The rest of the journey passed quietly. At least, no one tried to shoot down the ship or pester them with calls asking them to hurry up. The baby slept peacefully in the medical bay and seemed to be having sweet dreams, most likely about his dear father. Asoka knew how bad he felt without him, because she herself still missed Sean, sometimes seeing him in her dreams. Anakin was also pensive, not even joking, apparently thinking about something important, but clearly not about the fact that their joy was premature. After all, they couldn't go back to Geonosis now and see where the security robot had gone, which they had both forgotten about, thinking that it had fulfilled its function and was no longer needed. And in vain, all the time while the Jedi were inside the building, it stood near the door and diligently filmed what was happening there through the peephole. What's more, it recorded everything very cleverly, leaving out some parts of the events and splicing others together, resulting in a picture that gave the impression that two young Jedi had unscrupulously kidnapped a Hutt child and now wanted to kill it. This compromising video was immediately sent to the owner, the one who had hired the guards.
"Well done, you iron head," said Django, looking at the message. "I was right to put you on the spy programme. Hang in there, Jedi, you won't get an alliance with the Hutt!
It was more or less the same, except for the mournful sobs and trumpeting sniffles into a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth, helpfully handed to him by a slave girl.
"Bastards! They killed my Donut!" cried the Hutt, wiping tears from his eyes, each of which could have filled a wine glass. "Just let them show their faces! I'll feed them to my rancor!"
Jango had no intention of limiting himself to sending the inconsolable father an anonymous message with a video; he planned to meet both disciples in person upon their arrival on Tatooine and finish what, judging by the video, had already been started. No sooner said than done, and literally an hour later, Django was waiting for Anakin and Asoka, having landed his ship near the dune sea. He was slightly annoyed, and not only because he had to hide, but also because he had to take Bob with him, as the boy refused to stay alone. Even a stern shout didn't work, and Boba still sat down in the second seat. Thinking that sooner or later he would have to involve his son in his work, Django calmed down a little and, taking off his helmet, lit a cigarette, looking expectantly at the sky, which was already beginning to fill with the heaviness of the approaching twilight. He knew the Jedi ship well, and all he had to do was not miss the moment when the golden light of the Republic cruiser flashed among the reddening sunset of both Tatooine suns. He had to stand there for at least an hour, during which time he managed to smoke almost a whole pack of cigarettes and check the charge of his sports blaster several times. After all, there could only be one shot. Straight into the canvas backpack hanging on the back of the skinny Togrut with striped lechu hanging down his shoulders and along his back. The backpack jerked slightly and seemed to even sob, receiving a noticeable jolt and a smoking hole in the middle. Jango even grimaced involuntarily, imagining what the little Hutt must be feeling right now. He, on the other hand, felt just fine, sitting on the lap of his new "lapup," whom Ahsoka, noticing the escort, had ordered to stay on the ship and watch over the child. Anakin reluctantly obeyed, grimacing as if from a blow.
"Yeah, being a Padawan is harder than I thought," Skywalker grumbled, looking into the yellow-green eyes.
"Boozzy boozzy boo!" Donut cheered, blowing a huge bubble.
"You're the only one who loves me," muttered Anakin, turning away from the exit through which his mentor had left. She had picked up a few stones lying by the dune sea, put them in her backpack, and, pretending not to notice anyone, calmly walked forward, deciding to give the enemy a chance to show themselves first. That way, she would first find out what he wanted from them, and secondly, she would have the opportunity to respond to an attack, since Jedi were forbidden to strike first. It was a mistake; sometimes it was better to neutralise a threat before it manifested itself in concrete form. How many deaths could have been avoided then? Thinking about this, Asoka began to descend, when suddenly she felt a blow to her back, which, however, only made her stagger slightly, unlike her backpack, judging by the smoke and the smell of burnt canvas. The girl turned around and saw someone who was clearly expecting such a move — standing just a few steps away from her, grinning, was Jango Fett, holding a loaded blaster pointed at her. Ahsoka gave a look that could easily pass for genuine surprise, at least Django seemed satisfied, but she didn't yet know that Bob wasn't the only one who had flown in with him. But Fett saved that surprise for later. Much later.
"I see someone has been generous and sent me their best fighter as an escort. It's just a pity he's not the smartest," said the Togruta mockingly, the puzzles in her head finally falling into place.
"Perhaps so, Jedi," the mercenary did not argue, "but I have achieved the most important thing: Daddy won't see his little boy, and the Republic will never see an agreement with the Hutt.
"It doesn't hurt to dream, you stupid thug," the Togruta laughed openly. "The son will see his father very soon, and the agreement is already on its way. It's only a matter of time before it's signed.
"Ha-ha-ha!" Jango burst out laughing. "Donut is already dead, and Jabba knows it.
"Laugh all you want, Jango," Asoka replied calmly. "It's not every day you get to shoot at rocks!
And Tano took the bullet-riddled backpack off her back and dumped a pile of stones in front of the mercenary.
"Funny, but soon there won't be any witnesses left to prove it!" Jango's face darkened for a second, but then broke into a smile of realisation.
"I smell laughter — the togruta isn't scared at all — There's something more serious than this gun!
"And what's against that?" Django grinned crookedly and pressed his bracelet several times. Responding to the signal, a tall, slender woman with deathly pale skin, accentuated by a black elastic suit and a completely bald head, leaped out of the mercenary ship in one graceful leap, or rather flew out like an elegant bird. Asoka knew who it was, Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku's long-time henchwoman. Where would he be without her? Well, further proof that he was behind the kidnapping.
"Oh, what a pleasant surprise," Asoka smiled broadly. "How nice to meet you, bald harpy."
"The feeling is mutual, I'm also very pleased to see you, you little dog of an elderly Kel Dor," Ventress replied with a smirk.
"Ha! Size doesn't matter, as Master Yoda says," Asoka retorted.
"Is that old fart still alive?" Asajj didn't hide her surprise. "Well, not for long, but he'll have time to enjoy the tears shed over your death!"
Yes, it seemed that the desire to eliminate witnesses to the failure was so great that Ventress, without continuing the discussion, activated both of her red swords with strange, curved handles and attacked the Togruta without warning. But the reaction of the one chosen by the Force did not fail her, and in response to these two blades, two others shot up — neon green and rainbow-coloured. The native of Datomir did not limit herself to sword strikes, which seemed to rain down from all sides, adding to them very precise Force thrusts and kicks. But where was Jango? Why wasn't he helping his comrade? The answers came when a loud curse and the hum of a blade, mixed with blaster shots, were heard from somewhere to the side. It was Anakin, unable to stay away when his mentor and friend was in danger, who came to her aid, taking on one of the enemies. And while they were talking, he even managed to call for help from the Temple, just in case. Unfortunately, only one member of the Council responded, the most unpleasant and unpopular one, but there was no choice. However, he responded immediately and promised to come, and not alone, as he was quick to boast.
"It's good that he's not alone," thought Anakin, noticing another ship arriving at the scene of the battle, and combat droids pouring out of it like ants, blasters at the ready.
"The Battle of Hutta," thought Ahsoka, parrying another blow. The battle was now in full swing, and Master Windu arrived just in time, at the height of the battle, and with him... Just imagine... An entire army of new clones. They were still young, in shiny silver armour with large helmets with T-shaped visors.
"ERCs," Ahsoka whispered, noticing that their armour was slightly different from that of the soldiers she had seen before. ERC — the elite Republican commandos — were a special army of clones who were trained separately from the others, not as ordinary soldiers, but rather as commanders. Their training programme did not focus on obedience, but on the ability to give orders and develop tactics and battle strategies. One such soldier was Captain Rex. He was now on Christophsis, but his comrades were doing just as well, and soon the silence of the dune sea was broken by gunfire, and metal debris from droids and even dead bodies rained down into the canyon. Jango Fett pushed the others aside and approached Master Wind:
"How noble of you, Jedi," he said mockingly. "I knew you couldn't lose gracefully.
"You're not the one to judge me, murderer," replied Mace, beginning to boil over.
"Perhaps not by me, but victory is mine," Darth Vader retorted, preparing to take off on his jetpack, not noticing that it had been damaged by one of the shots. "Your stupid friends won't even dare to approach Jabba's palace now.
"I doubt it, my friend," replied Windu, still calm, but his cheeks were already twitching. It was a bad sign, as anyone who had ever dealt with this Master knew. Jango didn't, so he continued to smile:
"Of course they won't dare, look what I'm going to do now!
With these words, he activated his backpack and tried to take off, but he couldn't. The energy left in it was only enough for half a metre, but Vindu's jump caught up with him in time, and before Jango could understand what had happened, a purple lightsaber blade flashed annoyingly brightly before his eyes. Flashing for just a moment, it split Django's consciousness forever, causing him to stagger and begin to fall sharply, leaving most of himself somewhere far away, gradually losing warmth and the breath of life. Before he could reach the smaller one, he left it behind at the same time as his helmet hit the sand. A second later, a lifeless body slumped next to his head.
"An inglorious end to a dull life," Mace summed up when it was all over. "Is the child all right?" he asked Asoka.
"Yes, he's still on the ship," replied Togruta, wiping sweat from her forehead. The droids were destroyed, and fortunately, the losses were minor.
"We must get him to his father immediately," said Mace, ordering her to call his apprentice.
"I doubt we can," Ahsoka said uncertainly. "That idiot has already told him all sorts of nasty things about us."
"Don't worry about that, I made sure Jabba has proof of his innocence," Mace reassured his companions when they arrived at Ahsoka's ship. "Duchess Satin recorded Dooku's conversation with the kidnapper. She's a brave woman, not afraid to go behind enemy lines."
"I can imagine what drove her to do it," said Tano, hinting that she knew some details of her life. "Someone must have told her that otherwise Kenobi would be sent away."
"You should have seen how pale she turned when I told her about his possible involvement," Windu confirmed her thoughts.
The little Hutt was feeling great and was currently playing with a medical droid. Seeing the returning Jedi, he greeted them with a joyful smile and babbled his favourite words of love.
The few remaining enemies had no choice but to flee in disgrace to lick their wounds and report their failure to Dooku. Ventress struggled to pull Bob away from the sand, where he sat clutching his father's helmet to his chest. And in his eyes shone brightly... No, not tears for his lost father, but fiery sparks of revenge for his death.
"What's your favourite colour?" Asoka asked her apprentice.
"Blue, why?" the teenager replied in confusion, rocking back and forth in his chair.
"I'll probably have to give you to Jabba, his son would never part with a new toy," the girl laughed, nodding at the little boy snuggled up on his stomach. "Choose a style for your dance costume, Jabba can't stand anything ugly."
Anakin puffed himself up and turned away to the window. She was treating him like a little kid again. How he hated that.
"Don't worry, Huttas don't tend to get attached to anyone for long," Windu said, trying to cheer him up. "He'll forget about you soon."
"Pitaka!" Jabba's descendant growled menacingly and immediately spat out the gum Anakin had given him, hitting Mace squarely on his bald spot.
"How lucky he doesn't know Huttese," Asoka whispered to her apprentice. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be so thrilled to be called a black monkey."
It is not known what Mace thought of all this, but Jabba, almost crying with happiness, was already hugging his new-found son an hour later, signing a cooperation agreement with the Republic with his other hand, not forgetting to add:
"And tell Dooku that my rancor simply adores old, tough, stringy meat!
All these events, including the last sentence, were reported to the Council by the three Jedi towards evening. They went there immediately, without even looking into their rooms, although they were terribly tired and desperately wanted to wash, because they all stank of smoke and hutt.
"Ahsoka," Plo began, rising from his chair, "I hear you're having trouble with your Padawan. If you're really not ready to be a teacher yet, no problem, I can replace you."
Ahsoka shuddered at these words. But not from joyful desire, no. From the untimeliness of such an offer. Just yesterday, she would have given half her life for this offer, but now... Remembering everything she and Anakin had been through in the last two days, and in general... From the very first day they met... She was even a little hurt by her former teacher's distrust.
"No, what are you talking about, I'm doing fine — a little sharper than necessary," Ahsoka replied, slightly frightening the Masters with her agility.
"Well, I'm glad, Ahsoka, you've finally become a real Jedi," Plo was forced to admit, and Master Kenobi breathed a sigh of relief:
"And I'm glad that this whole story has ended well.
"Over?" Master Yoda raised his white eyebrows in surprise. "I would not rejoice too soon. We are entangled in the webs of the Dark Side. The Clone Wars have begun..."
***
Advanced chapters:
patreon.com/posts/star-wars-chosen-144531440