Part Ten

"This is it?" asked Qui-Gon, looking at the rickety "building" that Pak said the reports had the knight and apprentice disappearing from. It was also the location of the apprentice's body a week and a half later.

"Yes," Pak affirmed sadly. "Our people were most disturbed by the violence to the body. Such things have never happened here before. We do not have things like murder and suicide among our people. Off-worlder ways are strange to us."

"They're strange to everyone, Pak, so don't feel too badly. We Jedi are tougher than we look." Ashanti poked Qui-Gon the rib cage with the curve of her tail.

Qui-Gon looked mildly offended, which Pak had come to realize was an act of teasing affection between the two aliens. "Just what are you implying, Ashanti?" he asked in mock-outrage.

Ashanti gave him an innocent sideways glance and turned her attention back to the "building". "That you'll be staying in the transport for a quick getaway because you're too inexperienced to get out of any trouble I'll get us into over there. I've got a bad feeling about this place. Come on, Pak."

Pak wasn't sure it wanted to accompany the Jedi knight into the facility but knew it had no choice. Its friends were depending on it to help them get to the bottom of the mysterious deaths.

Ashanti affixed the breathing mask to her face, activated the force shield generator around the transport to secure the inside environment and got out. The atmosphere immediately created a solid ground for her to tread upon and Ashanti quickly made her way to the "sidewalk" the led up to the building's door. Pak followed close behind her, its shimmering outline fading away as they grew further from the transport.

Qui-Gon shut the transport exit, made sure it was secured and settled back to wait for his master and their planetary guide to return. He wasn't happy about being left behind. How was he supposed to learn anything left behind where it was safe?

Closing his eyes and drawing the Force around him, Qui-Gon searched for a sense of Ashanti, and once found, he took comfort in the fact that she sent a rush of the Force back to him. She understood his frustration, he realized, but a knight and apprentice had already lost their way here and she was taking no chances with the two of them if she could help it. Somewhere within the link that grew stronger everyday Qui-Gon felt a plan forming in Ashanti's mind.

*Make yourself a target, Qui-Gon.* she told him through their link. *Unsecure the door. You'll have visitors in few moments, I'll stake my sketchy reputation on it.*

He did as she asked.

An hour later, after searching the building thoroughly, Ashanti and Pak returned to an empty transport. Ashanti smiled to herself and grinned smugly at Pak.

"Told you," she informed the alien. "They fell for it. Now let's hope I didn't get too confident too soon."

Qui-Gon sat calmly, staring at his captors. A Hutt stared back, his fat lips twitching, saliva dripping down his chin. Qui-Gon had never seen Hutt face to face, and was wishing he could skip this part altogether.

Marteene the Hutt, infamous in Qui-Gon's mind now because of Ashanti, was a disgusting creature. He smelled, his body was caked with who-knew-what and the Hutts companions were almost as bad. Two other Hutts, smaller in size and therefore age, flanked him. Several other hideous looking aliens were scattered around the room. The lingering sense of Thoughtians, one of them Qui-Gon was sure was the official 8937, also permeated the environment.

Ashanti had been right about a few things. Too bad her hope that Marteene the Hutt being involved was a false one.

"So you are the fortune?" laughed one of the smaller Hutts jovially. He looked at Marteene. "You're a fool. This boy is worthless!"

Marteene gave his companion a derisive look. "This is why I'm still alive and you are not. You judge by what you see, not by what you can find out."

"I'm not dead!" protested the Hutt.

"My apologies." Marteene nodded at a pig-like alien, who turned his blaster on the smaller, insolent Hutt. A long moment of silence followed the buzzing sound of the blaster's laser discharge. "You are now."

Qui-Gon choked down bile at the smell of fried Hutt. Just when he thought Hutts couldn't smell worse, he found out they could: dead.

"Tell me, Qui-Gon Jinn, will your master come for you, do you think?" Marteene reached for some wiggling delicacy in a deep bowl next to him. The lush surroundings, slightly grungy from lack of cleaning, suited the Hutt perfectly. "Did she tell you why you are so important, little human?"

"That you wanted my parents wealth, and that you would have used me for your evil plans," Qui-Gon answered calmly.

The giant Hutt laughed uproariously. "How dramatic of you! You personally are worthless. Once I had that huge wealth of money in your name transferred to me, you would have made an excellent slave. Still might, if you behave." The Hutt seemed amused that Qui-Gon would consider himself worth anything.

Hoping the Hutt was mentally lax, Qui-Gon concentrated on his mind. "Release me."

The Hutt gave his other Hutt companion an amused look. "Don't bother. I'm wise to your Jedi mind tricks. How pathetic. Ashanti needs to train you better. Bova, take him to your quarters and keep a close eye on him."

Qui-Gon's eyes widened as the Hutt came out of the shadows, flanked by her two pleasure slaves. He had only known there was another Hutt in the room. He had not seen who the Hutt was.

"Of course, Marteene," she purred, or at least what passed as a purr to a Hutt. "I'll see that he's taken care of."

"Add him to your collection if you like." Marteene waved away Bova as if she were insignificant.

Qui-Gon watched as Bova's eyes flashed in anger momentarily and then she resumed her former subservient attitude. "He will make a nice addition to the other one."

Other one? Qui-Gon's hopes rose. Did she mean the missing Jedi master?

"Leave me. I await Ashanti. Surely she has put it all together now. My revenge upon her is at hand." Marteene dismissed Bova completely, verbally and from his attentions.

Bova nodded to one of her lackeys, who picked up Qui-Gon as if he were a sack of feed, tossing the Jedi student over his shoulder effortlessly. They exited the room and followed a corridor to an elevator.

"Set him down," ordered Bova to her servant. They entered the elevator and the other lackey pressed the button with the floor they needed. "Disable it."

The two servants nodded and began to tear apart the controls, searching for something. They found it quickly, and to Qui-Gon's amazement, pulled the security system, audio bug, and camera from the elevator. "I will not be spied upon," Bova told the amazed Jedi apprentice. "You have a mission to accomplish. I can help you accomplish it, for a price."

Qui-Gon gaped at her flabbergasted. "I have nothing with which to pay you. I have no access to my fortune and I doubt Ashanti will pay you with any of it anyway."

Bova smiled gently. "You misunderstand me. I do not want your money, little one. I want your help. I help you; you help me. Are we agreed?"

Qui-Gon stretched out with the Force, trying to discover what he should do. The Force felt calm, still. "All right," he nodded. "What do you need done?"

"I've made a deal with the devil, Qui-Gon Jinn, and want out of the bargain." Bova's massive slug-like tail twitched like Ashanti's. "The merchants on board the transport here?" Qui-Gon nodded. "I owe them a debt. They sold the debt to Marteene. I'm to care for you and the other knight until Ashanti Vende comes to him. Then I can dispose of the two of you at my convenience but if I do not, my life is forfeit."

Qui-Gon interrupted. "I don't understand."

Bova smiled, a eerie expression of friendliness for a Hutt. "I was not raised by Hutts, young Jedi, but by others. I operate within the Hutt infrastructure, but against the greedy, not for them. Call me an undercover operator, if you like. I keep local authorities abreast of goings-on they need to know about."

"You're a spy!" breathed Qui-Gon in shock.

Bova shrugged. "If you like the term. I'm on your side, but short of getting myself killed, which does you no good, I don't know how to get out of this mess. The merchants threatened to reveal my secret to Marteene if I don't do what he says. That is the debt they tell him they have over me. He doesn't know what the debt is that he purchased. It's just the means to an end."

Qui-Gon looked pointedly at her servants. "And they are..."

"They are my servants, loyal to me only." Bova gave an affectionate look at her two flunkies, who gave equal regard in return. Qui-Gon inwardly shuddered. It was more than his teenage male presence could stand. His idea of beauty was nothing close to Bova. To each their own, he recited to himself.

"We should get him to our quarters lest Marteene become suspicious, Mistress," the flunky who had carried Qui-Gon told her respectfully. "Forgive me," he told Qui-Gon and flung the youth over his shoulder again. The other flunky restored the security system to normal again and they exited the transport.

Down another long corridor the group traveled until they reached a door that bore a seal that no doubt indicated that the room was Bova's. They entered it and Qui-Gon was once again set on his own two feet. A human male entered the room at a skidding run but halted at the sight of Qui-Gon. "Is it true, Bova?" the human demanded distraughtly.

Bova approached him. "I'm afraid so. Marteene now has this one, too. He uses this boy to get to the master."

The Jedi knight turned piercing blue eyes to Qui-Gon and Qui-Gon stood up straighter. "Your name, padawan?" The knight bowed respectfully, one Jedi to another.

"Qui-Gon Jinn, padawan learner to Ashanti Vende," Qui-Gon answered proudly. "She has a plan," he added hoping to give comfort.

The knight looked at him in horror. "Ashanti Vende, the Titainien?" He groaned.

Qui-Gon became offended. "Ashanti is a great knight!" he defended.

The knight smiled at Qui-Gon. "Yes but she's a little too chaotic for my tastes."

"Chaotic is what we may need. Such unpredictability will keep Marteene worrying about her and not us." Bova made this observation with remarkable logic. Both humans looked at her in surprise.

"I am Hal Lim and I need to know Ashanti's plan so we can act accordingly." Hal held out a hand to shake and Qui-Gon took it.

Qui-Gon smiled apologetically. "I don't know what the plan is exactly, but I know she has one. She set it up where I would get kidnapped."

Bova looked at Hal. Hal looked at Bova. Both sighed. "Titainien," Hal murmured, rubbing his temples in exasperation.