Star Wars: The Great War

by ShootingStar25

Chapter 25: The Gungan General

Fail with honor rather than succeed by fraud.

Recap: Dooku and Sunset held for ransom. After escaping capture by Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker, Storm, and Obi-wan Kenobi, the villainous Count Dooku and Sunset fell into the clutches of pirates, led by the brigade Hondo Ohnaka. Eager to get custody of Dooku and Sunset, the Republic agreed to pay Hondo a hefty sum in exchange for the Sith Lords. But Anakin, Storm, and Obi-wan had not counted on the treacherous cunning of Ohnaka and his band.

On the planet Florrum, several individuals were inside of a cell. It was none other than Kenobi and Skywalker as they were on the floor. They began to stir as they awoke.

"Mmm... Master. What happened?" said Anakin as he was coming to his senses.

"Ah, well, I guess that pirate brew is stronger than we thought," said Obi-wan as he too was starting to wake up.

"I only took a sip," said Anakin.

"We were drugged, obviously," said Kenobi.

"You guys are finally awake," said Storm as he sat a few meters from his pal.

He was the only one who was feeling fine, given that he wasn't of legal age to drink. So this whole time, he was the only one who remained sober as he waited for his pals to wake up. He currently had a ball that he was bouncing off the wall as he did it to keep him occupied until the Jedi awoke.

"Enjoy your beauty rest?" mocked the boy.

"Storm, what happened?" asked Anakin.

The ball bounced off the wall as the boy caught it.

"As Obi-wan said, you guys passed out. You guys may have switched the drinks they brought you. But turns out that brew was a little bit more than you guys could handle. So after you guys downed your mugs, it took a while, but you two passed out." said the boy.

"What about you?" asked Kenobi.

"Well..."

(Flashback)

"Anakin, Obi-wan!!!" said Storm as he was bent down by his friend's side as they were lying on the ground.

"Come on guys, wake up!" said the boy as he shook them.

"Oh, so I'm the one who has to fly us home," mocked Storm as he couldn't believe that his pals were passed out. At that moment, he was surrounded by tons of guns.

The boy stood up as around him he saw blasters. The boy then surprised the pirates as he did manage to sneak his lightsaber as he turned it on. That got them to back up a bit, but in terms of numbers, the Jedi Knight has still outnumbered as well as his pals were unconscious.

"Two out of three ain't bad," said Hondo as he appeared behind Storm to which the boy turned to face him. "I'm impressed you were able to sneak in your lightsaber. That alone deserves some praise from yours truly."

"You made a big mistake trying to drug us. So I advise you to let us go," said Storm.

"I could, but imagine how much the ransom would increase if I offered not only two Sith Lords, but Jedi as well, hmm. Good business you can see," stated Hondo.

"You really want to take that risk? I've dealt with pirates before, you're not much."

"True, but what about your friends?" said Hondo as his men now held Obi-wan and Anakin's lifeless bodies.

"Let them go!" shouted Storm as he took a step, and now some of the guns were pointed at his friends as they were defenseless.

"As you can see, you're in no position of any power. Now surrender, and I promise no harm shall come to you or your friends," suggested Hondo.

Storm was hesitant as he gripped his lightsaber tightly. He was wrestling with his thoughts about whether or not he should listen. The boy took one look at his pals as they were being held at gunpoint. With a decision made, he let out a sigh and turned off his lightsaber. The Jedi Knight put his head and arms down as one of the men snatched his weapon. The pirates now began to take away Storm's friends.

"Wise choice, kid. I'm a man of my word," said Hondo.

"Move it, kid," said one of the men as he hit Storm in the back with his blaster.

"I'm giving you just one warning. You touch me again and I will knock the hell out of you!!" warned Storm as he wasn't a fan of being pushed around.

"Yeah right," stated the men as he didn't buy the teen's bluff.

"Feeling froggy, jump," stated the boy.

The pirate simply shoved the boy in the back once again as the Jedi let out a small chuckle. Storm felt the hit as he turned around with such speed that he knocked out the guard as he slid across the floor. The rest of the men all pointed their weapons at the boy.

"Stand down!" said Hondo as his men did that. "Let the boy go on his own accord."

Storm kept his fix on the pirates as he now began to walk as he followed to where his friends were being dragged to.

"What gives, Hondo?" asked one of his men.

"The kid has spirit, he reminds me of my younger self. Not as handsome of course, but free-spirited. Plus, he's a man of his word, that's hard to come by these days." said Hondo.

(End of Flashback)

"And that's how you ended up in here. Once I arrived, they strapped these binds on us," said Storm as he pointed to the energy chain that was wrapped around their hands and bodies. "Since then, I've just sat here and waited for you guys to wake up."

"It doesn't make sense though, why would they risk losing the ransom?" asked Anakin.

"The deal appears to have changed. They must be trying to triple their payday," stated Obi-wan.

"A shrewd observation, Master Kenobi," said Dooku as he happened to also be in the cell as he sat a few feet away from the Jedi.

"Oh, great. It's you," growled Anakin at seeing Dooku.

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention," said Storm as he now yanked on the chain around his hands as he pulled Sunset out, who was sitting in the shadows. "While you guys were sleeping, they brought in Dooku and Sunny. And chained them as well, so we'll bound together."

"Are you done with the extra exposition, boy toy? Cause if I'm going to be stuck in this cell, and tied to you no less, I want you to shut up," said Sunset. "Also, I told you so!"

"We did warn you these pirates were devious," said Dooku as he backed up Sunset's claim. "As your friend stated, our shackles are bound together. I have tried to separate us... to no avail."

"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?" said Anakin as he was angry, which Obi-wan had to hold back his student.

"And while I hold my tongue, the three of you will devise a brilliant strategy for getting off this godforsaken planet?" asked Dooku.

"Yes!" shouted all three Jedi.

"Excellent," said the Sith Lord.

"Alright, Storm. This is your chance to impress me," said Sunset.

"Just sit there and look pretty, Sunset. Let us men handle this situation," said Storm as he now stood up and made his way to his pals.

"Alright, what's the plan? Cause I ain't got shit," said Storm in a whisper as he didn't want Sunset to hear that.

---

While our heroes were coming up with a plan to escape, there was a conversation being held in another part of the hideout.

"I told you kidnapping the Sith Lord was a stroke of brilliance," said Hondo to one of his men.

"I can almost smell that spice now," said the man who was named Turk Falso. "It'll be worth twice as much to us on the black market. But I think we could've gotten a bigger ransom from the Separatists."

"Oh, you fool," sighed Hondo at the stupidity he was hearing, "Sometimes I wonder why I bother to keep you around. If we tried to ransom Count Dooku and his ally off to the Separatists, they would simply send their droid armies here to wipe us out."

The pair was now walking through the base.

"Now, as my sweet mother always said, "Son, if one hostage is good, two are better." And three? Well, that's just good business." laughed Hondo.

"How much do you think they'll fetch?" asked Turk.

"Don't you worry about how much; you'll get your cut," said Hondo. "Just see to it that the Republic's ransom gets here. Once we get the ransom for the Sith, then we'll get the ransom for the Jedi. Thank you, Mom."

After the meeting with Hondo, Turk was now walking away. He had made it quietly to a secret place as he sat down and talked with another crew member.

"The spice is on its way. Hondo has asked me to go out and meet the Republic Senators and bring them here with the ransom. But I want you to intercept that ship and force it down. Be careful. I want that spice intact." said Turk.

"Eh, it's too risky. What about Hondo?" asked the man.

"Yeah, that nitwit couldn't kill a nuna. He depends on me for that," stated Turk. "I'll tell him the ship was destroyed with everyone on it, including the spice. By the time he finds out the truth, we'll be long gone."

On Coruscant, Jedi Masters Yoda, Windu, Celestia, and Luna were all seated in the Chancellor's office. Padme was standing next to the Chancellor as they were currently being contacted by the representatives that they sent to deliver the shipment.

"And we'll be landing--" said Senator Kharrus before he was interrupted.

"Hidey ho, Chancellor. Me-sa have a question," said Jar Jar as he made his presence known.

Not a second later was the sound of a cannon being shot was heard. The Jedi Masters and Chancellor now saw confetti being rained on Jar Jar and Senator Kharrus as a sea of pink zoomed into the frame.

"Surprise!!!" cheered Pinkie.

"In a moment, Representative Binks," said Palpatine as both he and Pinkie let the senator continue his conversation.

"Good work, Senator Kharrus. I'm relieved you're about to arrive at the pirates' stronghold safety. Captain Hondo, the leader of those brigands, will accept the ransom and turn Count Dooku and Sunset over to the Jedi. And then they will bring them back with you."

"Once we've landed, our signal will be strong enough to set up proper communications," responded Senator Kharrus.

"Thank you, Senator."

The transmission ended as the small shuttle ship was now heading towards their destination. The ship entered the planet's orbit as they flew above the clouds.

"Senator Kharrus, Representative Binks, and uh... Greatest and Bestest Party Plan..., you know what, pink girl. Take your seats," said one of the pilots as he didn't want to say the title that Pinkie gave herself as it was a mouthful to say. "We're coming in for a landing."

"The last time I went on one of these ransom missions, I spent three weeks in a dungeon," said Senator Kharrus to clone Commander Stone as he and a few of his men were assigned to the three individuals as bodyguards.

He and the clone commander approached the seats as Jar Jar tried to get into one of the seats as Pinkie was bouncing in place.

"Representative Binks, Ms. Pie, stop fooling around. We're landing," said the Senator. "Secure yourselves."

"Okey dokey," smiled Pinkie as she now sat in her seat and put on her safety bars.

"Me-sa trying," said Jar Jar as he couldn't lift the safety bars for him to sit down. "Is-sa stucken."

While the Gungan was struggling, everybody else was secured. Their ship was flying overhead. From behind, there was a ship. It was being flown by the pirate that Tusk had ordered as he was doing his job. He had the shuttle in his sights as he began to fire at the vessel.

"We're under attack," said one of the pilots.

"We've been betrayed," said Senator.

The pirate was now firing at the ship as it was rocking about. He had it in his sights as he fired some missiles.

"Missiles closing," said one pilot.

"Bank left!" shouted the other pilot.

He did just that as the ship was taking evasive actions. Jar Jar still hadn't been strapped in as he was tumbling from the back into the hallway as he fell and accidentally pushed a button on the wall. The button was connected to the seat of the back pilot as he now descended into the hall as Jar Jar fell on his lap.

"Jar Jar, what are you doing?" asked the pilot.

"Oh, sorry," said the Gungan as he tried to push the button again. "Me-sa fix it. Whoa!"

"Mack, what's going on back there?" asked the other pilot. His partner's seat now rose back into the cockpit as Jar Jar was still in the pilot's lap.

"Sir, you... you must get out of the cockpit." said the pilot to Jar Jar. At that moment, the two missiles that were launched now hit the ship as the wing was on fire.

"We're hit!" shouted the pilot, "Sir, you must leave," said the pilot as he now switched to a nonchalant tone. He then pushed the button again as his seat went down back to the hangar. "Get back in your seat," he said as he dropped Jar Jar as his seat went back into the cockpit.

The ship was now going down. Jar Jar had made it back to the hangar as Senator Kharrus unhooked from his seat. He grabbed the Gungan as took initiative, placed him in the seat, and strapped him in.

"We're going down!" shouted the pilot to the crew in the hangar.

The ship landed and broke apart. Senator Kharrus had sat back in his seat as he brought down the safety bar. But it was jammed as it didn't secure properly so when the ship hit the ground, the safety bar came off as the senator was flung out of his seat when they collided. The ship skidded along the ground as it scared the nearby animals and left a trail until it came to a stop.

---

Back in the pirate's hideout, our prisoners were still trying to escape. Seems our heroes didn't have an idea to escape, so surprisingly, it was Dooku who had a plan as he was now trying to execute it.

Once the guard had walked away momentarily, Dooku made his move. He looked through the bars of the cell as he saw a nearby table. On it was a plate that had some fruit, but more importantly a knife. The Sith Lord put his hand through the bars as he was moving the plate.

"Don't you think our priority should be escape first, eat second?" asked Anakin.

"Do control your protege's insolence so that I can concentrate," said Dooku to Obi-wan as he was annoyed by Anakin's remark as the plate was moving towards them.

"Anakin."

"What?"

"Control your insolence. The count is concentrating," said Obi-wan with a smug expression.

Dooku had dropped the plate as he managed to get a hold of the knife. He was now levitating it as it was positioned in front of the keyhole to the cell. He was about to unlock their cell when...

"Keep your hands to yourself, boy toy!" shouted Sunset as she kicked Storm.

"I'm not doing it on purpose, Sunny!" shouted Storm as he kicked Sunset back.

The pair may have had their hands tied, but they could still use their legs.

"Just because we're chained together doesn't mean I give you permission to touch me!" shouted the bacon-haired girl as she kept on kicking the boy.

"You're the one pressing up against me!" yelled the boy as he returned the kick.

"That's it! Come here!" shouted both teens as they began to trade kicks with each other as a struggle cloud formed as their comrades noticed.

"Sunset!!" shouted Dooku.

"Storm!!" yelled Anakin and Obi-wan.

"WHAT?!" said both teens as the cloud faded and they stopped kicking each other.

"Have some dignity, Sunset! Even Sith Lords must have pride when captured," said Dooku to his young mentee.

Both Storm and Sunset looked at each other as they held a stern glare. They didn't like the other but given their current situation, they decided to listen to their comrades and stop their arguing.

With the bickering from the teenagers now halted, Dooku now had the knife act as the key as he managed to unlock their cell.

"Well done... if I do say so myself," said the Sith Lord as they all filed behind him.

"Most impressive," said Kenobi.

"Now which way do we go to get the hell out of here?!" asked Storm.

"Just follow us, Jedi," said Sunset as she gave a nod to Dooku as the two Sith Lords began to lead the way as they were all still chained together.

While this was happening, the Republic forces sent were trying to figure out what to do. The clones, Jar Jar, and Pinkie all managed to survive the crash as their ship had split into two parts when it crash-landed.

"Me-sa no see a Senator Kharrus," said Jar Jar.

"Maybe he's playing hide and seek. Where are you?" said the party girl in a chirper tone. She then zoomed around the area at lightning speed. "Nope. Nope. Not hiding here. Anybody there?" said the girl as she knocked on the fourth wall making it shake a bit.

"Pilots are dead," said one of the clones as he looked in the cockpit to see their lifeless bodies.

"Sir, over here. I found the senator," said another clone to Commander Stone.

They all looked inside of the other half of the ship as they saw the senator's body as he laid there lifeless as well.

"Oh, no. He can't be dead," said Jar Jar as he saw the senator. Pinkie just reached into her puffy hair, pulled out her trusty flugelhorn, and began to play "Taps".

"We've got to figure out a way to contact Coruscant," said Commander Stone to his men.

While the rescue crew was trying to figure out what to do, the pirate that shot down them had arrived at the base as he was meeting with Turk.

"They crashed into Doshar Field."

"Good, good. And you have the spice?" asked Turk.

"Uh, no. Not exactly. No. I think there are survivors. Uh, we have to call it off. Uh, maybe we should tell Hondo." said the pirate.

"No one tells Hondo anything!" shouted Turk as he pushed the pirate to the ground. "If anyone survived that crash, we'll take care of them." He said to a few others. "Trust me, we're getting that spice."

The small group of pirates got on their hoverbikes, zoomed out of the garage, and head towards where the survivors were located. Back inside, our Jedi and Sith Lords were sneaking around as they were trying to find the exit to the place.

"We do know where we're going, don't we?" asked Anakin.

"Hush, Anakin," said Obi-wan. "Do we know where we're going?" asked the Jedi Master to the Sith Lords.

"Of course we do!" shouted Sunset as she was annoyed at them asking that.

"Quiet," said Dooku as he and Sunset kicked some nearby pirates that bent over and allowed them to hit them in the back of the head as they lay unconscious.

"We were brought this way when we captured," said Sunset. "It was open then."

"Hey, I found the door key," said Storm as he bent down to search the bodies of the guards.

The whole group was unaware of the small pet of Hondo's as he saw them from a nearby crate and disappeared.

"This is the way to the hangar," said Dooku as he pointed to the nearby door.

"Yes, but are you sure it's safe?" asked Obi-wan as Storm put the door key in and unlocked it.

"The key works," said Anakin.

"Is it safe?" said Obi-wan to both Sith Lords.

"Of course it is," said Dooku.

The door opened as inside were some pirates. They were checking their weapons when they looked at the door and saw the prisoners.

"Right," said Kenobi.

"Hold it right there, Jedi," said some more pirates as they appeared behind the group.

The entire group was now led back to their cell. They were now standing side by side in a circle as their chains were being tightened even more. Hondo was now present as he circled the group.

"What were we thinking, following Sith Lords?" said Anakin.

"At least we came up with a plan, unlike you Jedi," stated Sunset.

"Yeah, and how did that work out, Sunny?!" snickered Storm as he shot a glare to the girl standing next to him. "And stop breathing on me!"

"Would you keep your hands to yourself and give me space!" countered Sunset as they began to tussle a bit more.

"Sunset!!" shouted Dooku.

"Storm!!" yelled Anakin and Obi-wan.

"She/He start it!!" said both teens.

"Have pride!" stated Dooku to the girl.

Both teens stuck their tongues out at each other as they glared.

"Oh, what to do?" said Hondo as he addressed the group. "What to do? What to do? I don't want to kill you, per se. Especially, you two," he said looking at Storm and Sunset. "In fact, you seem like decent folks... even you, count. This is just business, and once I get my money, we can go back to being friends." Hondo then let out a small laugh.

"It's very simple. Now, try not to complicate things by breaking out again," said Hondo as he left the group and the door closed.

"We have to get out of here before the Republic arrives with the ransom," said Kenobi.

"For once, I agree with you," said Dooku as all five now began to move towards the door as the Jedi Master had a plan.

---

The group of survivors was still in the field where they crash-landed. Jar Jar, Pinkie, and one of the clones were nearby as they had a pile of rocks as below them was the body of the dead senator they had buried as they had a small eulogy. All the while, Commander Stone was a few meters away at the wreckage as he was checking up on the two other members of his crew.

"Any luck repairing the homing beacon?" asked Commander Stone to his men.

"No, sir."

"You-sa find rest, senator," said Jar Jar as he put the staff of Kharrus on the pile as Pinkie finished her song. "Thosen with good in their heart always passen too soon."

"Sir, with the death of Senator Kharrus, are you now in command of the mission?" asked a clone.

"Technically, no," replied Commander Stone.

"Then, uh, who is? It's not the pink girl, is it?" asked the clone as he was a bit nervous about Pinkie being in charge. It didn't help that she pulled out the flugelhorn once more and tried to play another song, but it was horrible.

"Thankfully, no," replied Commander Stone as even he couldn't stand Pinkie's crazy antics. "Representative Binks is the highest-ranking person here."

"We be missin' you, senator," said Jar Jar as he said some final words.

"Sir, this place is dangerous," said a clone as he looked up at the sky. "Look, those geysers are spitting out acid," he said as he showed bits of his armor melting off.

"Don't worry, some duct tape will help," stated Pinkie as she reached into her hair, pulled the thing out, and began to cover the small holes in the clone's armor. "All good."

"Uh, thanks, pink girl." said the clone with a confused look at how weird the teen girl was. He looked at the duct tape as it wasn't doing much.

"Thes-a beasties don't like the geysers either," said Jar Jar as he saw nearby Skalders start to run from the thing.

"What is it, sergeant?" asked Commander Stone to the clone that came from helping Jar Jar and Pinkie.

"How are we gonna deliver the ransom to the Jedi and get Count Dooku back?"

While the clones were figuring this out, our heroes were trying a different plan. Obi-wan had come up with a plan as he had got the attention of the pirate who guarded the cell. He had him standing in front of the cell as the Jedi Master had his hands waving in front of him.

"You do not want to stand guard," said Kenobi as he was using the Jedi mind trick.

"I do not want to stand guard." said the pirate.

"You want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking," said the Jedi Master.

"I want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking," said the guard. He then unlocked the door and left.

"Not bad," said Anakin to his master.

"Oh, yes, most impressive, Master Kenobi," stated Dooku as he too was pleased by what the Jedi Master did.

"Now, this time, why don't we lead the way so we don't get caught?!" stated Storm as he pointed to him and his friends.

"Alright then, Jedi. Which way?" asked Sunset with a sass look.

"Follow me," said Anakin as he took charge.

Out in the field, a noise was heard.

"What's-a that?" said Jar Jar as he looked at his surroundings.

From the distance, the group of pirates had managed to find them.

"You think this is trouble, sir?" asked one of the clones to Jar Jar.

"They could be the ones we're supposed to deliver the ransom to," stated Commander Stone as he and his men put their helmets on.

"Or they-sa the ones that be shootin' us down," suggested Jar Jar.

True to the Gungan's word, the pirates now began to fire as they got closer.

"Everyone for themselves!" shouted Pinkie as she and her friend ran in circles.

"Incoming! Form a circle!" stated Commander Stone to his men.

The pirates had now circled the group as it cut off their escape. The clones did their job of protecting Jar Jar and Pinkie as the pair was behind the men who were returning the fire from the enemy. They managed to shoot one of the bikes but were still outnumbered and vulnerable.

"Ah, there's not enough cover out here," said Commander Stone.

"They're cutting us off from the shuttle!" said a clone.

"We have got to regroup." said the commander.

The pirates now began to toss bombs as they went off near the group's position.

"Everyone follow me!" said Pinkie to the group as she pointed to the crater below them. She did a perfect swan dive as she disappeared.

"Come on, men!" said Commander Stone as they all followed Pinkie and Jar Jar's lead as they jumped into the geyser.

"Where'd they go?" asked one of the pirates as when the smoke cleared, they didn't see them.

"I don't know. Maybe they fell in the crater. Find the spice," ordered Turk to another pirate.

"Should we look for the clones in the crater?" asked one of them.

"Get back here. Once that geyser goes off, they're broiled," said Turk.

In the crater, our heroes had managed to escape from the pirates. Thanks to Pinkie's weird thinking.

"We're not gonna last long in here," said Commander Stone to both Jar Jar and Pinkie.

"Don't worry, as long as those beasties are up there, we're safe," said the Gungan. "When they run, we run."

"What?" said the clones as they looked up to see the Skalders from before as one of them looked into the geyser to see our heroes.

"Ohh, I get it," smiled Pinkie. The clones were still confused as they couldn't figure out what the zany pair meant.

The pirates had now loaded up the spice and were hauling it away. They were traveling back to their base. The Skalders now sense danger as they began to run from the geyser. Jar Jar knew it was the signal as he told Pinkie and the clones to start climbing. They made it to the top as Jar Jar was the last one to climb. He had some difficulty as he jumped up and his footing started to slip until Commander Stone grabbed him by his neck and pulled him to safety.

"Come on. Let's go," said Commander Stone as they all ran to get away from the geyser that was about to go off.

They made it back to the wreckage of the ship as they took cover under it as the geyser went off. They looked inside to see that the ransom was gone.

"Commander, you're right. The ransom's gone."

"Hmm. I suggest we stay here and wait for the Republic to send the rescue party," suggested Commander Stone to Jar Jar.

"We-sa can't wait."

"We don't have much choice," said the clone commander.

"Ani and Obi are waitin' for us to deliver the spicen," said the Gungan.

"Those pirates are on speeders. How are we gonna catch them?" asked Commander Stone.

"Leave that to me," smiled Pinkie as she now stepped out of the ship as the geyser stopped. "Over here!" shouted the girl.

"What's she doing?" asked a clone.

"Don't ask," said another as they couldn't figure out Pinkie Pie.

It wasn't long till they heard some rumbling as they saw the Skalders from before as they now approached the group. Pinkie reached into her hair once more and pulled out some sweet treats as she gave one to each of the creatures as they enjoy it. She smiled as they all liked her.

"Take your pick, boys. Whee!" shouted Pinkie as she got on the back of one of them and had her arms up as she enjoyed the ride. The rest did as she instructed as they soon followed as they were now heading in the direction of the pirates.

---

Inside the base, our prisoners were sneaking about trying to not get caught a second time.

"Oh, hurry it up, Dooku," said Kenobi to the Sith Lord.

They all hid behind some crates as they avoided being seen by a nearby guard as he turned to a room and entered. Once the coast was clear, they began to continue on their path.

"You should be more patient, master. After all, the count is an elderly gentleman and doesn't move like he used to," said Anakin with a mocking and smug smile. His response got Sunset to chuckle a bit as Dooku glared at his comrade.

"I suppose you're right," said Obi-wan playing along.

"Hey grandpa, need us to fetch you a wheelchair?" asked Storm as it got Dooku to be more annoyed, especially cause Sunset was laughing at the boy's jokes.

"I would kill you all right now if I didn't have to drag your bodies," stated Dooku.

In the desert, the group was riding in formation as they were getting closer. Pinkie had stood up and was riding her animal like a surfboard as she did so without a care in the world. They managed to avoid the geysers that shot out as they closed in on their targets.

"Look. There they are," said Commander Stone.

"Giddy up!" said Jar Jar as he kicked his legs to the side of his ride as it went faster.

"Charge!!!" shouted Pinkie as she tapped into her inner battle cry.

The clones just started to shoot; the pirates noticed the blasts as they began to fire back. One of the shots hit a speeder as it was now swerving and lost speed as it crashed. The group moved out of the way as it crashed behind them and chased after the others. Pinkie pulled out a mini party cannon as she placed it on her ride and began to fire stuff from it. They managed to take out the speeders who were carrying the spice as they crashed from their engines of the geyser threw them into the air. Eventually, the shipment landed on the ground as the pirates kept on riding.

"Let him go, sir. We've got the spice back," said Commander Stone.

"I'll hold onto this for safekeeping," said Pinkie as she grabbed the shipments of spice and put them all in her hair as it vanished like a black hole.

"How weird is the pink girl?" asked one of the clones.

---

Inside the base, an alarm was going off as our prisoners were running.

"Nice shortcut, Anakin!!" shouted Storm to his pal.

Dooku and Sunset were at the tail end of the line as they used the Force to knock some crates over to block the path of the pirates from getting them. Anakin now kicked down a door as they found themselves outside.

"Now we just have to get beyond that wall," said Kenobi.

"Let's go," stated Anakin as they got up from the floor.

He then grabbed a nearby pole and he held it as the entire group now ran behind them. The pirates now ran out of the door in hot pursuit of the prisoners as they fired their weapons. Anakin was running with the pole as he stuck it into the ground as the entire group now pole-vaulted into the air with a trail of blasters following them. They were hoping to land on the wall but they were just short as both Anakin and Storm held onto the edge as they all hung in the shape of a U.

"This is not going well," said Skywalker as he tried to pull himself up.

"Don't let them get away!" said a pirate as they all began to fire.

The group was trying to avoid the shots when one of the blasts cut the line connecting Dooku to Sunset and Obi-wan as the Sith Lord looked to fall. Obi-wan, however, transitioned to hanging upside down as he caught the count as they hung. As for Storm and Sunset, the sudden weight shift, allowed the boy to now pull himself up. He then looked back at Sunset as he began to reach for her.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" asked Anakin as their side had gotten heavier as he was slipping. "You're too heavy. I can't... do it."

"Pull me up, Storm!" shouted Sunset as she didn't like that she could fall to her death.

"I'm trying, Sunny," said the boy as he grunted a bit, "Maybe you want to drop a few pounds."

"Are you calling me fat?!" shouted the girl as she didn't like the Jedi's comment about her figure.

The pirates stopped shooting.

"Drop Dooku," said Anakin as he couldn't hold on for much longer. He looked in front of him as he saw the feet of someone.

Storm had managed to get Sunset up as both were on their knees, breathing heavily. They looked at each other with a long stare, before either could say something, the sounds of blasters being pointed at them were heard. The pair looked to see Hondo was standing in front of Anakin.

"Shit," said both Sunset and Storm.

"I guess this means we won't be friends," sighed Hondo.

Meanwhile...

"Right, now that we have the spice, we need to find the compound," said Commander Stone. "Anything to the South?"

"Nothing, sir. Who knows where that pirate stronghold is from here?" said the clone. "Well, look at that. Power lines. They must lead somewhere." said the soldier through his binoculars.

"If there's power, there's a party being held," said Pinkie.

"Don't you mean, people, pink girl?"

"Nope, I meant what I said. High-ho!" said Pinkie as she told her creature to giddy up as they went in the direction of the power lines.

"Yup, that pink girl is weird," said a clone as they soon all followed Pinkie.

Once Hondo and his men had captured the prisoners again, he decided to treat himself to some refreshments. He was enjoying himself when Turk had approached him.

"Captain."

"Well, Turk, did the Republic arrive with my spice?"

"The Republic deceived us," said Turk putting on his lie. "They didn't send a ransom. They sent an army. They ambushed us in Doshar Field. I suggest we counterattack with tanks."

"Where are your men?" asked Hondo as he turned around in his chair.

"I was the only survivor. I think they will attack us and try to free the Jedi."

"I warned them," snarled Hondo. "I didn't want to torture anyone. But now, even in a galaxy at war, you hope to find some honor."

"Let me take our tanks. I'll make 'em pay," said Turk.

"Go. Stop them before they reach the compound," instructed Hondo. "I will deal with the Jedi."

Yes, captain." said Turk as he turned around and smiled at Hondo for buying his lie.

Our prisoners were all back in their cell as they were no longer connected, but their hands were still tied. Both Anakin and Obi-wan were sitting in the middle as Dooku was standing up against the wall a few meters away.

"We have to find a way out of here before Senator Kharrus and Jar Jar arrive," said Kenobi. "We'll look like fools."

"I think it's time to lose the dead weight," said Anakin as he stood up, getting ready to handle Dooku himself.

"Anakin," said Obi-wan as he stopped his student from harming their cargo.

As for Storm and Sunset, they were on the opposite side of the room as they were keeping themselves occupied with the ball that the boy played with earlier.

"Well, so much for busting us out of here," said Sunset.

Storm caught the ball as he glared at the girl sitting next to him.

"You should be lucky we came to get you and Dooku. Cause, to be honest, I would have let those pirates keep you," stated the boy.

"But would the Republic take that risk?" snickered Sunset as Storm just growled.

"Hopefully, Luna will catch on and come lead a rescue mission. I wonder if Twilight is freaking out over me not returning yet?"

"Knowing her, she probably is," said Sunset as it got Storm to look at her. "If anything, Celestia is probably calming her down. Trying to make sure her anxiety doesn't cause her to go mental."

"Yeah, that's Twilight for you. She does tend to freak out a lot, which, I'll admit, is admirable." chuckled the boy as he pictured Twilight pulling out her hair and going into her panic attacks when things didn't go according to plan.

"She does need to learn that not everything goes according to plan, but her master is Celestia," stated Sunset.

"Speaking of which, how do you know Master Celestia?" asked Storm as he tossed the ball to Sunset, which she caught.

"It's a secret," said the girl tossing the ball back to the boy.

"Well, I ain't got anywhere to go," said Storm as they were now playing catch as they began to talk.

"Why are you interested? I'm a Sith lord."

"Yeah, and I'm a Jedi. So if I ever take you down, I at least what to know who my enemy is."

"That's not a typically Jedi thing to do."

"Yeah, but I'm also a fighter at heart, so I take some pride in knowing that I fought a tough opponent."

"And you think that I'm just gonna open up my life story to you?" asked the girl.

"I didn't say you have to. You decide."

Sunset caught the ball as she put it in her lap and sighed. She then looked at Storm as she stared into his eyes. To think that her enemy, the person she was supposed to kill daily, was wanting to know about her. Not because he demanded, but that he was allowing her if she wanted to. She then got up and walked a few more meters as she sat next to the boy as their shoulders pressed against the other.

"First thing, is I wasn't always a Sith Lord," said Sunset.

"I'd figured, the way you fight. The way you move in battle, the way you use the Force. You're skilled, your training shows a similar stance to someone I know. You were a former Jedi, am I right?" said the boy.

"You could say that. But... I'm no longer a Jedi."

"What happened?"

"There was... something... something happened to me that made me leave the Jedi order. Let's say that I was tasked with doing something and... I... did the opposite."

"You killed someone by accident?" asked Storm.

"No, nothing that gruesome. It was a more personal issue with my former master," said Sunset as she held the ball in her hands as she was reminded of her days back when she was a Padawan.

"Tell me," said Storm in a soft-spoken voice as Sunset looked at him.

"Well..."

Before Sunset could explain, the door to their cell opened.

"Hey, you three, come with us," said a pirate as he pointed at the Jedi.

They then began to grab the Jedi by their chains as they were leading them out of the cell. Storm was pulled up as he looked at Sunset one last time as the girl also looked at him. He could see the expression in the bacon-haired girl's face as he was then led away as he joined his pals. The door closed as only the Sith Lords were left. Sunset now held the ball that both of them were playing with as she was thinking about things.

"Don't let his antics fool you. You are a Sith, and he is a Jedi. You know the role you play," said Dooku.

"Right," said Sunset as she knew what her comrade was implying.

---

"There be some bombat clankens be comin' this way," said Jar Jar looking through the binoculars.

"Uh, what? Bombat clankens?" said Commander Stone as he didn't understand what Jar Jar said.

"Yup, right there," pointed Pinkie.

"Where?" asked Commander Stone as he looked in the direction that Jar Jar saw but didn't see anything.

"No, not there! There," said Pinkie as she manually turned the commander in the right direction.

"Oh. You're right," said the clone as he saw the tanks. "Bombat clankers."

They all now took cover, hiding behind the rocks as the tanks were coming closer.

"Representative Binks, we're going to need your services for this part of the mission," said Commander Stone.

"Who-sa? Me-sa?"

"Yes, sir, you are the Senate representative. We need you to go out there and negotiate with the pirates," said Commander Stone.

"Me-sa no liken this idea, but I think is what Senator Kharrus woulda do-sa," said Jar Jar as he started to walk towards the tanks.

"He's probably going to get himself killed," said a clone.

"Don't worry. He's smarter than he looks," said the commander.

"What about me?" asked Pinkie.

"You stay with us, pink girl," stated the commander.

Back inside the compound, the pirates had brought the Jedi to the banquet hall where both Anakin and Obi-wan were hung in front of them. Storm was nearby as he still had his hands tied as he was watching his pals being suspended. Hondo now appeared in front of them as a crowd gathered to watch.

"I take it the Republic didn't arrive with the ransom," said Obi-wan looking down.

"Ah, your Republic obviously doesn't want the Sith Lords," said Hondo.

"They didn't show?" said Kenobi.

"Oh, oh, they did. They did show... with a huge army that they thought would be enough to get the best of me, Hondo."

"That can't be right," said Anakin.

"Are you calling me a liar?" asked Hondo.

"I mean, you want the honest answer," said Storm as it got Hondo to glare at the teen. "Besides, don't you do that for a living?"

"You reject my hospitality, refuse to wait in your cell, now you're gonna insult me?!" said Hondo to all three Jedi.

"We're just saying--"

"Anakin!" shouted Obi-wan to his student to shut up to avoid making things worst.

"What? He is a pirate."

"Yes, but this may not be the best time for you to speak," said Kenobi as Hondo pulled out a controller.

"But you--"

"At all, Anakin!!!" shouted the Jedi Master to his student.

Hondo then pressed the button as now both Jedi were being shocked with electricity as it lit up the entire room. Storm was forced to watch his pals be tortured as they let out a scream as the lightning coursed through their bodies. At that same time, Jar Jar had now met with the tanks in the middle.

"What are you supposed to be?" asked a pirate.

"Me-sa Representative Binks. Me-sa coming to deliver the spicen."

"Where's the army Turk reported?" asked one of the pirates.

"Don't know. Let's fry this one and look around," said the other pirate.

"No, if he's a representative, he might be worth something as well," said the first pirate. "You, Representative Bink, we'll take you to your Jedi friends so you can, uh, negotiate," snickered the smuggler.

"Okey day," said Jar Jar without any worry.

"Sir, they're taking Representative Bink hostage," said one of the clones as he saw Jar Jar getting in the tank.

"Get ready," said Commander Stone.

Jar Jar now climbed up on the tank. His natural clumsiness took effect as he slipped and bumped into the pirate as they collided into the steering wheel. It caused the tank to turn, and it rammed into another tank as it was sent flying into the power lines as an explosion went off that shut down the power grid. With the power down, the electricity that tortured Anakin and Obi-wan stopped.

"What happened to the power? I was having fun," said Hondo as he noticed the lights went off.

With no power, Dooku noticed this as did Sunset. The Sith lord walked to the door as it opened and he used his chains around his hands as he dragged the guard inside and he choked him. At that moment, Anakin used the Force to grab their lightsabers that were nearby as he freed him and Kenobi. Storm soon followed as he reached out for his as it came into his hand as they cut his binds. The only light that was shown was from the lightsabers as Anakin grabbed Hondo and put his lightsaber to his neck.

"What the--?" said Hondo as he was now being held hostage as Storm and Obi-wan were in front of Anakin making sure none of the pirates made a move as they kept their guns on them.

---

"Whoo!" said Jar Jar as he was spinning in the tank firing in all random directions. One of the tanks turned to him as the tank exploded a bit as it fell.

"Hold it right there!" said a pirate to Jar Jar as he jumped out of the tank.

"Kill him! Kill him! He's no representative. He's a plague," said the pirate who also emerged from the tank as he thought the Gungan was crazy.

"Who's-a plague? Me-sa?" said Jar Jar as he looked up to see the barrel of the tank pointed at him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Commander Stone as he appeared behind the pirate with his blaster pointed at his head. "Nice work, sir."

The rest of the clones now came out as they had their guns pointed as Pinkie bounced along. Back in the compound, Turk and the pirate he asked to shoot down the ship were now approaching their ship as they looked to escape.

"We're leaving without the spice?" asked the pirate.

"It won't be long until Hondo figures out what's happened," said Turk as he then felt himself being choked.

He grabbed his throat as he felt himself being lifted in the air. Out from the hangar, emerged Dooku and Sunset as the Sith Lord had his hand held up. He was now using the Force to now only choke the pirate, but also control his hand as he reached for the blaster on his side. He then had him aim his arm as he pointed the weapon at the other. He then fired it as it took out the other pirate before he finished suffocating the one he held as he tossed him to the side.

"Come along, Sunset. Time to leave," said Dooku.

"Right," said the girl as she managed to get their lightsabers when they were escaping.

Sunset also held the ball that she used when she was talking with Storm in their cell as she decided to hold onto it. As the Sith lords were about to leave, inside the compound, the Jedi were dragging Hondo as they walked outside with the pirates still having their weapons on them.

"What chance do you really have, Jedi?" asked Hondo. "Now let me go, and I might let you live."

"Approach us, and he dies," warned Anakin to Hondo's gang.

All three Jedi then heard some noises as they turned around to see tanks.

"It looks like your forces were destroyed, Jedi," snickered Hondo.

The top of the tank popped out as Jar Jar revealed himself.

"Ani! Obi! Storm!" said the Gungan as he saw them.

"Jar Jar?" said Anakin.

"Me-sa have arrived with the spicen."

"Excellent, Jar Jar, assuming the pirates still have Count Dooku to trade," said Kenobi.

At that moment, everyone saw the ship that the Sith Lords were on hover into the air and fly away.

"Well, that answers that question," said Storm as they dragged Hondo closer to their shuttle they came in as they were now backed up by the clones.

"Commander, start the engines, please," said Obi-wan to which the clone nodded.

"So, what now, Jedi?" asked Hondo. "You're going to arrest me, huh?"

"No. Anakin, release him," said the Jedi Master.

"What?" said the Jedi Knight as he couldn't believe what his master was saying.

"Captain, you have nothing we want, and since we're not prisoners anymore, you have no bargaining power," said Obi-wan.

"What? You-sa was in bombard trouble?" said Jar Jar. "Me-sa rescued you."

"No, Jar Jar. We weren't in any trouble," stated Storm.

"Let's leave on even terms," said the Jedi Master.

They all began to board their shuttle when the clones turned around as the band of pirates came as both sides had their guns pointed at each other.

"Hold! Hold!" shouted Hondo to his crew. "Jedi, after everything, you're just going to walk away?"

"We have no quarrel with you, and we seek no revenge," said Kenobi telling Hondo what they as Jedi stood for.

"Indeed. Very honorable, Master Jedi," spoke Hondo.

"Oh, captain, you will find that Count Dooku does not share our sense of honor, and he knows where you live," said Kenobi.

With that, the ship now started up. It lifted into the air as it then zoomed into the air as it was leaving behind the place. Storm took a deep breath as he looked to communicate both Luna and Twilight when suddenly a blur of pink came into his field of vision. Pinkie appeared with a big smile on her face as Storm found that uncomfortable as she leaned in.

"Hey there, I'm Pinkie Pie!" said the girl grabbing the boy's hand and beginning to shake him. "Are you new, you must be new. Prepared to be welcomed with a party, but first I need to know your interests!" she said with a fast tone. "Sotellmewhat'syourfavoriteflavor?Favoritecupcake?Music?Color?Doyoulikeparties!?"

Pinkie kept rambling on and on that Storm used his other hand as he grabbed the girl's mouth. The girl now looked into the eyes of the boy as he had a look.

"Okay, what was your name again? Pinkie Pie?" asked Storm to which girl nodded. "Alright then, look Pinkie Pie. Could you do me a favor and shut the fuck up for like two minutes? You know what, make it five minutes! I don't hear your ass until we reach Coruscant, I want to hear myself think. Is that understood?" said the Storm as he removed his hand to which Pinkie smiled.

Comments

[Darth Wrex]

You know, I just had A funny thought about Hondo.

[Darth_krayt]

Sunset storm somewhat had a Heart to Heart moment

[Postwarmonkey50]

Wow, Storm actually got through to Sunset a bit. Goes to show you, having a friendly conversation can get you a long way.

Also, nice job adding pinkie to the mix, she really brought out the funny alongside jar jar.

Cant wait for more.

[Postwarmonkey50]

11156007
What's that?

[Darth Wrex]

11156095
Hondo thinks Twilight and Storm are a pair of love birds.

[Postwarmonkey50]

11156101
Wait, how did he know, I think I might have missed that one.

If they are, then it would be a forbidden love kind of thing. And in a story, anything is possible.

[Darth Wrex]

11156105
It's a joke. Hondo meets Twilight for the first time when he is hassling the farmers and comes to the conclusion she and Storm are Sweethearts.

[Postwarmonkey50]

11156111
Oh OK. . Now I get it.

[Darth Wrex]

11156125
It's funny.