Title: Star Wars Episode II: Rise of the Twin Suns (5/?)

Author: Opal Lynn (opal . lynn gmail . com) For more updates, spoilers and images from the story, please visit tsrii . livejournal . com

Rating: PG-13

Characters/Pairings: Anakin/Padmé, Obi-Wan, Darth Nathema (OC), Reysuu (OC)

Category: AU, Action, General

Disclaimer:This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Lucasfilm, Ltd. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.

This Chapter:  Obi-Wan is unexpectedly entangled, and everyone gets in way over their heads.

Author's Notes: Sorry, I know my chapters are quite long for fanfic... but I'm planning this to be about as long as a 'real-life' novel, so expect long chapters, it's part of the deal. :D This chapter took a while because I was busy moving back to college from spring break and I have lotsa homework I didn't do... oops.

This chapter is all one, continuous piece without scene breaks, which might just be a first for me.  I had a lot of fun with this chapter because there's a bit of everything in it: awkward advances, action, humor, certain death, you name it.  Have fun reading! 

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F I V E
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"I don't know what you're doing hiding back there, but you can come out."
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Obi-Wan practically jumped out of his skin.  Normally, he vested great pride in his ability to avoid unpleasant jolts, but the dancing girl had taken him completely by surprise, and he was ashamed to find his heart thundering and adrenaline blinding his eyes.   How on earth had she seen him?  The curtain was blocking him out, surely. 
"What are you doing back there?"  She repeated, getting up from the couch and moving towards the antechamber.  "Shy?"

Before he could do anything, think of anything, formulate any sort of excuse, she whipped back the curtain and they were suddenly face to face.  From this short distance he noticed that she was quite young; probably around Anakin's age, and she was reeking of sweat from her excursions in the arena.  Furthermore, she was quite tall; on equal footing with Obi-Wan if not a few inches higher.  But there was something else about her... something bizarre, that made him nearly do a double take.  Unfortunately he couldn't place what it was that made her so strange, and he was left with nothing but an uneasy feeling as they continued to stare at one another.

A grin ticked her face and she leaned against the narrow door of the antechamber, evaluating him.

"No reason to hide back here.  You don't scare me."  Her eyes raked him head to toe.  "No, not scared at all."

Obi-Wan gulped, unsure of what to make of her reaction.

For a few more agonizing moments, she simply looked at him, her gaze roving over him again and again as that impish grin spread wider across her face.  Even without the horns, she looked every bit a feral beast.  With a sinewy motion, she reached out and took his forearm in her hand, leading him from the antechamber.  Her fingers were hot, sweaty, and caked in old blood, and Obi-Wan felt a little nauseous.  Something was distinctly wrong here.

She steered him toward a lowered bed of pillows and padded mats in the center of the main chamber and gently pushed him down until he was lounging against the sea of cushions.  He was getting more and more distressed by the minute, the nauseous feeling in his stomach twisting every time she swept him with her gaze.

"Are you comfortable?" she asked as she walked around the pile of cushions, her eyes never leaving him.

Obi-Wan nodded awkwardly, bewildered.

"Would you like a drink?  Music?  Dancing?"

Obi-Wan tried to look unfazed, but he was sure some confusion must have leaked into his expression, because she cracked that feral grin again and knelt down beside him.

"You're nervous," she whispered, her hands luxuriously massaging his shoulders.  Obi-Wan could not help but tense up immediately.  Physical contact with others was rare - if unheard of - in Jedi life; and he had certainly never been unwillingly groped by anyone, particularly not by a half-naked slave girl who was whispering in his ear.  However, he saw no easy way of disentangling himself from the situation without revealing that he had illegitimately sneaked into her chambers (and into the palace), and he was hoping against hope that an opportunity for escape would present itself soon.  However, within a few moments of the slave's unwanted ministrations, he was so distraught and confused that he barely noticed as she slipped off his cloak and slid her hands beneath the neck of his tunic, her fingers gently touching his chest.  She laughed and settled closer against him.

"You're very nervous..." she murmured, her hot breath skating along his neck.  "But so very beautiful because of it..."

What could he do?  He could think of nothing; his mind was a clouded wreck.  By the Force, why had the Sith led him here?  Perhaps it was some sort of trickery; meant to soften his defenses and make him weak... perhaps she was trying to gain some sort of ground.  Obi-Wan steeled himself, but the slave girl did not abate.  Still sensing his overwhelming resistance, she gently pushed him against the cushions and came around to meet him face to face again, her knee between his legs.  He tried to remain calm, but every time she moved he flinched, every time she touched him he stiffened.  Would it be wiser to play along or to throw her bodily away?  He had seen her in the arena and knew she was no weakling, but was he truly so afraid to fight her, if it came to that?

"Relax..." she suggested, "Just enjoy..."  She pressed her long body against him and he shut his eyes, trying to think of something far away.  Even the Sith would be easier to handle than this mess.  What in the world had he fallen into?  Her hands caressed his face and he could feel her inching closer... he had to get away... had to get out of this...

"You're different..." she murmured, as if to herself, and his eyes opened in surprise.  She was looking at him with an inscrutable expression, and then she smiled, much softer than before.  "very different..."

And then without much warning, she was kissing him.  He wasn't even paying attention to the sensation - he was too dumbstruck by the feeling that had washed over him when their lips had touched.  He couldn't name it... couldn't place it... but it was familiar and it was strong.  There was something about her, something weird and wrong and so jarringly familiar.

He was just reaching up his hands to push her away when someone came through the door and shouted something very loudly in Huttese.

To his immense relief, the girl was off him faster than you could say, 'this ship's quick, slick.' In the blink of an eye she was suddenly crouched defensively, holding a jagged knife in her hand.  Where the knife had come from was an utter mystery to Obi-Wan, but he was glad she'd mysteriously conjured it because two twi'lek girls and a unpleasant assortment of gamorreans and helmeted henchmen were coming through the doorway.

The posse shifted and pushed forward two figures, which the twi'leks and their companions held fast.  Obi-Wan sighed inaudibly when he saw that it was without a doubt Anakin and Padmé in disguise.  Even Artoo had been apprehended, restrained by a bulky guard who had affixed a nasty-looking droid taser to Artoo's abdominal section. The astromech's silver dome was spinning frantically as he spat angry chirps at his captors, shifting from side to side in an attempt to break free of the taser.

Luckily, Anakin and Padmé knew better than to show any resistance at this stage, and Obi-Wan understood enough basic Huttese to follow what was was being said.

"These two are looking for Tarlan Voss!"  Hissed one of the identical twi'leks.

"Never heard of him."  said Reysuu poisonously.

"We think you have," said the other, and she threw an assortment of stolen identification cards at Reysuu.  Reysuu cautiously gathered them up and looked at Voss' picture.  A flash of recognition flit across her face, quickly suppressed.

"I've never seen this man before.  Whoever these idiots are, its got nothing to do with me.  Get out of my chambers, NOW."  She flashed the knife dangerously, whizzing it past the twi'lek's dainty ankles.

"Who is that?"  asked one of the girls menacingly, pointing at Obi-Wan.  Anakin, Padmé and Obi-Wan were all trying very hard not to look at one another and still try to communicate some sort of plan of escape.

"Don't be thick, you know perfectly well.  Now get out."

"But we have just checked with Lord Mondula," bit one. 

"he says that he has sent no one to your chambers.  He has arranged no meeting for you today." jeered the other.

This news apparently came as a shock to Reysuu, because she dropped her guard for the briefest second.  But even that was enough time for the twi'leks to gain the upper hand.  One of them hit her squarely in the jaw and the other kneed her in the back; and she collapsed to the floor, her breath stolen away.  Grimacing with unrestrained anger, Reysuu tried to stand again, but one of Mondula's henchmen extracted a small remote, activating a switch which caused her slave collar to crackle and fizz with energy.  Gritting her teeth against the sudden pain, she sank back to the floor, unable to scream out. The collar fizzled for a few seconds more and then relented, and one of the twi'leks grabbed Reysuu's hair and yanked her head back to keep her in check.  Though Reysuu made no audible sound, she swallowed thickly and a tear trickled unbidden from her blazing, angry eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye Obi-Wan noticed Anakin shifting against his captors; he was grinding his jaw and clenching his fists as he watched Reysuu's degradation, and Obi-Wan could feel his anger seeping dangerously across the room.  Obi-Wan caught his Padawan's eye and mentally urged him to calm down; there was nothing they could do.  Anakin relaxed fractionally, his mind clearing just enough to make Obi-Wan feel more comfortable.

Meanwhile, the other twi'lek girl had begun tearing through the chamber in search of something.  It was not long until she found what she was looking for... credits.  All sorts of credits from all sorts of systems hidden amongst the cushions and rugs.  Reysuu's eyes widened in shock, her mouth going slack for a moment before tightening into a ferocious scowl.   The twi'lek gripping her hair tore her head back even farther and hissed, "what is the meaning of this, Reysuu?"

Reysuu tried to throw the twi'lek off - she actually managed to flip the yellow-skinned slave to the floor and then nearly kicked her in the face - but the collar was activated again and Reysuu fell to the floor in unwilling submission.  The twi'lek with the credits threw them in Reysuu's face and wrenched her to her feet again before shoving her into the clutches of the gamorrean henchmen. 

With Reysuu successfully apprehended, the twi'leks turned on Obi-Wan.  Since he could do nothing that wouldn't seriously expose himself and compromise the Queen's safety, Obi-Wan remained calm and submissive while they searched he robes.  As expected, they took his lightsaber and some of the more useless things on his utility belt.  But inexplicably, they found plastic credits in his robes - credits that he himself had never put there.  Though she was weakened and defeated, Reysuu briefly raised her head to peer at Obi-Wan's confiscated lightsaber.  Her entire body tensed at the sight, and she flitted her eyes to Obi-Wan, her face utterly stricken.  After meeting his gaze, which was confused and unresponsive, she let her head fall forward once more. Her tenacious survival instinct seemed to have been wholly drained from her body; she had given up.

The puzzle pieces suddenly snapped together and hit Obi-Wan as forcibly as a blow to the gut.  Voss' Potential was Reysuu... this dancing girl was the Potential whom the rogue Jedi had messaged the council about. Reysuu seemed to know the Jedi were after her, or at least after Voss, and apparently she knew it was a battle she wouldn't win... that is, if she survived the wrath of her Hutt master.  The mess was starting to come together, and it was getting uglier by the minute. He knew now that the Sith had sprung her trap without even being present, he only wished he knew just what her trap meant.  What did the Sith want with them all?  And why here, why now?  What was the meaning of it all?

Obi-Wan grit his teeth and endured as a pair of Mondula's grotty henchmen took hold of him and hauled him to his feet.  The time for action would come later; probably in the very arena that had been the backdrop for the Sith's skillful distraction and baiting.  All together, the pitiful band was hauled away.  The troupe of henchmen and goons steered Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padmé and Reysuu down through the servant warrens into a dank and reeking prison quarter.  Here the four of them were thrown together into a small earthen cell with a single tiny window and a solid duracrete door which slammed ominously behind them - locking them inescapably inside.

Obi-Wan was the first to speak. 

"You killed Voss, didn't you?"  He was looking straight at Reysuu, who was hunched against the far wall, motionless.  His voice was entirely unemotional, flat as he could force it.  Reysuu showed no signs of hearing him, she remained still - staring lifelessly at an empty corner of the cell.  Obi-Wan could hear Anakin rustling about, and sensed that he was about to speak, but Obi-Wan held up his hand, swiftly cutting him off.  He never took his gaze off of Reysuu, analyzing her for any glimpses of admission.

"Why did you kill him?  Because he was a Jedi?"

The word 'Jedi' seemed to break her from her stupor, because she slumped to the floor, wincing.  Though she still did not look up from the corner, she spoke to him in a quiet, bitingly cynical voice.

"He was a Jedi.  Like you."  She paused and seemed to search her thoughts.  "It wasn't my fault, it was him or me.  He was an idiot who was too drunk to know what the hell he was doing. He was trying to force me out of the palace, but if I get too far from Mondula this thing," here she gestured at her slave collar, "will kill me.  Like I said, it was him or me.  I chose me."  She picked at her fingernails, scraping at the caked blood on her cuticles. "Are you going to kill me, is that it?  A life for a life?  Well, don't bother, we're all going to be dead within the hour.  It'd be a waste of time, what little we have..."  she paused.  "You know, despite your unbelievable reputation, you people sure are sloppy."

Taken aback, Obi-Wan gaped, "Sloppy?"

She finally looked at him, her face dripping with condescension.  "Yeah, SLOPPY.  Your friend Voss was certainly no genius.  And you call this a discreet operation?  If you were sent here to kill me, to get revenge like everyone said you would, you sure as hell did a bang up job."  She looked at him, waiting for a response.  Flabbergasted, Obi-Wan could think of nothing.  And so she continued, looking back down at her nails and muttering. 

"Credits?  Why would you plant credits?  Sure, you've incriminated me as a smuggler, but you've incriminated yourself as an accomplice!  Why didn't you just do away with me yourself and save the trouble of a public execution?  And your lightsaber?  Why would you EVER bring your lightsaber?  That's just plain stupid."

Obi-Wan curled his lip disbelievingly.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"We didn't come here to kill anyone," interrupted Anakin unexpectedly.  Obi-Wan glanced over at him in surprise.  Anakin was sitting on the opposite side of the cell, his arms resting on his knees.  Padmé was staring out the tiny cell window, lost in thought, no doubt trying to formulate an escape plan.  The slit of a window was so high that the queen was just barely tall enough to see out of it.

Anakin continued.  "The Council asked us to investigate what happened to Voss, but they would never ask us to kill anyone."  Anakin paused and his voice became softer when he added, "We don't do that."

"Oh, so now you're a Jedi too?" Reysuu threw her head back in disgust. "Is everyone here a bloody Jedi?"

Padmé briefly looked away from the window and glanced at Reysuu, but said nothing.  She chewed the inside of her cheek and looked away again, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"He's right," Obi-Wan began, his voice glassy.  "We did not come here to kill you.  In fact, I think all of us have been misled into some sort of trap.  There is something more to this, and if a single one of us ends up dead I will be very surprised."

"Of course you won't be surprised, you'll be DEAD!"  barked Reysuu.  "And what the hell are you talking about anyway?" she demanded, her voice agitated.  "Any minute Mondula's guards are going to come back and lead us to the arena, where they'll tie us down, knock us out, cut off our hands or... worse, and then they'll let out Mondula's pets for a live afternoon snack.  None of us stands a chance.  Especially you," here she paused and cocked an eyebrow at Obi-Wan, "considering your less than exemplary track record."

Obi-Wan fought back the urge to throw his hands up in frustration.  Instead he said, "You don't have to believe me. It makes no difference if you do."  He looked at Anakin and caught his eye.  "But the Sith meant for this to happen.  They want something from us."  He cautiously turned back to Reysuu.  "And from you."

Reysuu shrugged and leaned her head against the mouldering wall, closing her eyes.

As Reysuu had predicted, it was not long until Mondula's guards returned to fetch them.  Each one of the prisoners was slapped with shackles and forced to trudge down the gloomy corridor surrounded by henchmen.  To Obi-Wan's relief, the guards were all gamorrean, and they all seemed to be alone in a long, poorly lit corridor - making his next job a lot easier.  Obi-Wan sidestepped closer to the leader of the group, intent on retrieving his lightsaber.  He could see that the leader -  a big, hulking tusky lump - had Obi-Wan's lightsaber tucked haphazardly into his belt and had attempted to cover it with a cloth.  Obi-Wan was not stupid enough to suppose that the guard had been entrusted with the weapon; he knew that Mondula would have demanded it for his own. How the moronic guard had managed to swindle the clever twi'lek girls out of the valuable weapon Obi-Wan had no idea, but he imagined it had a lot more to do with the gamorrean's gigantic axe than with his tiny brain.

"You should not have stolen that from Mondula, it will cause much trouble for you."  Said Obi-Wan to the guard, focusing every fiber of his being into bending the gamorrean's mind.

As a testament to Obi-Wan's persuasive abilities, the guard did not automatically lop off Obi-Wan's head with his heavy rough-hewn axe and instead grunted in rough, poorly constructed basic, "What matter it for you?" 

"It must have been a lot of trouble to steal it; you must have been very clever to pull it off."  The gamorrean grunted noncommittally.  "It would be a shame for all of that hard work to go to waste.  What if someone were to steal it from you?" 

The gamorrean halted, clenching his axe threateningly.  He snorted, "Urch clever much more than all others.  Urch will keep safe." 

Obi-Wan decided to risk it and pull out the sort of logic that would fool only the simplest mind. 

He gulped imperceptibly - thinking of that massive axe - and offered, "Ah, yes.  But if you are indeed so clever, then everyone will know it was you who stole it.  They will think, only Urch could be so smart, surely he must have it.  And then they might attack you and steal it back, ruining all of your hard work and profit.  It would be much safer to hide it somewhere else, where no one will expect."  Obi-Wan moved his shackled hands slowly, under the guise of re-adjusting his robes, focusing all of his energy into the motion and hoping it would win the guard over.

Luckily it seemed to work.  Urch made a distressed noise in his snout and asked dimly, "Where Urch hide safely?"

Obi-Wan moved closer, whispering conspiratorially to Urch. Again Obi-Wan shifted his fingers in order to wipe the gamorrean's mind with the Force.  "You could give it to the little one, the female."  Obi-Wan looked back at Padmé and met her eyes, cuing her to listen to his next words.

"No one will expect her to have it.  And when we are all dead, you can take it back from her body."  Obi-Wan directed Urch's gaze to Padmé, who was utterly dwarfed by everyone present. The guards towered over her, and Anakin and Reysuu - who flanked her on either side - stood a whole head taller each.  Obi-Wan hoped that Urch would place enough stock in physical size to buy the ruse.  The hulking guard looked over his shoulder at the Queen, scrutinizing her fiercely.  Of course, Padmé was unfazed by the gamorrean's stare - it would take much more than the glance of a single hulking guard to ever frighten her - but Obi-Wan locked eyes with her and telepathically suggested she cower.  Fortunately the Queen caught on immediately; she gave Obi-Wan a tiny nod of recognition and then suddenly balked under Urch's gaze, pretending to back away.

Urch turned back to Obi-Wan and nodded.  "Plan is good.  Weak she-one can hide good the prize."  Urch stopped walking and motioned the other guards to continue, pulling Padmé out of the group as they passed.  With an astonishing lack of subtlety Urch prodded and lifted at the Queen's tunic, trying to find the best hiding spot.  He settled on a pocket on the inside of the mechanic's vest she wore, and though Obi-Wan balked at the obvious lump the lightsaber produced (only the blindest of idiots would fail to notice the bulge against Padmé's petite body), he said nothing and feigned approval.  He would find a more successful hiding place as they walked.

"Urch's prize safe.  Urch make sure you die less hurting than others," offered the Gamorrean, slapping Obi-Wan on the shoulder in a gesture of supposed reassurance.

"Thank you, that is very generous," replied Obi-Wan.  The guard turned away from them and returned to his post at the front of the group.  Obi-Wan could hear the familiar din of the arena growing closer, and he took the last few seconds they had left to help Padmé readjust her robes and hide the lightsaber more convincingly.

"That was brilliant," she muttered softly, leaning towards his ear. Anakin quickly glanced over his shoulder and gave Obi-Wan a quick thumbs up before sending his master a telepathic message: Anakin had hidden his own lightsaber inside R2-D2, who - although apprehended - was still in one piece with no one the wiser.  Obi-Wan smirked at his apprentice, relieved.

"But what are you going to do?" Padmé asked, a tiny scrap of fear leaking into her voice. "You can't use your lightsaber.  The Hutts cannot prove you are a Jedi unless they see you wield a Jedi's weapon in battle.  The treaty is safe as long as we are not."  She paused and placed a friendly hand on his arm, her manacles rustling.  "Even with your silver tongue I doubt you can talk us out of this one."

Obi-Wan smiled at her grimly, knowing she was right.

The painfully white glare of sunlight suddenly spilled across their faces as the guards led the group of prisoners through an archway onto the earthen, blood-stained arena floor.  The crowd was sparse but rowdy; whomever had been drunk or bored enough after Reysuu's last fight had remained behind and were now impatient for more gory entertainment.  From this vantage point, the arena seemed staggeringly immense in scale, and as Obi-Wan glanced around at the spectator tiers he had to concentrate quite hard to maintain a sense of perspective without getting dizzy. As expected, Mondula was relaxing in his spectator box, awaiting the execution. He looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

The gamorreans made quick work of the prisoners.  Anakin and Obi-Wan they shackled to iron loops in the floor with short lengths of chain, before beating both master and apprentice solidly in the abdomen, robbing them the Jedis of their breath.  Anakin sank to one knee, coughing, and Obi-Wan staggered, barely maintaining his ground.  Although the guards removed Reysuu's shackles, she was quickly rendered defenseless when her collar was activated once more, forcing her to drop to the dusty floor gagging in pain.  The guards paid the least attention to Padmé, merely leaving her shackled and weaponless on the floor - partially because they assumed she was the smallest and weakest - but mostly because Urch was making sure no one damaged his hidden prize. Padmé's shackles would slow her down, but unlike the rest of the prisoners she had a free range of motion.  And she had a lightsaber. Obi-Wan smiled to himself, ignoring the rattling pain in his chest. They would get out of this yet.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt a wave of fear wash over him; chilling and soaking him as throughly as a torrent of ice water.  He turned to Anakin, who had clearly felt it too.  Padme seemed particularily effected - she had suddenly knelt to the arena floor, holding her arms up in fearful defense.  Utterly without cause or explanation, Obi-Wan's heart clenched and spasmed wildly, his blood surging through his ears in a rush of dread panic, and he knelt forward against his will, hoping for release. Struggling against the inexplicable onslaught of emotion, he glanced up at the crowd and his stomach doubled over.

The entire crowd had descended into a panic; what few sentients were left had gone utterly berserk, climbing over one another in a mad dash for escape from some unknown threat. By now, the continued effects of unfiltered fear were beginning to rob Obi-Wan of his composure; he fell to his knees as if dragged down by force, his hands raising to his temples. He could hear Padmé's voice in the back of his mind, muffled as if she were projecting from a great distance.

“What's happening... to... us?” said the voice. But it was growing dim; lost in the shadows... in the darkness...

Obi-Wan sensed his Padawan was on the brink of loosing consciousness, and Obi-Wan felt his own life-force draining inexplicably away... slowly fading into darkness... soon it would all be over... nothing more to be afraid of... into the darkness... slipping...

“The... Sith...”

Who had said it?

In the darkness, all of the voices blended together: the screaming of the crowd, Reysuu's agonized choking, Padmé's confused mutters, Anakin's helpless grunts.

But no matter who said it, it was true. The feeling of panic suddenly lifted, now understood. With a sudden burst of clarity, Obi-Wan understood. The Sith witch had never left the planet at all... this was her skill. Though her lightsaber technique was lacking and weak, Obi-Wan saw now that her true power rested in her ability to manipulate the Dark Side – to hide herself in the blackness of the Force and project fear, panic and confusion onto the minds of others. Hers was a much more dangerous power... much more.

Obi-Wan wrenched his eyes open with a shout of surprise and was blinded by the arena light. As his eyes adjusted, his hearing returned, and the sounds of the arena reached him before the spectre. Screams, enormous thundering feet, unfamiliar animal cries, and then...

“Artoo?” Obi-Wan had scarcely been so relieved.

The droid had broken free of his captors – the two golden twi-leks – and was now rushing over to the prisoners, emitting shrill squeaks of alarm. The twi-leks were preoccupied with the panicked spectators and could not pursue the droid, though they struggled as hard as they could against the crowd. Their efforts were rendered utterly futile in the next second when out of nowhere several gigantic and monstrous creatures lumbered onto the floor and spectator tiers as if from nowhere; having been released from their subterranean pens by some unknown force, which sent the crowd into utter chaos.

“Artoo, quick!” barked Obi-Wan, holding out his hands and jostling his chains. Artoo whirred loudly and zapped Obi-Wan and Anakin's shackles with one of his many useful attachments, and the heavy iron links dropped to the dirt. The droid repeated the procedure on Padmé's manacles and she quickly handed Obi-Wan his lightsaber. He clipped it to his belt resignedly, knowing he couldn't use it without jeopardizing them all further.

"Anakin!  Here is our chance!"  The arena had broken into a tumultuous wreck.  The enraged beasts were careening through the spectators, bodies flying along with the sand and dust beneath the creatures' monstrous, flailing limbs.  Mondula's guards were busy scrambling away from the panicking crowd and rabid creatures, but the Hutt was paying them no attention; his eyes were preoccupied with something on the area floor.

Obi-Wan grabbed Padmé's trembling arm and pulled her to his side protectively; apparently Padmé had not yet managed to shake the Sith's spell of fear, and Obi-Wan didn't want her doing something foolish in her manipulated state of mind.

"Anakin, we must flee, NOW!" Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin's shoulder with his free hand, but his apprentice wouldn't budge. Anakin's back was turned and his silent gaze was directed to the ground, as if he were deaf and blind to the deadly cacophony around them.

Suddenly, Padmé released a shuddering breath and whispered in terror, "Oh no!"

Obi-Wan followed Padmé's gaze and his eyes settled on the same sight which held held Mondula, Anakin and Padmé all transfixed: the writhing body of Reysuu. 

Though it struck his heart cold, Obi-Wan knew that they had no choice.  To intervene would be to commit suicide, not only for themselves but for the fragile Republic.  With Adi Gallia's warning not to reveal themselves ringing like a death knell in his brain, he tugged more forcefully on his apprentice's shoulder.

"Anakin, for the sake of the Republic, we cannot intervene! We must go NOW!"  Anakin glanced over his shoulder, a momentary and fleeting glance not at his master but at Padmé, who was clutching Obi-Wan's sleeve.  Padmé turned from Anakin's gaze, siding with Obi-Wan.  When he saw that neither of them would come to the girl's aid, Anakin turned away and stared at Reysuu's convulsing form.  Her hands clawed at her throat where her collar encircled her neck and she gasped for air, her heels digging pitifully into the dusty ground in her fruitless attempt to hold on to her life.

After a brief second of hesitation, Anakin turned to Artoo and held out his hand. Obedient as always, the droid ejected Anakin's lightsaber and the weapon flew into Anakin's waiting palm.

"NO!  Anakin you CAN'T!"  Obi-Wan tried to grab his Padawan's hand and stop him, but Anakin refused to be deterred. To Obi-Wan's shock, Anakin threw up his free hand and blasted his master away with the Force. Padmé lost her grip on Obi-Wan sleeve as he was ripped away from her and tossed several feet backwards, stuttering to a halt on his back. Padmé's face fell as if she'd been slapped, and she stood motionless, her body completely frozen with disbelief.

Anakin grabbed Reysuu and tried to wrench the collar from her neck with his bare hands, but after a few seconds his fingers started to blister and sizzle. The terrible stench of their burning flesh commingled and seeped through the already putrid stadium air.  Crying out animalistically, Anakin tried to cut through the collar with his lightsaber, but Reysuu was struggling too wildly and he was unable to do it steadily.  He gave up and made a pained, fearful noise - unable to do anything but watch her as she struggled. 

At the sight of Anakin's ignited lightsaber, Mondula had flown into a fit of rage, motioning for all of his guards, lackeys and head hunters to converge on Anakin and tear him to pieces.  Obi-Wan reached him then, and he put a severe hand on Anakin's shoulder, dragging his apprentice up roughly. 

"There is nothing you can do for her!  And now you have foolishly revealed us all!"  Obi-Wan pointed at Mondula, who was now spitting and frothing with rage.  "We need to fly, NOW, or the Hutt will have us all on platters!" 

Shaken, Anakin's eyes followed Obi-Wan's arm and he stared at the raving Hutt for a moment.  Then, without warning Anakin sprinted forward, wound up his arm, and flung his ignited lightsaber directly at Mondula.  Horrified and aghast, Obi-Wan was unable to stop him, even though he toppled Anakin to the ground.  Controlling his blade through the force, Anakin wrenched his lighsaber through the Hutt's blubbery neck before calling the weapon back to his hand.  Like a slab of melting butter, Mondula slid in two, eyes still rolling as the head fell to the ground with a horrifying splatter; the freshly exposed innards steaming in the shade of the  observation lounge.

Mondula's lackeys fell back, shocked and alarmed by Mondula's sudden bisection and unsure of what to do without the promise of a good payoff for facing a deadly Jedi.

Reysuu's collar flashed and smoked, emitted an ominous screech and then she slumped to the ground, motionless.  Anakin threw Obi-Wan from his back and scrambled towards the slave, once again gripping her collar with his hands and wrenching it apart.  Obi-Wan watched - his heart throbbing painfully with astonishment and fear - as Anakin exerted all of his strength upon the collar.  Arms straining and his teeth gnashing, Anakin groaned with effort, and this time the collar gave way, tearing in half at the welded seam and spewing wires and acrid smoke.

With half a voice, Obi-Wan said, "She's dead, Anakin.  Do you see now?  Does this satisfy your reckless blood lust?"

Anakin threw the collar across the arena with a terrifyingly primal scream, tears streaming lines through the dust on his face.

"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" 

He tore off a piece of his shirt and quickly wound it around her oozing, sizzling throat. Gingerly, he gathered her in his arms - not an easy feat considering her height and musculature - but he cradled her like a child; with all the gentleness of a doting parent carrying an infant to bed.  He stood, and headed for the nearest exit, passing Padmé on the way. Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears of fright; Obi-Wan had never seen the queen look so genuinely terrified. Whether it was the lingering Sith spell that was affecting her - or if it was Anakin's sudden recklessness - it was hard to say.

Obi-Wan glanced around the arena - the vestiges of damage still hung in the air, cries of beasts and sentient beings echoing behind him.  Mondula's men balked under he gaze; some of them turned tail and fled.  No one stood to oppose him, and he simply followed Anakin from the arena, leaving a ruin in their wake.

Unseen by all, a smoky black figure watched from the shadows of one of the dim archways, a cold and pointed grin cutting across her stony features.

As if to the shadows, she whispered in a hoarse and grating voice,

“It is all as you asked, Master. It is done.”

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Ha.  that ain't Geonosis, beb.

Final Author's Plea:  If you have taken the time to read this far, please take a few seconds more to leave a comment or two.  Trust me, it helps keep me motivated to hear what people think of the story!  Thanks for reading, I appreciate it so much!  Sorry for begging!