Chapter Eleven

Denali slowly became conscious, trying to figure out where she was. Her eyes opened sleepily, her head pounded. She groaned in pain and pressed her palm against her forehead. The metal beneath her was cold, causing her to shiver. Her hands were in binders, so were her feet. It was obvious that Jango had been very careful with her restrains.

The light above her shined brightly in her eyes, causing her to squint. She realized that she was in a prisoner cell. The only possible exit was a doorway with a thick electric transparent orange force field. The cell wasn't very big, it could've probably held three or four people at the most. Denali shivered quietly, wondering what was happening.

"I'm happy to see that you're awake." She heard a little voice say. Looking through the see-through barrier, she saw the little boy named Boba.

"Why did you do this to me, Boba?" She asked him. "What have I done to deserve being your prisoner?"

"I'm sorry. I was only following orders. I didn't mean to offend you or harm you in any way, it's just that-"

"I forgive you, Boba." Denali interrupted him. He looked at her in shock.

"You do?" He asked her. She nodded.

"I sense that you truly regret your actions. I refuse to hold this against you, Boba. I can sense that you're a good, strong, smart boy who knows the difference between right and wrong. You know you did the wrong thing and have asked for forgiveness. I am proud of you for that." She said to him with a small smile. He grinned.

"Where are we?" She asked him.

"We landed on Geonosis. My dad and a few of the droids dragged you here. We're beneath the Grand Arena the Geonocians have." Boba informed her.

"What is the arena for?" She asked him. He looked away, a guilty expression on his face.

"The Geonocians send their prisoners into the arena, where they battle against huge beasts that try to kill them." Boba told her.

"Will I at least have a weapon?" She asked. He shook his head. "Boba, how long have I been asleep?"

"Two days."

She thought for a moment.

"Do you know what happened to my friend, Master Kenobi?"

"He's been captured, along with three other prisoners." Boba said. Denali's heart skipped a beat. Obi-Wan was here, he was alive. Well, for the moment at least. But who were the other prisoners? The other three?

"Who are they, Boba?" She asked him.

"Two Jedi Padawans and a Senator. Anakin Skywalker, a wookiee named Chewbacca, and Senator Padmé Amidala." He confirmed. She took a deep breath, trying not to panic. Not only was her husband in danger, but her Padawan and closest friends as well. This wasn't good. Not good at all.

"Boba, is she awake?" A voice said. Boba jumped at the sound.

"Yes, Dad. She's awake." Boba said as Jango approached the force field. He pressed a button on the control panel. The barrier flickered for a moment, then disappeared completely. Jango stepped in and grabbed Denali by the binders on her hands, dragging her out of her prisoner cell. She could feel the floor beneath her change from metal to dirt.

"I can walk, you know." She said annoyed. Jango ignored her as he continued to drag her down the dirt hall, then lift her up. She heard the binders click as they were attached to the wall. She was now hanging a foot off the ground vertically.

"I'll admit, I'm kind of disappointed with how things turned up. I was really hoping to tell Danik that you were still alive and well, but I guess that won't be able to happen." Jango said to her. She looked at him, confused.

"You're not going to kill me, are you? You-you can't! I'm a Jedi! A human being! I have my rights!" Denali said to him, rage in her voice. Boba shook in his shoes, regretting his previous actions even more now. Denali, his hero, was going to be killed by his own father. A horrible feeling was starting to set inside his stomach.

"Of course I'm not going to kill you. That's the rancor's job." Jango said to her. She scoffed.

"Wow, that's makes me feel way better." She stated sarcastically. Jango took a step away from her and pulled something from his belt. Denali gasped, but tried to hide her shock as he pulled out an electric whip, the silver hilt shining brightly. The long electric cord snapped as he spun it around in the air, then slammed it across her chest. She screamed in agony.

"Dad, stop! Can't you see you're hurting her?" Boba shouted as he put his hand on his father's arm. Jango shoved his son away, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Not now, Boba. Go tell the Viceroy that Master Bleway will be ready in a few hours." Jango told his son. Boba gasped and quickly got to his feet. His father was going to torture this poor woman for hours. His hero was going to suffer more than anyone he had ever met in his life.

"Y-yes father." Boba said miserably, and walked out of the hallway. Denali watched in fear as Jango looked back at her, an evil smirk on his lips. He snapped the whip again threateningly, causing Denali to flinch.

This was going to be a long couple of hours.