Stars burned bright and cold outside the viewport when the warning klaxons began to shriek.
"Enemy contact—straight ahead!" shouted the clone navigator. "Two Munificent-class frigates, closing fast!"
Anakin leaned over the tactical display, his jaw tightening. "Ventress. She's not done with us."
Blue lights strobed through the cockpit as the ship's shields flared.Kaelen strapped himself beside the communications console, feeling the shudder of turbolaser impacts through the deck plates. The young Hutt whimpered from his bunk, and Ahsoka held him close, whispering the Mando lullaby Kaelen had taught her under her breath.
"Rex, divert auxiliary power to the shields!" Anakin barked."Already on it, General!"
Another impact rattled the hull. Warning lights flared red.
Obi-Wan's calm voice crackled over subspace, distorted by interference:
"Anakin, you're heading straight into a blockade. Keep the Huttlet safe. We'll coordinate a rescue if needed."
Static swallowed the rest.
Kaelen turned to Anakin. "Master Kenobi's signal is fading—we're being jammed."
"Figures." Anakin spun toward the co-pilot's chair. "Helm, break right and drop to sublight. We'll lose them in the debris field."
"Sir, that'll take us off the main route to Tatooine—"
"Do it!"
The stars elongated, then snapped back to pinpricks as the transport dropped from hyperspace into a region of shattered asteroids. The frigates followed, their green turbolasers slicing through the rocks.
"Return fire!" Anakin shouted. Cannons roared.Chunks of debris exploded in brilliant flashes, lighting the faces inside the cockpit.
Kaelen closed his eyes, reaching through the Force.He could feel the pattern of the enemy's assault—bursts, pauses, corrections. He moved to the gunnery console, fingers flying.
"Port-side droid fighter—now!" he shouted.Rex obeyed without question, firing just as the vulture droid banked into view. The shot hit true; the fighter spiraled into fragments.
Anakin glanced at him with a crooked grin. "Nice call, kid."
Before Kaelen could reply, a massive impact rocked the ship. Sirens blared.
"Hyperdrive's hit!" the pilot cried. "We're losing power!"
Ahsoka clutched Rotta as sparks rained from the ceiling. "We need to land before this thing blows!"
Anakin's eyes darted across the navigation readouts. "Nearest safe orbit—Teth's outer moon. Set us down there!"
Kaelen reached for the comms. "I'll signal for help."
"Don't," Anakin snapped. "If Ventress is tracking transmissions, she'll find us faster."
Kaelen hesitated but nodded. "Then we hide."
The transport limped toward the moon, smoke trailing from its engines. One frigate stayed in pursuit, raining fire until the thin atmosphere enveloped them both. The Republic cruiser skidded across a barren plateau, plumes of dust rising as it ground to a stop.
For a moment, silence. Then the groan of stressed metal.
Rex exhaled. "We're down. Barely."
The landscape outside was all ash-gray stone and jagged ridges. A dry wind hissed across the plain, carrying the faint crackle of static. Kaelen stepped out first, scanning the horizon. The Force prickled—danger, distant but growing.
"We need repairs, General," Rex reported. "Hyperdrive's gone, comm array's fried."
Anakin frowned. "Do what you can. Ahsoka, keep the Huttlet inside, out of the dust."
Ahsoka scowled but obeyed. Kaelen followed Anakin toward the open ramp, both scanning the skies.
"Ventress won't quit," Kaelen said quietly. "She's obsessed."
"You're not wrong." Anakin's eyes narrowed. "She and Dooku will try something bigger than a simple chase. Stay sharp."
Kaelen nodded, though unease gnawed at him. The Force whispered again—like a cold draft through a locked door.
Separatist flagship – Ventress's bridge
Asajj Ventress stood before the holoprojector, Count Dooku's image towering above the deck.
"The Jedi still have the Huttlet," she said, bowing slightly. "But they won't reach Tatooine. Their ship is crippled."
Dooku's eyes glimmered. "Excellent. Begin the next phase. I will ensure the Hutts believe Skywalker murdered Jabba's son."
Ventress smiled. "A pleasure, my lord."
Dooku turned away, already contacting his agents on Coruscant.
Coruscant – Ziro's palace
Far from the battle, Padmé Amidala approached the neon-lit fortress of Ziro the Hutt. The palace pulsed with music and laughter, hiding treachery beneath its glitter.Padmé, disguised in a hooded cloak, slipped past Twi'lek guards and entered the grand hall.
Ziro lounged upon a repulsor dais, his skin lavender and glistening, his laughter high and oily.
"Ahh, Senator Amidala," he purred. "What brings a shining Republic jewel to my humble home?"
Padmé smiled thinly. "Jabba's son has been kidnapped. We need your help to convince him the Jedi are innocent."
Ziro's golden eyes flicked toward the shadows—where a hooded figure waited.Count Dooku's hologram shimmered to life beside him.
"Ah, but my dear Senator," Dooku said smoothly, "it was Skywalker himself who kidnapped the Huttlet. Proof will be delivered shortly."
Padmé's stomach twisted. She knew manipulation when she heard it. "You're lying."
Ziro's grin widened. "Perhaps. But lies are so profitable."
Guards seized her arms.
Teth's moon – Nightfall
Back on the desolate plateau, the Republic camp flickered under portable lights. The clones worked to patch hull breaches while Kaelen crouched near the ramp, cleaning his saber emitter.
Ahsoka joined him, sitting cross-legged with Rotta bundled in her arms. "He's worse," she murmured. "Fever's climbing."
Kaelen touched the Huttlet's brow, sensing the faint tremor of life through the Force. "We need medical supplies—antibacterials, hydration fluid."
Rex approached, handing over a ration canister. "All we've got, sir."
Kaelen looked to Anakin, who was studying the horizon. "There's a settlement twenty klicks east. I can reach it faster alone."
Anakin shook his head. "We stay together."
Kaelen's impatience flared. "If we wait, he'll die."
Anakin turned sharply, recognizing the tone—his own, echoed back. "I said no. We protect the mission first."
For a heartbeat Kaelen wanted to argue. The fire inside him burned to act, to do.But he forced himself to exhale, lowering his eyes. "Yes, General."
The restraint cost him more than the battle on Teth had.
Coruscant – Ziro unmasked
Padmé struggled against her guards until C-3PO's metallic voice echoed from the corridor, distracting them. In the confusion she triggered her wrist blaster, stunning the Twi'leks and ducking behind a pillar.
"Arrest this Hutt!" she shouted as clone security troopers burst in.Ziro tried to slither away, but a stun bolt dropped him mid-sentence.
"Tell Jabba," Padmé said coldly, "that his uncle has been conspiring with Count Dooku."
Teth's moon – Dawn
By the time the first light touched the horizon, Kaelen had barely slept. He sat beside the still-smoking ship, staring into the gray sky.
A chill wind swept across the plateau. For a moment, he thought he heard again the echo of his mother's voice singing, blending with the hum of the Force.
Then the holocomm flickered—Padmé's transmission, routed through Obi-Wan.
"The deception has been exposed. Jabba knows the truth. You're cleared to deliver Rotta to his palace."
Anakin grinned, relief breaking through exhaustion. "Finally. Strap in, everyone—we're going to Tatooine."
Kaelen allowed himself a slow breath. But deep inside, the earlier whisper of the Force still lingered, colder than the desert night awaiting them.