105

A Young Girl’s War Between the Stars

105

33 BBY/967 GSC. Naboo Conflict +43 days. Tatooine.

Asajj watched through one of the cockpit’s forward windows as the ship came in for a landing. Outside was nothing but an expanse of blue sky and brown sand as far as the eye could see. The only marks upon that sand for miles and miles around were natural rock formations, the settlement they were landing near, and a large, tall tracked vehicle of some sort approaching it.

Looking at the settlement gave her a sense of unease. It was mild—honestly less than she got from her Master any time the subject of training came up—but it still set off her sense of danger within the Force. She didn’t like it and, if she had her way, they would be staying on the ship.

Somehow, I doubt we will, though.

The blonde glanced over at the young queen standing nearby. Wearing a set of very simple servant clothes and with the makeup washed off, it was almost possible to forget Padme was the ruler of a planet. Almost, but not quite.

The signs were there though, if you knew what to look for—and her Master had taught her well. Her skin was too smooth, her hands too soft, and her nails and hair too nice for someone who would be wearing those clothes. She tried to look relaxed, but Asajj occasionally caught her standing a bit too straight, and the look her face and eyes carried were those of someone who expected to be respected and obeyed. She showed entirely too much pride for a maid or servant.

Right now, the queen looked excited, biting her lip as she stared out at the new world before them. Master Qui-Gon said something to the pilot as they touched down, before turning and heading back into the ship, towards the aft section. After a few moments, Padme turned to her and said, “I want to go with them.”

Asajj drew a breath and let it out in a quiet sigh. “Let me get my cloak,” she said, and Padme beamed a smile.

Ugh. Why are you so cute and likable?

Shaking her head, Asajj left the bridge and headed for the quarters she had been sharing with the queen, Padme following behind her. Finding her pack, she opened it up and collected her cloak, throwing it on over the armor. She wasn’t going into obvious danger without her armor and weapons, but she didn’t want to draw too much attention either. She also didn’t want to spend the entire trip concentrating on an optical camouflage formula to hide herself.

As Master says, use the simplest solution which suffices.

Grabbing her helmet, she pulled it on and locked it into place, then flipped the hood up. “Ready. But you should probably get something to block the sun.”

Nodding, Padme dug around through her things and found a gray shawl to put over her shoulders and pull into a hood to cover her head. “Now can we go?”

Asajj motioned for Padme to lead the way and the queen turned and hurried from the room. Asajj closed the door behind them and followed as she hurried down to the ramp leading outside. They found Master Qui-Gon, the droid R2D2, and Jar Jar the gungan just leaving.

“Dis sun gonna doin murder to mesa skin,” Jar Jar complained.

“Aren’t you amphibian?” Asajj asked as they stepped out onto the sand. “This is a desert planet. You could die in like, half an hour out in the sun. Completely dried out.”

The gungan’s eyes went wide. “Mesa no wantin to be dried up an croakin in da sun!”

The gungan scurried back up the ramp with a wail and Master Qui-Gon shook his head, before turning his attention on Padme. “Your highness—”

“Just Padme please, Master Qui-Gon. Her highness is back on the ship,” the queen smiled, reminding them they had left her handmaiden and body double Sabe behind. “I am just a simple handmaiden. The queen wishes me to accompany you and see the settlement, so I can relay what I see to her.”

Qui-Gon sighed, before turning a questioning look on Asajj. The blonde nodded and the older Jedi turned away. “Very well. Stay close to me. Let us be off.”

They started for the settlement in the distance and Asajj activated her helmet’s rangefinder, lasing one of the buildings on the outskirts to get the distance. A mile and a half through the sand wouldn’t be terrible for her, in her climate controlled and environmentally sealed armor, but she was expecting Padme to start complaining soon.

To her surprise, the young queen didn’t utter a word of complaint as they marched across the burning sand. The only request she made was to ask if anyone had any water. Asajj took one of the canteens she had prepared off of her belt and shared it with her, and after that Padme continued to soldier on like she’d done it every day of her life.

Eventually, they entered the settlement proper and stepped onto what passed for the main thoroughfare. Master Qui-Gon and Padme spoke quietly while Asajj kept her head on a swivel and one hand on her blaster beneath her cloak, assessing potential threats. The way some of the crowd assessed their own group raised the hairs on the back of her neck and set her on edge.

The place was surprisingly crowded, for being a backwater settlement on a backwater world where people went to get lost and be forgotten. People moved around leading large pack animals and the occasional ground speeder zipped by, loaded down with goods. Stalls sold a surprising amount of fresh fruit and vegetables, along with meat of dubious origin, but the main product here seemed to be water, brought in by moisture evaporator farms.

They followed Qui-Gon into a little shop surrounded by starship parts piled against the exterior. A small, flying alien with a trunk for a nose floated into the air as they entered, greeting them in Huttese. “Good day to you. What do you want?”

“We need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian,” Master Qui-Gon said.

“Aaah yes! Nubian! We have lots of that!” the alien lied as easily as it breathed.

From the way Master Qui-Gon briefly glanced around and raised an eyebrow, Asajj was sure he saw the lie for what it was. Negotiations weren’t her business here though, guard duty was. So, she moved back to the entrance and posted up beside it, with a view outside through the open door so she could keep one eye on foot traffic and the other on her charge.

The alien—Toydarian, she remembered—yelled something in Huttese and a young human boy came rushing in. The Force trembled. It was subtle, but the feeling was familiar—similar to what she sensed from her Master. As he drew close to Padme, Asajj felt the odd wrinkle in the Force that surrounded Padme and the distortion around the boy react. It was nothing big, no sudden clap of thunder or grand revelation in the Force. No, it was like… seeing a moon orbit a planet as everything came into alignment and settled into place. It was so faint that once it was over, she questioned if she’d just imagined it.

Shaking her head, she turned her eyes back to the exterior as Qui-Gon left the shop with the alien. Outside, the wind looked to be picking up and carrying dust with it.

“Are you an angel?” Asajj rolled her eyes at the boy’s question—Anakin if she had heard right.

No, she’s a politician. That’s like the exact opposite.

Although, to be fair to the boy, Padme was cute. Something about the way she was so honest made Asajj want to trust her…

Which made her want to trust Padme less, because Master said that was a typical trick politicians, businessmen, and others used. Appear honest, even tell the truth, but always be working to advance your own goals.

The ‘being pretty’ thing was also a trick of the mind. Apparently, you were more likely to trust beautiful people because of ‘reproductive priorities,’ whatever that meant.

Master Qui-Gon came back in, looking a bit frustrated. “We’re leaving.”

“What’s wrong?” Padme asked as they followed him out of the shop.

“They don’t accept Republic credits. I’ll need to see if I can exchange what we have for Hutt credits,” he explained. “However, I don’t believe we’ll have enough. Especially with what are sure to be ruinous currency conversion rates. The Toydarian claimed to be the only one carrying the T-7 hyperdrive we need.”

“How much is the part?” Asajj asked, and Qui-Gon turned to send her a raised eyebrow. “Master set up accounts in our names with the Republic, Confederation, and Hutts for emergencies. If there’s a bank, I can withdraw money.”

Master Qui-Gon chuckled, spreading his hands a bit to emphasize the village around them. “Thank you for the offer, but I doubt this settlement has a bank, especially given the way he was insistent upon something more ‘real.’ I suspect they only accept physical credits.”

“I keep a small stash of physical currency for emergencies,” she offered.

“Worth more than twenty thousand credits?” Qui-Gon asked.

Asajj winced. “No. Only ten. But that’s halfway, so…”

“I couldn’t—”

Asajj shook her head. “Nn! Master would call it a loan to a friend.”

The older Jedi sighed, then let out a quiet chuckle as he smiled, reaching out and patting her shoulder. “Very well. I will graciously accept your help. Thank you, young lady.”

“So we just need to get the other ten thousand,” Padme smiled. “There has to be a way!”

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The wind around them picked up and in the distance, they heard an alarm start blaring. A somewhat familiar voice called, “Heeey!” and they turned to see the boy running up behind them. “Sand storm coming! Do you have somewhere to go?”

“Our ship is on the outskirts,” Qui-Gon answered, and the boy shook his head.

“You’ll never make it and sand storms are dangerous! Come on! This way!”

Asajj raised an eyebrow as the boy took Padme’s hand and pulled the queen along, eventually leading them to a small home where he introduced them to his mother. Glancing at Padme entertaining the boy, she asked Qui-Gon, “Are you going to be here a while?”

“Until the storm passes, at least.” Holding out his holocom, he tried to raise the ship, only to frown as he got nothing. “It seems to be interfering with our communicators.”

What would Master do? Thinking for a moment, Asajj eventually nodded to herself as a small smile pulled at her lips. If they refused to deal in proper currency, she’d ‘tactically acquire’ what we needed, then come back and pay later. With interest, because it’s a loan.

“I’ll go let Obi-Wan and the others know, and then see what I can do.”

“Are you sure? The lad said it was dangerous,” Master Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow.

Reaching up, Asajj thumped her chest with a beskar-clad finger. “Full environmental suit and my helmet’s scanners can cut through the sand. I’ll be fine.”

Master Qui-Gon sent her a rueful look. “You’re just like Tanya was at that age.”

Asajj perked up at the praise. “Thank you!”

With that, she turned and slipped out of the home. The storm outside whipped at her cloak and sand cut her visibility down to bare yards, but…

Concentrating, Asajj reached out with the Force, twisting it just so as she focused on what she wanted and, a moment later, it was like she had a scanner shoved in her head as the scanning formula kicked in. She could only manage one formula at a time and optical camo would be useless given the way sand was covering everything, so it was sure to disrupt any efforts she made to hide, but by that same measure the storm cut visibility down to the point that no one could see her anyway—that is, if anyone was stupid or desperate enough to risk it.

Retracing their steps back to the shop, she paused only long enough to collect a hover sled as she went. Spotting the shop, she carefully scanned the interior through the walls and found the toydarian inside, in a small underground room.

A jump put her on an adjacent roof. Switching vision modes on her helmet highlighted the cameras the toydarian used for security on his junkyard. Reaching out with the Force, she picked up a bunch of rocks and drove a few of them into the cameras deep enough to break them, before pelting the surrounding area with more—making enough damage to make it look as though the storm had picked up debris and done the damage.

Then, she scanned over the yard and eventually found what she was looking for—a crate containing the T-7 hyperdrive. Grabbing it with the Force, she lifted it up and over the wall, before depositing it outside on the sled. Scraping a bunch of sand out of the neighboring streets, she poured it into the yard, burying everything under a layer of sand, but focusing most of it on where the crate had been.

I think that covers my tracks, she decided, before hopping down off the roof and grabbing the hover sled. Putting one foot on the sled, she kicked off with the other and grinned as the whole sled zipped down the street through the storm. A few twists and turns later and she was back on the main road and out of town. Then, she blasted the area behind her with a push from the Force, sending herself and the sled blasting over the dunes at a speed that would have made her eyes water if she didn’t have her helmet on.

She spotted the ship with her formula long before her helmet’s scanners managed to cut through the storm and find it. They had already sealed the ship up for the storm, but that was fine. Dropping the scanning formula as soon as she was under the ship, she instead surrounded the bottom of the ship with a bubble of Force to keep the sand out. She couldn’t hold it for long, but it didn’t need to last long.

Finding the exterior door controls on the nearest landing strut, Asajj hit the button to open the ramp and waited. Obi-Wan appeared at the top of the ramp as it came down, lightsaber in hand but not lit. Asajj waved at the older girl and Obi raised an eyebrow. “Asajj? What are you doing back? And where are Master and the queen?”

“They’re stuck indoors, waiting out the storm. Help me get this in!”

Obi put away her lightsaber and together, they got the sled and the crate inside, and closed the hatch. Then, they got the crate unloaded from the sled.

“This it it?” the older girl asked as she opened up the top of the crate. “Ah! Yes, this is identical to the one we have. Good work, Asajj!”

“Thanks,” the blonde smiled. “I need to get something from my room, then I’ll take the sled back.”

“Mm. I assume we’ll be staying the night, then?”

“Yeah. Until the storm passes,” Asajj confirmed as she made her way deeper into the ship, back to the quarters she shared with Padme and Sabe.

“Oh! You’re back?” Sabe asked as Asajj slipped inside and quickly made her way over to her pack.

“Only for a few minutes. We’ll be staying overnight. Padme is with Master Qui-Gon,” she added preemptively, to keep the girl from worrying.

“Ahh. So, how goes the hunt?”

Digging through her things, Asajj found her stash of emergency funds and quickly removed the Hutt credits, slipping them into the pouch on her belt. “We found the part and I brought it back. Now, we just need to get it installed.”

Sabe frowned at that. “I don’t think the pilot can do that? Can you?”

Blinking, Asajj shook her head as she put her bag away. “Nnno.”

I didn’t think of that. Master would be annoyed. Crap.

“Well, I’m sure there’s someone in the settlement who can, right?”

“Maybe?”

Definitely not the guy I borrowed it from. Maybe Anakin knows someone? It was the only lead she had, so it would have to do. I’ll ask when I get back, then go drop off the deposit for the hyperdrive before we leave.

She excused herself and quickly left the ship, making her way back to the settlement. Slipping inside, she found the group sat down around the small dinner table. The others looked up as she entered, Anakin going wide-eyed.

“You went outside in the storm?! Are you crazy?!” the boy yelled.

Beside him, his mother mirrored his concern. “It’s very dangerous.”

Asajj pulled off her hooded cloak and set it on the hanger by the door, revealing her armor underneath. “It was fine. My armor’s sealed. No danger from storms,” she explained, reaching up and undoing her helmet’s locks before pulling it off.

“So there was a girl under there after all,” the mother sent her a smile. “Are you hungry? Come eat.”

“Thank you,” Asajj nodded, moving to the table and sitting down as the older woman passed her a plate.

“That didn’t take long,” Padme said, her tone an implied question.

“Mm.” Asajj took one of the pieces of flat bread and meat and bit into it, chewing slowly. “I got the part.”

“What? How?!” Padme asked.

The blonde sent her a smile. “I strategically transferred the equipment we needed to an alternate location—our ship. And I negotiated payment at a later date.”

“That doesn’t sound like Watto. He only ‘negotiates’ in credits, and never on loan,” Anakin frowned.

Asajj shrugged. “I was very persuasive. I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

Because he wasn’t aware of it to refuse it.

Master Qui-Gon met her eyes, sending her a knowing look. Asajj simply smiled, and the man sighed. “Well, as long as we return to Tatooine and repay the loan, I suppose it’s fine.”

“I’ll let Master know when we get back,” Asajj confirmed. Looking to Anakin, she asked, “We don’t have a mechanic though. Do you know one?”

“I’m a mechanic!” the boy gushed. “I can fix it!”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Master Qui-Gon nodded, and Asajj sent him a questioning look. “Young Anakin was just telling us of his time pod racing. It takes great skill and reflexes. Jedi-like, in fact.”

Asajj blinked, her eyes sliding briefly over to Anakin. Master Qui-Gon nodded.

Oh. So he can use the Force? Does Master Qui-Gon intend to take him on as a Padawan?

“I’ve never seen one,” Asajj admitted.

“The next one is in a month,” Anakin supplied. “You could come back and watch!”

Master Qui-Gon shook his head. “I don’t believe we’ll be able.” Looking to the boy’s mother, he asked, “May I speak with you?”

“Of course,” she woman nodded, standing and motioning Qui-Gon to follow.

As they left the room, Asajj looked to Anakin, thinking. If Master Qui-Gon doesn’t take him on, Master might be interested. Or at least willing to get him off this planet and put him with someone in Master Dooku’s new Order. That may work out. Buy the boy from the toydarian. Have him fix the ship. Let Master figure out what to do with him later.

With that in mind, she asked, “How would you like to leave Tatooine?”

“Really?!” the boy asked, before deflating almost instantly. “Oh, but I can’t. I’m a slave. If we leave, the explosive planted inside of us goes off.”

“We can buy you from your owner. Then you’d be free,” Asajj offered.

“Would you?” Anakin asked, and she nodded. He considered for a moment, before biting his bottom lip. “What about mom?”

The blonde girl nodded. “We probably can’t get her now, but I’ll talk to my Master and we’ll buy her when we come back to pay for the hyperdrive.”

“Okay!” the boy agreed, nodding.

“Why don’t you go start packing? We can talk to Watto in the morning,” the blonde said, and Anakin hurried off.

Padme sent her an amused look. “Are you sure Tanya will approve?”

“Ninety…” She paused, then winced, “Eighty percent sure?”

“What if you’re wrong?” the queen asked.

Asajj winced. “More live fire training.” Sighing, she slumped where she sat. “Well, it’s not like it’s even that scary anymore. It’s kind of all the same stuff now. Dig a hole, hunker down, wait for the explosions to stop, then pop up and return fire. It’s…” She blinked as the realization set in. “It’s kind of boring, really.”

“Boring? That sounds terrifying! What is she thinking?!” Padme hissed.

“I mean, yeah. It was terrifying, at first. I just think we’ve gotten used to it. When we were fighting the droids, they weren’t anywhere near as accurate as Master.”

Padme simply stared at her for several moments. Finally, the older girl scooted her chair over, reached out, and pulled Asajj into a hug. Pulling the blonde’s head down to her chest, she ran her fingers through Asajj’s hair. “Shh. It’s okay. You don’t have to be strong anymore. I’ll give her a piece of my mind, when we get back.”

“…I’ll get you an e-tool.”

The queen blinked. “A what?”

“Entrenching tool.”

“…Why?”

Asajj turned enough to look up and meet Padme’s eye. “So you can dig your own fox hole. Because if you argue with Master about our training, she’s going to send you out to do it with us.”

Padme’s mouth fell open. “She wouldn’t—”

“She would.”

“But I’m a queen—”

“Even better,” Asajj shook her head. Pulling away, she cleared her throat and put on her best imitation of her Master’s Scary Face, before mimicking her voice. “You’ve volunteered for the Mandalorian cultural exchange program? Excellent! To the front lines!”

Padme’s mouth worked open and closed a few times, before eventually, she let out a big sigh and shrank down in her seat. “I’m sorry, Asajj. I can’t help you.”

“I know,” the blonde smiled.

“Well. We should probably turn in for the night,” Padme suggested, and Asajj nodded. Standing, she followed the girl to the room they would be sharing.

Here.

Maul opened his eyes, looking out over the desert planet below. Faintly, he felt the trail in the Force left by the Jedi heading down to the planet. Taking the controls, he directed his ship down, even as the feeling in the Force was lost in the background wash of dark side energy coming from the planet itself.

Tatooine. A planet with a long history steeped in the dark side of the Force. Many Jedi had died at the hands of Sith here over the millennia.

And now, it will be the final resting place of three more.

A smirk pulled at his lips as he brought the ship in to land on a ridge overlooking a nearby settlement. It was the closest settlement the path he had lost entering the atmosphere would have led to, and the most likely place the Jedi would have gone to repair their ship after the damage his Scimitar had inflicted upon the shining royal vessel as they were leaving Naboo.

Leaving the cockpit, he moved through the ship and out the rear hatch. Taking out his binoculars, he scanned the settlement below.

A flash of silver caught his eye and Maul frowned, jerking the binoculars over to catch sight of the Nabooian vessel rising from the desert on the opposite side of the settlement from him. It quickly turned and zipped up and away, disappearing as it left atmosphere.

A frustrated sound tore its way from his throat as the binoculars groaned in protest under his hands. Turning, he hurried back into the ship and closed it up, dropping into the pilot’s seat and taking off. A look at the countdown timer to his hyperdrive cooling off left him quietly fuming in his seat, impotent as the enemy got further away.

Reaching out, he tapped the controls on the communicator to call his master. A moment later, Darth Sidious picked up and Maul sketched a half bow where he sat. “Is it done?”

“No, Master. They have escaped. They fly to Coruscant now.”

Sidious frowned, considering for a moment before nodding. “A setback, but a minor one. One I can use. Break off the pursuit and return to Naboo. The queen will eventually return to her people. Do not fail me a second time.”

“Understood, Master. Should I take this opportunity to locate and remove the CIS commander leading the assault on our forces?”

Sidious smiled at that, and for some reason, Maul felt his hackles rise. His Master found amusement there, and Maul suspected some part of it was directed at him. He didn’t like that. His Master knew something. This felt like one of his ‘lessons.’ The kind that ended in pain for Maul.

“Do it.”

“As you will, Master.”