"Ziro the Hutt..."
Jaden narrowed his eyes, a shadow crossing his face as the name dredged up old memories from the depths of Coruscant's undercity. Back when he'd scraped by in those lower levels, Ziro had been one of the worst contacts in his network. Jaden had run a few jobs for the Hutt; smuggling illicit spice shipments through the lower levels, retrieving "lost" credits from rival gangs, the kind of dirty work that paid enough to keep him alive.
But the last gig had gone south fast; Ziro had double-crossed him, tipping off a bounty hunter crew to collect on Jaden's head for some fabricated debt. If not for a lucky escape through the ventilation shafts and a timely intervention from a smuggler, he'd have been blaster fodder. Ziro was a treacherous worm, always scheming for his own gain. If Padmé was down there, tangled in whatever web the Hutt was spinning, she was in real danger. There was no doubt Ziro had his grubby hands in this mess, whatever the full situation turned out to be.
"Thank you for your time, Chancellor," Jaden said with a slight incline of his head. He turned on his heel and strode out of the office, the doors hissing open before him. Bail followed close on his heels, his robes swishing as he hurried to keep pace.
As they moved down the corridor, Bail's expression mirrored Jaden's concern, his brow furrowed deeply. He knew Ziro's reputation all too well, the Hutt was a notorious slime ball. "This doesn't sit right," Bail muttered, glancing sideways at Jaden. "Ziro's as untrustworthy as they come. If Padmé's gone to him alone..."
Jaden nodded grimly, his mind already racing ahead. "I need to get down there. Is there a transport ship I can use?"
Bail didn't hesitate, pulling out his comms unit as they reached the lift. "Absolutely. I'll arrange it right now, my personal shuttle's docked nearby. I can call in a squad of clones, too. Quick response team; they'll be geared up and ready in twenty minutes."
Jaden shrugged, a faint, confident smile tugging at his lips despite the tension. "Won't need them. I've handled worse, but send them anyway for cleanup."
They descended to the private hangar bay, Bail's assistants efficiently prepping the sleek shuttle—a nimble vessel with reinforced plating and high-speed engines. As the ramp lowered and Jaden boarded, he paused at the threshold, turning back to Bail. "I'll bring her back. Safe."
Bail clasped his shoulder firmly. "I know you will. May the Force be with you."
Jaden turned back toward the shuttle, his boots echoing on the hangar deck as he climbed the ramp. The vessel's interior was compact but luxurious, clearly an Alderaan design, them and Naboo always designed the sleekest looking ships. He sealed the hatch behind him, then slid into the pilot's chair. His fingers flew over the console, powering up the engines. Clearance from Senate traffic control came through almost immediately, thanks to Bail's authorization, and Jaden eased the throttle forward. The shuttle lifted off smoothly, banking away from the towering landing pad and merging into the streams of air traffic that crisscrossed Coruscant's upper levels.
As the cityscape blurred past the viewport, Jaden activated the comms unit, patching through to Padmes apartment. "Aubrie, it's Jaden. You there?"
The line crackled to life, Aubrie's voice coming through. "Jaden? What's going on? Did you find Padmé?"
He kept his eyes on the controls, dipping the shuttle lower to avoid a cluster of commercial freighters. "Not exactly. She's gone off-grid, headed to the undercity to meet with Ziro the Hutt. Trying to fix some mess with Jabba and the Separatists. It's bad news; Ziro's involved, which means it's probably a trap or worse."
Aubrie paused, the worry evident in her tone. "Ziro the Hutt? That sounds dangerous. Do you need backup Zule's already pacing like she wants to punch something."
"I'll be fine," Jaden replied, his voice steady. "I've dealt with his kind before. Solo op—quick in, quick out."
But Aubrie wasn't having it. "You're not invincible, Jaden. I'm worried. At least let me send SD8. He's durable, discreet, and can handle any tech locks or security droids you run into down there."
Jaden sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he adjusted course toward the descending traffic lanes. "Fine, send him. But tell him to meet me at these coordinates."
"Will do," Aubrie said, relief creeping into her words. "He'll be there soon. Just... be careful, okay?"
"I will," Jaden assured her, a faint smile tugging at his lips despite the tension. "Jaden out." He cut the comms, the channel going silent as the shuttle plunged deeper into the planet's layers. It had been years since he'd navigated these depths but the layout hadn't changed much. Ziro's district was buried in Level 870, a notorious hive of scum and villainy where Hutts and their syndicates held court. Jaden doubted the old slug had moved; creatures like Ziro burrowed deep and stayed put. He punched in the coordinates for a discreet landing pad near Ziro's known lair and waited to arrive.
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Padmé Amidala sat huddled in the dim, fetid corner of her cell, the cold duracrete floor seeping through the thin fabric of her forced attire. The smell of the cell was an acrid stench of spice smoke and unwashed bodies, mingled with the distant thump of bass-heavy music from Ziro's nightclub above. She wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to ignore the way the skimpy costume clung to her skin—a revealing outfit typical of the Twi'lek dancers in Hutt establishments. It was a tight, metallic bodysuit that hugged every curve of her body, the low-cut top barely containing her breasts, the material so sheer in places that it left little to the imagination.
The bottoms rode high on her hips, exposing the smooth lines of her thighs and the swell of her ass, with strategically placed slits that teased glimpses of her bare skin beneath. They'd stripped her of her robes upon capture, forcing her into this degrading garb as some twisted form of humiliation, the fabric stretching taut over her nipples, which hardened involuntarily in the chill draft wafting through the bars.
She closed her eyes, introspection washing over her like a wave of regret. She'd come here to help the Jedi salvage the treaty with Jabba and turn the tide of this war. Even if she despised places like this, places where people were hurt and exploited, a place where even the law struggled to reach.
From her cell, she could see the sprawl of Ziro's dungeon. Spiced-up addicts slumped against walls, their eyes glazed and bodies twitching from whatever hallucinogens coursed through their veins, muttering incoherently or clawing at hallucinations. Twi'lek dancers, some barely clothed in scraps of fabric that exposed their lekku and bare breasts, were chained nearby, their lithe forms bruised from rough handling, forced to perform dances for the guards' amusement even in captivity.
One green-skinned female arched her back against the bars, her hips grinding rhythmically as a Gamorrean overseer leered, his tusked mouth drooling. It was a horrible place, a cesspool of exploitation and suffering that made Padmé's stomach churn. She wanted nothing more than to leave, to escape back to the clean air of Naboo or the halls of the Senate and to bring back a squad of clones to tear this place apart.
At the time, she'd been glad to have C-3PO along for company. But she regretted it now; he'd been deactivated and confiscated upon her capture. Without him, she was utterly alone. It would take at least a day before anyone came looking for her, if she had left C3PO on the ship then he could've called for help, but hindsight was 20/20. Once someone did find her it would be too late; Ziro's plans would unfold, and the Republic's fragile alliance with the Hutts would shatter.
She replayed the events in her mind, the sequence that had led her here. She'd arrived at Ziro's palace, to plead for him to intercede with Jabba on the Jedi's behalf. "The Republic seeks only peace," she'd argued in his audience chamber. But the bloated Hutt had laughed, his multiple chins jiggling as he refused outright. "The Jedi are enemies of the Hutts!" he'd bellowed. "They tried to kill my nephew's son! No treaty, no mercy!" His guards had thrown her out.
Undeterred, Padmé had sneaked back in through a service vent, her lithe body managing to squeeze through the tight confines as she eavesdropped on Ziro's private quarters. That's when she'd overheard the truth; his association with Count Dooku and the Separatists. Ziro was the architect of the kidnapping—Jabba's son, Rotta, snatched away to frame the Jedi and sow discord. It was all a conspiracy, a power grab for Ziro to usurp Jabba's territory and claim the Hutt cartels for himself, with Dooku's backing ensuring Separatist influence in the Outer Rim. The revelation had hit her like a blaster bolt, but before she could slip away, alarms had blared, and guards had swarmed her.
Now, she was trapped in this dungeon, surrounded by numerous other prisoners. Padmé rose to her feet, the tight costume shifting uncomfortably against her skin, the fabric riding up between her thighs and accentuating the sway of her hips as she moved. She needed to find a way out. Her fingers traced the cell door's lock. She knelt to examine it closer, her breasts straining against the low neckline, nearly spilling out as she leaned forward. Tools... she needed something to pry or short-circuit it.
Her eyes scanned the floor for debris, but it was barren save for scattered filth. As she worked, the catcalls started, crude and relentless from the adjacent cells. A burly Weequay prisoner leered through the bars, his yellowed teeth bared in a grin. "Hey, pretty thing! Look at those tits jiggling, why don't you let them out and give them a shake!" He thrust his hips suggestively, his pants tenting with obvious arousal.
Another voice, a gravelly human, joined in from across the way. "Mmm, that ass in that outfit... bend over again slut. I'll make you scream louder than any Hutt could." He licked his fingers obscenely, eyes locked on the way the costume clung to her curves, outlining the cleft of her buttocks and the faint outline of her pussy lips through the thin material. Padmé's cheeks burned with humiliation, but she ignored them, focusing on the lock.
Another human male, pressed his face to the energy field. "Forget him sweetheart. Come ride this cock instead, I'll split that tight little cunt wide open." His hand dipped into his trousers. She bit her lip, forcing down the bile rising in her throat, her hands trembling as she tried to jimmy the mechanism with a loose shard of metal she'd found. The lock refused to budge the shard bending uselessly against the reinforced seal no matter how she twisted or pried. Frustration built inside her a hot knot in her chest until she couldnt take it anymore. With a frustrated cry she hurled the piece of metal across the cell where it clattered against the far wall.
The prisoners erupted in laughter the sound echoing through the dungeon. But the laughter died abruptly as distant sounds pierced the air, the crack of blaster bolts followed by the staccato burst of rifles firing in rapid succession. The dungeon fell silent prisoners exchanging uneasy glances their faces paling in the dim light as the gunfire grew louder echoing down the corridors.
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Jaden perched on the edge of a towering spire, Ziro's palace loomed below, it was a huge compound more akin to a palace, though it had multiple bars, casinos, spice dens, a whole district of debauchery He scanned the layout, considering the best entry point; the main doors were heavily fortified with Gamorrean guards and automated turrets, side alleys led to service bays that might be less defended, and upper vents could offer stealthy access if he could scale the sheer walls. Jaden looked over to SD8 who was standing stoically beside him.
"SD8, analyze the building. Find the optimal entry point and see if you can remotely splice into their security systems."
The droid's head tilted slightly. "Certainly, Master Jaden. Scanning now." After a brief pause, SD8's voice chimed. "The structure features multiple vulnerabilities. The most efficient entry for extraction appears to be the eastern service duct—minimal patrols, accessible via a maintenance ladder, leading directly to the lower levels. However, their security protocols are fortified with multi-layered encryption and active countermeasures. Remote splicing is infeasible; the firewalls are too robust for wireless intrusion without direct terminal access."
Jaden's jaw tightened, annoyance flickering across his face as he stared down at the compound. "Figures. Hutts never skimp on keeping their secrets locked down." He exhaled sharply, then nodded. "It won't be a problem. We'll go old-school. You take the side entrance, the eastern duct you mentioned. Slip in, find Padmé, and get her out. I'll hit the main doors hard, draw their attention, create the distraction you need."
"Yes, Master," SD8 replied with impeccable poise, its frame shifting as it prepared to move. "I shall proceed with utmost discretion."
Jaden flashed a determined grin, then launched himself off the spire's edge, free-falling several stories. He twisted midair, somersaulting to land on a lower rooftop with a roll that absorbed the impact, his boots scraping duracrete as he slid down a sloped overhang, sparks flying from the friction. Grabbing a protruding pipe, he flipped forward, swinging in a wide arc to propel himself onto a hovering billboard platform, using it as a springboard to leap across a chasm toward the palace's entrance. Wind whipped through his hair as he executed a series of flips, dodging a passing speeder bike by tucking into a spin, then extended his arms to grasp a pole jutting from the building's side. He slid down it, boots kicking off at the bottom to vault over a guardrail, landing in a crouch just outside the main entrance.
"Okay let's go," he said rolling his shoulders.
Guards at the main entrance spun toward Jaden their blasters raising in unison as a dozen Gamorrean warriors charged from the flanks axes hefted high. The first bolt streaked toward his chest but Jaden deflected it with his lightsaber and redirected the shot into one Gamorreans thigh dropping him to the ground with a charred hole. Three more bolts followed in quick succession Jaden twisted his body to dodge one while batting the others back one hitting a guards helmet vaporizing the faceplate and felling him instantly.
The Gamorreans closed in swinging axes in overlapping arcs to trap him. Jaden Force jumped over the group landing amid them then spun his saber in a full circle slashing through four axes and severing limbs the cauterized stumps smoking as the warriors bellowed and collapsed. One grabbed his arm from behind its grip crushing but Jaden Force pushed it away slamming the Gamorrean into a wall with bone cracking force then impaled another through the back as it lunged.
Alarms wailed louder red strobes flashing across the plaza drawing reinforcements from every door a squad of twenty mercenaries emerging with rifles trained firing a storm of red bolts that lit the air like fireworks. Jaden rolled behind a duracrete barrier bolts chipping chunks from the cover then used the Force to lift the barrier itself hurling it toward the squad the massive slab crushing five mercenaries flat and scattering the rest amid debris.
He burst from hiding with his lightsaber whirling to block a hail of incoming fire his blade a blur as deflected bolts flew back taking down two snipers on a balcony above. A turret emplacement swiveled toward him its cannon charging Jaden extended his free hand Force pulling the turret from its mount ripping bolts and wires free before crushing it midair with a clench of his fist the metal compacting into a sparking ball that he flung into a cluster of guards exploding on impact and toppling six more.
Inside the foyer chaos erupted as thirty Nikto assassins flooded the space vibroblades humming and electrostaffs crackling. They surrounded him in a tightening circle stabbing and swinging in coordinated waves. Jaden parried three strikes in sequence his saber clashing with sparks then Force sped through the group his form blurring as he slashed low cutting through knees on five assassins toppling them before spinning to decapitate two more their heads tumbling away.
One Nikto landed a glancing blow with an electrostaff the energy arcing across Jadens side burning through fabric and scorching skin forcing him to stagger back. He gritted his teeth drew his blaster pistol from his hip and fired a volley while blocking with his saber the shots punching through three Nikto chests leaving smoking craters. Another wave pressed him Jaden holstered the pistol pulled a thermal detonator from his belt primed it and rolled it underfoot into the crowd the blast erupting in a fireball that consumed eight assassins in vaporized armor and flung others against walls.
Security droids activated in droves forty units marching from hidden panels their arm cannons whining as they locked on. Bolts rained down Jaden Force leaped to a metal frame swinging from it to gain height then dropped down onto a droid group his saber thrusting through ones core sparking internals before he Force pulled an emp gadget from his belt m and fired projectiles into the droid ranks, electricity arced between them and they collapsed to the ground.
A droid clamped its claw on his leg dragging him down but Jaden sliced the arm off with his saber then Force gripped three nearby droids lifting them off the ground their bodies crushing under invisible pressure before hurling their bodies into others bowling down a line like dominos. More droids swarmed piling on him Jaden force jumped, bursting upward through the flames scorching pursuers as he rained blaster fire from above taking out six more.
Deeper in the base fifty Trandoshan enforcers barricaded the corridors their blaster riffled and scatterguns blasting projectiles. Jaden deflected bolts with his saber sending them back to embed in scales and armor then closed the gap Force pushing a barricade apart the metal screeching as it flew into the enforcers crushing four. He slashed through the front line thrusting into one heart spinning to bisect another at the waist the halves falling separately.
A scattergun blast clipped his shoulder knocking him off balance pain lancing through his arm as he rolled to avoid follow up shots. Trandoshans piled in but Jaden Force pulled their weapons from their grips the guns clattering away then ignited their thermal detonators on their belt using the force, the explosions collapsing hallway sections burying ten under rubble and forcing the rest to scatter.
Jaden ducked as more blaster fire came his way and he ducked behind a piece of rubble. However Klatooinian brutes lumbered forward with electrostaffs and vibro axes. Jaden engaged the first blocking a staff strike sparks exploding then kicked its chest caving in ribs before Force choking another lifting the brute high and using it as a shield against blaster fire from reinforcements. He hurled the body into the group toppling three then dual wielded his saber and blaster parrying axes while shooting gaps in armor felling two more. The remaining brutes tried overwhelmed him one landing a vibro axe graze across his thigh burning a line but Jaden Force pushed them all back slamming into walls with structure shaking force then finished them with saber thrusts piercing torsos in rapid succession.
Jaden had to backtrack now as enemies started to come by the dozen all of them converging on his position. Reinforcements surged from all directions two hundred guards and droids flooding the central atrium their blasters and cannons creating a wall of plasma that forced Jaden to dive behind pillars bolts shattering stone around him. He panted sweat dripping down his face the constant exertion draining his stamina as enemies closed in from multiple levels balconies and ground floor alike.
Jaden centered himself drawing deep on the Force channeling energy from within and around him his body trembling with the buildup, he kept on building it and building it, not focusing on control but on pure power. He stepped out from cover extended both hands and unleashed a massive Force wave the power erupting outward in a visible ripple that distorted the air like a shockwave. The wave slammed into the droid formation crumpling shields and ripping chassis apart sending fifty units flying back into walls exploding on impact sparks and debris raining down. It swept through the ground forces lifting guards off their feet hurling them across the atrium bodies crashing into each other and furniture in heaps of twisted limbs and armor the force of it collapsing balconies above dropping snipers and reinforcements in avalanches of rubble that buried dozens more.
Jaden dropped to one knee breath coming in ragged gasps a wave of fatigue washed over him his limbs, heavy from the immense expenditure, but he pushed himself up and reigniting his lightsaber. "That should be enough of a distraction," he muttered to himself.
Jaden started to retreat, now that most of the forces were focused here he'd have some time to heal himself and then follow SD through the other entrance. Jaden rushed out of the palace before jumping up and disappearing into the rooftops.
(AN: Jaden is going after Padme who has gotten herself in quite the pickle. Will he save her? Who knows. It would be pretty funny if she died at the beginning of the clone wars arc. Anyway enjoy).
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