────── ✩✩✩ ──────

────── ✩✩✩ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐍 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋

────── ✩✩✩ ──────

A pounding went through Aurora's head as she slowly came around from her slumber. She tried to bring her hands up to rub her face, but found them hard to move. That was when the events from the pirates' party came flooding back to her. The Jinn woman's eyes soon snapped open as she quickly sat up, causing a wave of pain to wash over her. But she did her best to ignore it as she stared at her unconscious allies in front of her. Obi-Wan and Anakin had been given another drink later that night by the pirates. They swapped them again, but it seemed the pirates were prepared for that. After watching them slump over in their seats, Aurora prepared herself to fight against the pirate crew, only to fail. And the pain in the back of her head won't let her forget that.

The Jinn woman couldn't help but sigh as she leaned against the wall behind her, waiting for her allies to wake up. Lucky for her, she didn't have to wait too long for Anakin to come around. His eyes locked with Aurora's before he nudged Obi-Wan with his elbow. "Master. What happened?"

"We let our guards down around pirates," Aurora responded while Anakin and Obi-Wan forced themselves into sitting positions.

"I guess that pirate brew was stronger than we thought," the Kenobi man added, ignoring the annoyed look Aurora was sending him.

"I only took a sip," Anakin defended with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Relax, Skywalker. You were drugged right before I was hit in the back of the head," the Jinn woman explained, causing the youngest Jedi to visibly relax.

But that relaxed look soon transformed into confusion as he looked between Obi-Wan and Aurora. "Why would they risk losing the ransom?"

"The deal appears to have changed. They must be trying to triple their payday," the Kenobi man explained before a low chuckle greeted their ears.

When the Jedi turned their attention toward the sound, they found Count Dooku staring right back at them. The Sith Lord simply studied them for a moment before speaking. "A shrewd observation, Master Kenobi. I did warn you these pirates were devious. You will notice our shackles are bound together. I have tried to separate us...to no avail."

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed as he got to his feet, causing Obi-Wan to stand with him to keep him away from the former Jedi Master. "It's bad enough we have to be in the same cell, but could you at least spare me the sound of your constant chatter?"

"And while I hold my tongue, the three of you will devise a brilliant strategy for getting off this godforsaken planet?" Count Dooku questioned with a hint of boredom in his voice.

"Yes!" Obi-Wan and Anakin exclaimed while turning their backs to the Sith Lord and looking around the cell.

"Excellent," the former Jedi Master muttered under his breath before his attention fell on Aurora, who was still sitting against the wall, "I would feel much better if you were part of making the plan."

The Jinn woman just stared at the man in front of her, wanting to argue with every word he said. But she couldn't help but agree with him. After letting out a long sigh, Aurora got to her feet and moved to join Obi-Wan and Anakin. That was when her attention landed on the items on the table on the other side of the hall. Just as she was about to voice her thoughts to her allies, Count Dooku got to his feet and walked toward the cell bars. It didn't take Aurora long to realize that he had seen what she was looking at, and he was more than willing to take matters into his own hands.

As soon as the guards disappeared to take an unscheduled break, Count Dooku sprang into action. The Jedi watched as the Sith Lord stuck his hand through the opening in the door. Not even a second after that passed when the plate full of different fruit began floating in the air.

Anakin couldn't help but chuckle before breaking the silence surrounding them. "Don't you think our priority should be escape first, eat second?"

The former Jedi Master did his best to ignore the Skywalker boy as he made the plate come closer to the cell. But he couldn't help but let a snide remark pass over his lips. "Do control your protégé's insolence so I can concentrate."

"Anakin. Control your insolence. The Count is concentrating," Obi-Wan said after watching the plate fall, leaving nothing but a dagger floating in the air. Aurora and Anakin couldn't help but chuckle before the three of them went back to watching Count Dooku. It wasn't long after that when he managed to stick the dagger into the keyhole, opening their cell.

"Well done, if I do say so myself," the former Jedi Master complimented himself as he walked out of the cell.

"Very impressive," Aurora mocked as she, Obi-Wan, and Anakin followed him out.

The four of them soon made their way down a corridor, which was completely deserted. Aurora didn't know if she was grateful or uneasy about that, and it didn't help that Count Dooku was the one leading them. Even though she wasn't in the mood to deal with any, she wondered where all the pirates were. And she couldn't help but think they were walking straight into a trap. That thought alone was enough to put the Jinn woman on edge. By the looks on Obi-Wan and Anakin's faces, she knew they were thinking the exact same thing.

"We do know where we're going, don't we?" Anakin asked the question bouncing around in the Jedi's heads while glaring at the Sith Lord's back.

"Quiet," Count Dooku told them before kicking a pirate in the stomach and slamming him against the ground, knocking him out cold. The Skywalker boy didn't hesitate to search the pirate while the former Jedi Master kept his eyes on the closed door. "I was brought this way when I was captured. It was open then."

"Hey, I found the door key," Anakin announced as he held up the object in question.

"This is the way to the hangar," the Sith Lord announced while gesturing to the door nearest to them.

"Yes, but how do we know it's safe?" Aurora retaliated without bothering to hide the irritation in her voice.

The Skywalker boy ignored her words as he stuck the key into the lock. A faint beeping soon followed, signalling that the door was now unlocked. "The key works."

"But is it safe?" the Jinn woman repeated, not liking how no one was as concerned as she was.

"Of course it is," Count Dooku answered right as the doors opened, revealing a group of pirates sitting on the other side.

They instantly turned toward their prisoners with their blasters raised, ready to fight at a moment's notice. The annoyance in Aurora's eyes doubled as she looked up at the Sith Lord. "Your definition of safe is very worrisome."

It wasn't long after that when another group of pirates appeared around the corner, led by Hondo's little red creature. They instantly aimed their blasters at their prisoners. "Hold it right there, Jedi."

Despite wanting to fight for their freedom, the Jedi and the Sith Lord had nothing to defend themselves with. It was also difficult to use the Force with their arms bound together, and they were hopelessly outnumbered. So instead, they gave in and let the pirates take them back to their cell. But what they weren't expecting was to be rechained together, this time with their backs facing each other. As Aurora stood between Obi-Wan and Anakin, she couldn't help but wonder if they were going to be able to escape on their own.

"What were we thinking, following a Sith Lord," Anakin scoffed as Hondo circled them like a predator did with their prey.

"Oh, what to do? What to do? What to do?" the pirate captain muttered before stopping directly in front of Aurora, "I don't want to kill you, per se. In fact, you seem like decent people...even you, Count. This is just business, and once I get my money, we can go back to being friends. It's very simple. Now, try not to complicate things by breaking out again."

Hondo stared at his prisoners for another moment before he and his crew left the cell. No one said a word as they watched the pirates disappear from view. It was only then that Obi-Wan broke the silence surrounding them. "We have to get out of here before the Republic arrives with the ransom."

"For once, I agree with you," Count Dooku admitted despite the annoyance in his voice.

"I'm glad you're finally thinking straight," Aurora mocked, earning a glare from the Sith lord.

A long sigh passed over the Kenobi man's lips as he approached the cell door, where one pirate remained. The sound of the Jedi's footsteps caused the lone pirate to turn toward them. A confused look instantly appeared on his face, only for it to grow when Obi-Wan held his hand out in front of him. But that look of confusion didn't last long. It was quickly replaced by a relaxed look as the Force took hold of him.

"You do not want to stand guard," the redheaded man said in a confident tone.

"I do not want to stand guard," the pirate slowly repeated, the blank look still plastered to his face.

"You want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking," Obi-Wan continued while keeping his eyes locked with the guard.

"I want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking." Not even a second after that passed when the pirate did exactly that and walked out of the corridor. The Jedi and the Sith Lord only waited for a moment before exiting their cell and walking in the opposite direction.

"Not bad," Anakin said to his former Master with a smug smile on his face.

"Oh, yes, most impressive, Master Kenobi," Count Dooku added, earning an eye roll from Aurora.

The four of them stuck close together as they made their way through the pirates' lair. They knew the pirates would discover they had escaped soon, and they wanted to be long gone by then. And they all knew that if they were caught, then Hondo wouldn't be as kind to them as he was last time. The pirate captain wanted his payment, but he wasn't one for patience.

The Jedi and the Sith Lord had just turned down another hallway when they were forced to hide behind a pile of crates. They forced themselves to hold their breath as a group of armed pirates walked past them. As soon as they disappeared down another corridor, the four of them continued on their way. To the Jedi's dismay, the Sith Lord was lagging behind them, which had been happening since they left their cell.

"Oh, hurry it up, Dooku," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed by how the former Jedi Master was slowing them down.

"You should be more patient, Master," Anakin said in a mocking tone, "after all, the Count is an elderly gentleman and doesn't move like he used to."

"Anakin's right, Obi-Wan. We need to be respectful of our elders," Aurora added, very much enjoying the annoyed look on the Sith Lord's face.

Count Dooku let out an irritated sigh as he glanced over at the Jedi. "I would kill all three of you right now if I didn't have to drag your bodies."

Just as the Jinn woman was about to respond, a blaring alarm cut through the air. The Jedi's smiles instantly dropped as they and the Sith Lord sprinted through the halls. It wasn't long before a group of pirates spotted them and chased them through the building. Count Dooku didn't hesitate to pull down half a dozen crates using the Force, blocking their path. However, their short moment of victory soon ended when another group of pirates appeared at the other end of the corridor.

To avoid a fight with the pirates, Anakin managed to kick down the nearest door, taking them outside of the building. The four of them continued to run as fast as they could, fully aware of the dozens of pirates right behind them. Their pace didn't slow as they approached the wall in front of them, which was the only thing between them and their freedom. The Skywalker boy didn't hesitate to speed up, forcing his allies and the Sith Lord to copy his actions. Anakin picked up a pole as they got closer to the wall before using it to send the group into the air. Aurora fought back a scream as they flew through the air until Anakin grabbed onto the wall, leaving Aurora, Obi-Wan, and Count Dooku dangling in the air.

"This is not going well," the Skywalker boy announced while struggling to keep his grip on the wall. It didn't help that the pirates below were blasting at them, hoping to knock down the Jedi and Sith Lord.

One of the shots cut through the rope connecting Count Dooku to Obi-Wan, causing the Sith Lord to fall toward the ground. However, the Kenobi man was able to quickly grab onto him. The jerking around caused Anakin's grip to slip, taking the group closer to the ground.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" the Skywalker boy called out.

"Obi-Wan just saved Dooku again," Aurora responded as she continued to dangle in the air, unable to help anyone at that moment.

"You guys are too heavy. I can't do it," Anakin admitted while continuing to struggle to keep his grip, "tell Obi-Wan to drop Dooku."

Confusion flowed through Aurora's veins the second the pirates stopped firing at them. But her confusion didn't last long when she heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere above her. "I guess this means we won't be friends."

────── ✩✩✩ ──────

No one knew how long it had been since Hondo recaptured them. They were taken to a completely different cell, which meant they had no idea where they were. They were no longer chained together, but their arms were still bound together. Count Dooku stood against the wall farthest from the door, observing the three Jedi sitting in the middle of the room. None of them had said a word since they were brought to their new cell. Mainly because no one knew what to say. But the silence was soon broken when Obi-Wan began speaking.

"We have to find a way out of here before Senator Kharrus and Jar Jar arrive. We'll look like fools," the Kenobi man told them, not bothering to hide the hint of desperation in his voice.

"We've already tried, Obi-Wan. Multiple times. And we failed," Aurora responded before letting out a long sigh, "whether we look like fools or not, the best way out of this mess is to wait for the ransom to come."

"Or it might be time to lose the dead weight," Anakin suggested while getting to his feet and glaring at Count Dooku.

Before their conversation could continue, their cell opened. They all instantly turned toward the door to find a trio of pirates entering the small room. The leader of the group just studied them for a moment before gesturing toward the Jedi. "You three, come with us."

Aurora couldn't help but exchange a look with Obi-Wan, both knowing whatever the pirates had planned couldn't be good. But they didn't have much of a choice. Soon, the two of them, along with Anakin, followed the pirates out of the cell. It wasn't long before they reached the grand hall of the compound, where the rest of the pirates were waiting for them. Aurora was instantly grabbed by a pair and dragged over to Hondo, despite Obi-Wan and Anakin's shouts. As soon as she was by his side, the pirates forced the remaining Jedi onto a platform.

Shock coursed through the Jinn woman's veins as what could only be described as streams of light attached to her allies' restraints. The next thing any of them knew, Obi-Wan and Anakin were lifted into the air by their arms. They were left dangling for what felt like an eternity as the Jedi studied the irritated looks on the pirates' faces.

"I take it the Republic didn't arrive with the ransom," the Kenobi man said after his attention landed on the pirate captain.

The pirates' laughter instantly cut through the air while Hondo simply stared at the Jedi. He waited until his crew's chuckles died down before responding to the Jedi Master. "Ah, your Republic obviously doesn't want the Sith Lord."

"They didn't show?"

"Oh, oh, they did. They did show," the Ohnaka man told Obi-Wan while taking a step toward his contraption, taking Aurora with him, "they showed with a huge army that they thought would be enough to get the better of me! Hondo!"

"That can't be right," the Jinn woman muttered under her breath, not believing that the Republic would try to start a war with pirates.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Hondo questioned as he glared at the Jedi beside him, something that neither Obi-Wan nor Anakin liked.

"Uh, isn't that kind of what you do for a living? Lie to people?" the Skywalker boy retaliated, drawing the pirate captain's attention back to him.

"You reject my hospitality, refuse to wait in your cell, and now you're going to insult me?!" Hondo shouted at Anakin while his grip around Aurora's arm tightened.

"I'm just saying-"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan interrupted without taking his eyes off Aurora, who was staring back at him with concern in her eyes. It was only then that his attention landed on the remote in the pirate captain's hand. "This may not be the best time for you to speak."

"But you-"

"At all, Anakin!"

Aurora couldn't help but jump when bolts of lightning were sent throughout Obi-Wan and Anakin's bodies. Her shock did nothing but grow as the pirates around her cheered. Hondo remained silent, keeping his eyes glued to the Jedi in pain. His finger remained on the button, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. Even though the Jinn woman knew her words could make the whole situation worse, she couldn't stop herself from speaking. She needed to at least try to save her friends from the torture they were experiencing.

"Hondo, you know this isn't right," Aurora said in a tone just above a whisper, drawing the Ohnaka man's attention toward her, "why would the Republic risk starting a war with you? There's nothing for them to gain. Please stop this so we can figure out what's going on together."

The pirate captain just stared at the Jedi beside him, as if actually considering her words. But the small hit of hope Aurora was feeling soon vanished when Hondo scoffed at her words. "You should be lucky you're not up there with them. You can thank your father for that. Oh, wait...you can't."

Before Aurora had a chance to respond, the room became dark. A relieved sigh passed over the Jinn woman's lips as the lightning disappeared, followed by the light keeping Obi-Wan and Anakin in the air. The two Jedi soon fell to the floor, neither of them moving. While Hondo was distracted by his remote, Aurora rushed to her allies' sides to make sure they were breathing. The relief within her did nothing but grow when she saw the rise and fall of their chests. Aurora quickly helped her friends to their feet before the three of them used the Force to retrieve their lightsabers from the pirates.

While Aurora and Obi-Wan stood side-by-side with their lightsabers aimed at the pirates, Anakin grabbed Hondo and placed his own against the pirate captain's neck. His actions caused the pirates to hesitate, not wanting to take their captain out while trying to defeat the Jedi. They used the pirates' hesitance as an opportunity to retreat toward the door, taking Hondo with them. Anakin's grip around their prisoner never wavered as Aurora and Obi-Wan continued to guard him from both sides, all of them wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

"What chance do you really have, Jedi?" Hondo asked, clearly annoyed that their roles were now reversed, "now let me go, and I might let you live."

"Approach us, and he dies," Anakin called out to the pirates following them, completely ignoring every word that the pirate captain just said.

The Skywalker boy's words were simply greeted by silence from the pirates. But that was soon interrupted by engines whirring. Confusion flowed through Aurora's veins as she turned around to find two tanks approaching them. Her blood instantly ran cold as Hondo's laughter cut through the air.

"Looks like your forces were destroyed, Jedi," the pirate captain declared with a sinister smirk on his face.

Not even a second after that passed when the tank's hatch opened, revealing someone none of them expected to see. A small smile soon replaced the worried look on Aurora's face at the sight of the overly excited Jar Jar Binks. "Ani! Obi! Rora! Mesa have arrived with the spicen!"

"Excellent, Jar Jar," the Kenobi man responded before his attention fell back on Hondo, "assuming the pirates still have Count Dooku to trade."

As if on cue, one of the pirates' ships appeared in the distance. It hovered for a moment, revealing Count Dooku in the cockpit. Before any of them had a chance to react, the ship disappeared from sight.

"Well, that answers that question," Aurora said without bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.

Anakin didn't hesitate to walk toward their ship, causing Aurora and Obi-Wan to follow him. Their attention stayed glued to the pirates behind them until they finally reached Jar Jar and the small group of clones. Even though they knew they were outnumbered, all of the clones had their blasters aimed at the pirates, determined to get the Jedi and Jar Jar out of there. That was what Aurora admired about the clones. They were always willing to protect their allies no matter the cost.

"Commander, start the engines, please," Obi-Wan said as soon as they reached the ship, causing the clone in question to follow the Jedi's order.

"So, what now, Jedi?" Hondo asked in a bored tone, "you're going to arrest me, eh?"

"No. Anakin, release him," the Kenobi man told his former Padawan, earning a shocked look from Anakin. But Aurora knew exactly what was going through Obi-Wan's head. The Jedi Master simply ignored Anakin's confused look as his gaze moved back to the Ohnaka man. "Captain, you have nothing we want, and since we're not prisoners anymore, you have no bargaining power."

"What?! Yousa was in bombad trouble?! Mesa rescued you!" Jar Jar exclaimed, his shocked look transforming into a large smile.

"No, Jar Jar. We weren't in any trouble," Anakin explained while Aurora did her best to muffle her laughter.

"Let's leave on even terms," Obi-Wan declared before walking onto the ship.

Anakin didn't hesitate to extinguish his lightsaber before following his former Master, leaving Aurora with Hondo. The two of them just stared at each other in silence until the Jinn woman turned her back to him and walked up the ramp. She didn't bother to lookd back at the shocked pirate captain or his base. That was until she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, only to find his crew sprinting toward the ship. However, they didn't make it very far when Hondo stopped them, shocking everyone surrounding him.

The Ohnaka man's attention soon returned to the Jedi, who were staring back at him with blank looks on their faces. "After everything, you're just going to walk away?"

"You're not our enemy, Hondo. You never were," Aurora responded with her eyes glued to the pirate captain.

"Very honorable, Aurora Jinn."

"Oh, Captain," Obi-Wan called out, drawing the Ohnaka man's attention toward him before continuing to speak, "you will find that Count Dooku does not share our sense of honor, and he knows where you live."

────── ✩✩✩ ──────

────── ✩✩✩ ──────