the Queen. Who’s that?” Aurra Sing asked about the other hooded man by the ramp.
“He’s here to get the Queen and eliminate the rest. Where are they?” Crimos asked.
“Inside that sandstorm,” Aurra Sing pointed.
The hooded man started to approach them and with him were the probe droids.
“No need for that. We have their location marked, here.” Aurra Sing handed her datapad and Crimos took it and gave it to her companion.
“Does your friend here have a name?” Aurra Sing asked.
“Lord Maul.” Crimos grinned.
“Mandalorian, you can operate in zero visibility, correct?” Lord Maul asked Jango Fett.
“Yes.” Jango nodded, feeling unease with the cold dispassionate fiery yellow orange eyes of the Zabrak.
“Here’s what I need you all to do…” Lord Maul laid out his plan and the three bounty hunters listened intently as the Lady Crimos watched the sandstorm in its relentless assault on the town of Mos Espa.
* * *
“Your Highness, we have a coded transmission from Naboo. It’s not live, it has been sent an hour ago before the sandstorm began, we didn’t detect it because the interference started and the incoming queue tracker went off-line. We just got it up and running, would you like to see the message now?” Captain Olié reported through the intercom.
“Run the recording Captain.” Captain Panaka ordered.
Queen Amidala, Aluva, the Royal Handmaidens, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Captain Panaka and Captain Siege watched the holo of Governor Sio Bibble appeared at the center of the throne room facing the Queen.
“...left and right battles led by the resistance… …the death toll is catastrophic, we must bow to their wishes… …you must contact me…” the static filled incomplete transmission ended.
Obi-Wan stood and regarded the Queen and Captain Panaka, “It’s a trick! Send no reply, Your Highness. Send no transmission of any kind.”
“Captain?” Queen Amidala looked at Captain Panaka and asked for his stand in it.
“The Jedi is right. It’s just a ploy by the Trade Federation to discover our location.” Captain Panaka admitted.
“Captain Panaka, we have a problem…” Captain Ric Olié suddenly called out.
Captain Panaka and Captain Siege rushed to the cockpit and saw a black cloaked figure standing at the nose of their ship facing them and oblivious to the raging sandstorm around him.
Chapter 36: Intruders in the Sandstorm
Jango Fett activated his thermal sensors and ignited his jetpack and flew towards the sandstorm, from behind and below him Darth Maul rode his Razalon FC-20 speeder bike which he named Bloodfin after a fierce aquatic hunter from some remote hostile backwater world he’d been in the course of his training under his watchful and ever cynical Master.
Aurra Sing and Cradossk wrapped themselves in a tight cloak with hood and covered their face with a mask equipped with oxygen and thermal sensor goggles that Crimos had provided for them from the many array of gadgets on the weapons and tool storage of the Scimitar.
The Lady Sarc Crimos returned aboard the Scimitar and activated its long range anti-interference sensor scopes and locked it on the coordinates where the bounty hunter claimed the Naboo Royal Starship was. Once she got the lock and has confirmed that the starship was indeed in there, she began the preflight checks and primed the Sith Infiltrator in case they would need it to be airborne.
The virulent swirling winds and dusts slowed the flight of Jango Fett. He could barely keep a direct trajectory as the sandstorm’s force kept snatching him to its frenzy spin. Jango could feel the engines of his Merr-Sonn JT-12 jetpack groaning from the strain and the thrusters were starting to sputter.
He was still shy of three kilometers from the indicated position of the starship according to the tracker of his helmet’s HUD. Jang Fett calculated that if he kept pushing against the direction of the sandstorm his jetpack won’t last another click. Jango decided to allow the wind to push him in a spiral to make his progress easier. He steered his jet-pack in an inward spiral and despite its longer path, the sheer power of the wind propelled him tenfold.
In two minutes his proximity sensors beeped an alarm and the Mandalorian bounty hunter reversed his thrusters and beg
an his descent. Enhancing his thermal sensors he saw the Naboo starship just twenty meters from him. He aimed his wrist mounted grappling hook and aimed at the landing gear and then he moved his aim some five meters to the left against the wind and estimated his shot before firing. The grappling hook shot out and the blasting wind took it sideways as it kept going. Finally it reached the landing gear and clung into it.
Satisfied, Jango started to pull himself with the cable towards the starship.
Darth Maul strained to keep his bike in control as he traversed the distance towards his quarry. Upon reaching the underbelly of the starship, he took out a portable shield disruptor and fired repeatedly on the shields until he saw the sparks rippling on the hull indicating that the shield gave out.
He then leaped up on the nose of the starship and walked against the sandstorm towards the transparisteel window of the ship’s cockpit.
He saw the pilot got alarmed at his presence and the Jedi came to look and saw him. Darth Maul grinned at the sight of his inevitable first kill for the day.
Obi-Wan rushed to the cabinet of vacuum suits, the only one they got on board that could protect his face from the corrosive sandstorm, took one and began suiting up. Captain Hoff Siege made sure his suit was in perfect condition and that it’s oxygen tank is fully functional before giving the thumbs up sign at the Jedi. Obi-Wan rushed into the lower deck into the droid holding area and took the droid lift tube hatch.
The Jedi adjusted his visor then activated his magnetic boots as he emerged at the rear end of the starship and started making his way towards the unknown intruder.
Under them, Jango Fett finally reached the landing gear and secured himself there as he positions himself to face the closed ramp.
From behind the starship, Aurra Sing and Cradossk finally arrived and dismounted their swoops. The two lifted their repeater blasters and opened fire at the right radial sublight engine.
The starship shook at the barrage and Captain Olié tried to reactivate their shields. The shield generator sputtered once then died completely.
Aluva and Eirtaé came out from the throne room and nodded at Panaka.
“They want the Queen. We must not let them get through!” Panaka said and took out his blaster. Hoff rushed to the vac suit compartment and started distributing it to the others. Aluva and Eirtaé unceremoniously took out their robes and done their vac suits, Panaka came to assist them on sealing their suits and checking on their oxygen. Hoff was already in his vac suit as he handed another to Panaka.
Once ready, they all went to the droid hold to the droid lift tube.
Obi-Wan Kenobi now stood on top of the starship’s cockpit and saw the cloaked intruder still standing where he first saw him, he was waiting for him.
Darth Maul grinned as the Jedi emerged and he ignited one of his blades. The Jedi took on a fighting stance and ignited his own blue lightsaber.
The visibility was almost zero, only the Force-enhanced eyesight and senses of the two enabled them to discern each other.
Obi-Wan leaped and use the Force to control his jump and avoid getting blown away by the powerful winds as he came down to his opponent.
Darth Maul snarled and pivoted, swung left with his blade but let out his right foot flew behind his weapon. As the Jedi parried the blow, Maul’s boots impacted hard on the right shoulder of the Jedi.
Obi-Wan were thrown against the wind and his magnetic boots saved him from falling off the starship.
Aluva came out first and despite the swirling sands she made out a figure moving at the back of the ships, she took aim and fired, a fracture of a second later a return fire sizzled past some two feet to her left and she dropped on the smooth chrome surface of the ship and waited for another shot.
Eirtaé, Panaka and Siege came out and ducked as a barrage of laser bolts came at them.
Aluva saw two separate silhouettes where the series of laser bolts were originating, taking careful aim she chose to target the one nearest to her. On her right side, the others were also taking the pair of attackers in their gun sights.
Panaka nodded and they all opened fire.
Aurra Sing and Cradossk saw some movement above the starship and raised their repeater blaster rifles but a bolt came out from above first and missed Cradossk by a few inches.
Angered, the Trandoshan snarled and opened fire but Aurra Sing stopped him and the two slowly move away from each other, struggling in each step against the ceaseless pushing of the sandstorm.
Aurra Sing adjusted her helmet but her thermal sensors were unresponsive, she switched to night vision but that didn’t helped either. She reached out to the Force and barely got a read on the others, her elementary knowledge was scarcely sufficient for such task. She took a deep breath and focused until she caught the slightest touch of human presence then it disappeared entirely but it was enough for her to get a general sense of direction. She aimed her repeater blaster on that area, as she was about to pull the trigger, a flash of red appeared above and she was hit hard on her armor.
Cradossk hardly saw his companion flew backwards at the impact of the laser bolt. That same instant, a rain of blaster fire singed and drew the Trandoshan away from the starship.
“Cradossk jump!” Aurra Sing’s voice vanished in the howling winds of the sandstorm.
Cradossk heard her clearly and started to leap off of his position and he felt a searing heat blasted him father off the sands.
The Trandoshan got up and shook his head angrily as he discerned his swoop already in flames. Aurra Sing started to head towards Cradossk as the swoop behind her was also hit in the power core and blew up.
“You alright?” Cradossk asked as he pulled her up.
“I’ll live. Let’s go, I think we have distracted them long enough.” Aurra Sing shouted at the Trandoshan. Cradossk nodded and the two fought their way out of the sandstorm, Aurra Sing clinging to him while the Trandoshan uses every ounce of his strength to keep himself on the ground. Their progress was slow, but it kept them from getting lifted by the raging winds.
* * *
Jango Fett would have planted and detonated a bomb already on the ramp’s emergency release control to blow the hatch open but the tattooed Zabrak instructed him to be subtle and silent.
It took him longer than he expected to locate the emergency release control because it was built beneath a cover that entirely matches that of the starship’s smooth chromed hull. Jango used his laser cutter to remove the cover and started to pry the circuits to open the hatch and ramp.
When he was ready, he aimed his blaster and opened the hatch. The ramp hissed and the hydraulics pumped the hatch and ramp open. Jango silently ascended with his weapon trained and sensors probing. There was no one in the lower deck so he moved faster until he reached the lift tube leading to the cockpit.
The lift tube opened and he saw the crew busy at their work stations. Through the transparisteel viewport he saw a blur of blue and red light where the Sith Zabrak was engaging their quarry’s Jedi protector. He cautiously stepped forward and aimed at the captain first when his sensors suddenly hissed with static.
Jango winced at the hissing noise and that momentary distraction cost him his target. A hand shot out from his left and its steely fingers knocked the blaster from his grip. Jango turned and took out his other blaster but another solid chop landed on the back of his head. Simultaneous to that someone from his right kicked his shin and his abdomen in swift movements.
Dazed he lost track of how many times he was getting pounded by seemingly two to three attackers. He tried to fight back but they were precise and astoundingly coordinated. Something hit his helmet and the anti-glare of his visor was activated, his helmet’s viewer blacked out on him.
All the while Jango could feel through the left and right kicks, punches and chops that they were meticulously stripping him off of his weapons in the process.
One powerful punch hit him in the sternum, his armor hardly deterred his attackers and he fell on
his knees. Someone grabbed his helmet and removed it.
He saw four Royal Handmaidens with their blasters pointing at him from a safe distance. Captain Ric Olié was now standing before him with his own blaster.
“Bounty hunter, we will spare your life. But should you choose to resist they will kill you out cold. If you make another attempt after we freed you, we will no longer grant you this mercy and kill you and your companions. Do I make myself clear?” the captain said to him.
Jango Fett nodded. His pay wasn’t enough for such risk. He could still take them all down but he decided not to. Unless Aurra Sing strike a deal with larger denominations on their employer.
The Handmaidens led him back out of the ramp, their captain following closely behind. Jango was making his descent when one of the crew came out and fired at the captain.
Jango whirled to spring at the nearest handmaiden but a shower of stun bolts rained down on his unprotected body. The Mandalorian fell unconscious and rolled down the ramp into the sands.
That same moment, two of the handmaidens collided with the insider and easily subdued him. After securing the traitor they threw Jango out of the ship and closed the hatch before him.
Saché and Yané took their captain to the sick bay and with the help of the medical droid attended to his wound.
Rabé and Fé went to the throne room and informed Queen Amidala what has just happened.
Above the starship, Panaka, Siege, Aluva and Eirtaé assumed that the two attackers below were either dead or have retreated because after several minutes no one fired back at them. Panaka led them to the top of the cockpit and they saw through the swirling dust and screaming winds the faint silhouettes of the Jedi and his foe hardly illuminated by their blue and red lightsabers.
Panaka took aim at where the red blade was and the three followed his lead and waited for the two to separate.
Panaka whirled around at their back when he faintly heard beeps and hoots through the deafening sandstorm and saw blinking lights as their astromech droids ascended from the lift tube and made their way for repairs.
Turning back to the dueling swordsmen he saw that Obi-Wan were a few feet away from the other.
Panaka fired at the attacker and the others did so as well.
Darth Maul kicked Obi-Wan in the chest and threw him off again when his senses alerted him. The Zabrak whirled his blade as a bolt struck it. He then ignited his second blade as the barrage of laser bolts rained down on him.