Anakin

  I piloted our ship up to the Flurrum system, where the pirates held Dooku for us. The way there was quiet, Lans and I had nothing to talk about really, and sometimes those moments of complete silence with one another were enjoyable, and this one was one of those for sure.

  I landed the ship in a small cargo area and we walked out of the cabin quite fast, trying to bring the Separatist leader to justice as soon as possible.

  Lana placed her quite long hair in a braid as the ramp of the ship opened for us.

"Whatever happens out there, follow my lead, we don't want trouble with these people." She said and I smiled.

"Sure thing General." I answered remembering how she said almost these exact words to me about a year ago.

  We walked out side by side and soon enough we spotted several Weequayans pointing their guns at us.

"What a welcoming party." I whispered as we walked up to the last men in the line.

"Shut it." She said when he moved a scanner over her body, making sure no weapons were hidden, then, he did the same with me.

"Follow me." The men said and guided us inside.

  As we walked in the percussive music flooded our senses, as well as the crowd's murmurs. Our eyes scanned the place from corner to corner, from left to right and vice versa. Everyone stared at us, emotion less or with disgust, making me frown. Soon enough we reached the last table, where the leader was sitting, waiting for our arrival.

"Gentleman." he greeted me. "And lady." The last word came out of his lips slowly as his eyes scanned Allana from top to bottom, slowly as well, making me frown even more. "Can I offer you something to drink?" He said raising his cup and taking a sip from it as the woman and man behind him studied us and tightened their grip around their blasters.

"No, thank you." Allana said but in anyway, the pirate pushed a cup that was filled up with a disgusting looking green liquid, that once reached my side made me placed a face of disgust on my features. "Congratulations on your...capture of Count Dooku."

"Yeah, very...impressive." I added.

"Yes it was." The man said. "Even a Sith Lord has no match for my warriors." Said he looking at the opposite side of the table, making us follow his gaze, just to spot men drunk enough to be passed out and a small little creature chugging down a bottle into one's mouth, the scene quite funny. "He put up quite a fight." He commented. "Blasters, cannons, that glowy thing." He added and moved his hand drastically as he imitated the sound of a laser sword.

Allana giggled. "You mean a lightsaber?"

"That's it beautiful." He added and she sighed with a smile, trying to keep her cool, just like me, when it was obvious that she felt annoyed. "Now that I mention it, who would've thought that Jedis could look like you, right boys?" He asked and the men that were around cheered in agreement and one of them even whistled, making me tight my hand into a fist and her tight her grip around her wrist behind her back. He noticed that she felt uncomfortable, due to the fact that she went completely serious and arched an eyebrow, he cleared his throat. "Well, I don't need to tell you, but those things can do some damage." He changed the subject as the red little creature came closer, the bottle still in his hand but in the other one, the handle of my weapon, and in his tale, Lana's. "Carved up some of my best men pretty good before I could get the jump on him."

"And how exactly did you get the jump on him?" I asked as I brushed my arm against Lana's making her notice the creature that was pouring more of the green beverage into the pirate's cup. "With this?" I asked and pulled the handles towards me with the Force, making the little guy squeal. As soon as the cold metal of the handles touched my hands, the guns were pointed at our heads, making Lana sigh. The creature climbed the guns and took the lightsabers off from my hands making me frown.

"We are not interested in having any trouble with you." Said my wife, pushing away the cannon of a blaster from her face with her fingers. "All we want is to confirm that you're holding Dooku, that's all, then, we'll go."

"I will arrange a meeting." Said the pirate gang's leader in a very serious tone of voice.

[...]

  "I told you to follow my lead." Lana whispered as we walked up to the cell where Dooku was being held, guided by the same guy that received us outside.

"I am following your lead." I said and she just sent me a glare. "Fine, kind of following it." I added and she looked back to the front.

  Soon enough we reached the entrance. The door whooshed open and we walked in calmly. The view placing a smile on our faces.

"Look how the mighty Sith Lord has fallen." Lana teased.

"This place suits you Count." I added with a smile as we walked around the figure of him suspended in the air being held by a pair of handcuffs.

"It wasn't so long ago that you yourself were in similar surroundings on my ship."

"Yeah, but, now I'm free and...you're not." I smiled placing my hands behind my back, spotting Allana doing the same as we both placed ourselves before the old man.

"I'm confident the situation will rectify itself soon." He told us.

"Nah." Allana said shrugging. "The only thing that will happen soon will be your trial by the Senate, and then, most likely, you will spend a very long time, if not your entire life in a cell, like this one, but perhaps a little more comfier."

"And that's if you're lucky." I told him with a smile that seemed to not leave my features.

"Oh, my naive young Jedi." The old man said shaking his head. "You must be overly optimistic if you think that these Weekquayans plan to let you leave this planet."

I laughed. "They're planet-hopping thieves looking for a quick score, they have no interest in picking a fight with the Jedi."

"They are devious and deceitful, and most importantly stupid."

"Stupid huh? It's a wonder why don't you get along with them Count." Lans told Dooku. "Besides, if they were as stupid as you describe them, you wouldn't be here, and yet...here you are." I walked outside and waited for her. "Try to talk to them, you have so much in common." She added just to walk out, a huge smile on her beautiful features.

"You underestimate them at your own peril." He added and I rolled my eyes.

[...]

  We walked into a kind of market that was there in order to go back to the cantina looking place where we were at first.

"I think we could use some rest." I told my wife after a while and she smiled tenderly.

"I think so too, but remember Ani, this could still be a trap."

"Isn't Obi-Wan the pessimist one?" I asked her and she just shook her head as her smile intensified, looking away. "You're not worried about Dooku, are you?" I asked when I saw her smile fading.

"No, not him." Lans told me. "I'm worried about these pirates." She said as she looked over her shoulder spotting how one of them punched a little Yawa on the face, she frowned, wanting to help, but then, when the Yawa hit another pirate's leg, he started to fight with the one that started everything and she quickly looked away.

"Jedi!" The man that has been guided us everywhere called our attention. "Now that your business is completed, we invite you to join us in the great hall for a banquet, and a true Weequeay banquet is not to be missed." He said as my blue eyes found her hazel ones, doubt in them, but we were hungry, so we accepted.

"We have to make a quick report, but we'll gladly join you." I said and he stepped aside letting us through to get to our ship.

  Once there, Allana sat down in the pilot's seat and clicked the communication button, the holograms of a Senator, Jar Jar, Windu and the Chancellor appeared before us.

"So?" Windu asked as soon as he saw us, yeah Master, hello to you too.

"No question they have Dooku." Answered Allana who was apparently thinking the same than me, making me smile. "Send the ransom."

"He's being securely held?" Asked Palpatine, making me chuckle.
"Yeah, and very cranky about it." I answered.

"Good." Said Palpatine. "Senator Kharrus and Representative Binks will be dispatched immediately." He added and we nodded, then the transmission was over.

"Now let's get some food, I'm starving." Lans said taking my hand and dragging me out of the cabin, just to let go of my me before we walked out of the ship.

  When we entered the great hall everyone was getting even more drunk, the music playing loudly, conversations everywhere, people getting smacked in the face whenever they did something inappropriate or that pissed someone off, it was a real, pure, entertainment.

  I smiled and Lana laughed as we saw a guy trying to stand in the table and that then danced to the music's rhythm. "Now." Hondo surprised us from behind, he placed himself in between us and placed his hands on our shoulders. "Can I persuade you to join us for a drink?" He asked locking eyes with me. "It's a tradition, in the name of friendship." He added, locking eyes with Allana this time.

Her hazel eyes met mine and I smiled. "Alright." She said after a while, smiling and giggling in a whisper. "But nothing too strong, he's flying." I scoffed and locked eyes with her again, she smiled and I was able to see her dimples, she's relaxed now, not so stressed over everything, as usual.

"Bring our guests some...refreshments." Said the pirate and soon enough a waiter brought us two cups, quite big that were filled up with the green liquid that keeps making me doubt, we looked at each other as the gang's leader left our side and began to walk away.

"To a successful transaction." He said, toasting, and everyone raised their cups cheering, as they did, we switched our cups with the ones that were beside us, using the Force, too fast for them to notice.

"It's been a while since we've done something like this." I said, wanting to speak my mind about it.

"I know." She said smiling tenderly once more, then, she raised her cup, turning around slightly, facing me, inviting me to do the same. "To you, my darling." She toasted in a whisper.

"And to you my love." I said and we made the cups clink to take a sip afterwards, not breaking the eye contact as we smiled. Then we made a weird face because of the taste and laughed about it. "I still don't get it." I said as we placed our cups on the table.

"Get what?" She asked.

"How a bunch of drunken pirates managed to catch Dooku when we couldn't?"

"I don't know to be honest." She answered shrugging. "Obi-Wan would say something like 'that's a lesson to be learned here'." She added imitating the accent of my Master making me laugh, and that made her laugh.

"I- I still can't figure it out, that's it." I said sighing after we calmed down and looked deeply into each other's eyes. 

"Me neither, but maybe it means that we should be humble you know? Thanking them in either way, even if we don't fully trust them. Accept the gift when it comes our way." She added taking another sip of the beverage.

"Well." I raised my cup once again. "To unexpected gifts as well."

"Cheers." She said and we made the cups clink again as those that were to our sides began to cough and then faint.

  We drank the liquid as the night went by, enjoying ourselves and the moment, the music, everything. I started to feel dizzy, my eyesight blurry.

  I walked for a bit and then closed my eyes when the room as dark. I spotted Allana beside me, sleeping, I assumed. She was giving me the back, so I hugged her by the waist, pulling her close to me and hiding my face in the back of her neck, letting her scent fill my senses, then I fell asleep.