There was no pressing need to travel to the Hapan cluster so we didn't. After all, I did have a business to run like she said and I didn't exactly have a way to send a message back.
I frowned slightly as I listened to the message that Jack Melton played through the bridge speakers. It was almost a full year since I got the message from the Queen.
"This is Jedi Dooku to any available forces. We are pinned down and under fire. Request immediate pickup in the Merok system."
Jack glanced back at me. "That's all there is, Skipper. Merok system is two hours away from here."
I hummed softly and then nodded. "Very well. Time to save the Jedi yet again."
I pressed a button on my pillar. "Icri, would you please escort our passengers off the ship. We need to pull some Jedi tail feathers out of the fire again."
She groaned softly then answered. "Yes, Captain. At the very least, this planet is somewhat civilized."
I closed the channel before patching into the crew's personal communicators. "This is the Captain. We have a Jedi emergency. As soon as Icri has finished debarking our passengers, we'll lift off and will arrive at the combat zone in two hours. Get ready."
Samantha Swan walked onto the bridge a moment later and asked, "The Jedi again?"
I nodded, "Yes, Jedi Dooku is pinned down somewhere in the Merok system and needs a pickup. Sounds like it will be a hot one so I ordered the passengers unloaded."
She sighed and sat down in her chair. "I'll start running diagnostics on the guns. Sounds like we might need them."
Three hours later, we dropped out of hyperspace in the Merok system and as soon as we do, I accessed the frequency the message was sent on. "Jedi Dooku, this is Captain Atreus of the Clear Skies. Are you still alive?"
It took a couple of seconds but then a hologram appeared in front of my pillar. "Captain Atreus, it's good to hear from you. We are pinned down and require pickup."
I shifted my head feathers. ���Pinned down for three hours?"
He nodded. "We are trapped in a cave and the smugglers have set up heavy weapons with good crossfire positions outside. We can keep them from getting inside, but we cannot get out. If you would be so kind as to patch a message through to the Navy, we would appreciate it, Captain. Your ship is armed, but not for something like this."
"We will see about that. I have your coordinates now. We will see you soon." I answered before I closed the connection. "Miss Visa, think you can handle the Adama Maneuver?"
She glanced back at me. "Yes, Sir. Only done it in the sims before, but I know I can do it."
"When you are ready." I gave her a nod and fed the coordinates to her screens before opening ship-wide comm. "This is The Captain. All hands, ready for a bit of a bumpy ride. Battlestations. Combat drones, ready for a drop."
Clear Skies couldn't preform a proper Adama Maneuver due to lack of the right kind of FTL drive but she could do a decent imitation.
The ship accelerated down into the atmosphere while transferring power to the shields.
The plasma bubble formed as the shield compressed the air in front of it. The engines kept the speed going, accelerating the ship downwards then at ten thousand meters, Tel'te pulled the ship up to horizontal and I pressed a button on my pillar. "Crows, Launch, Launch. Neutralize all hostiles in the area."
The launch doors snapped open and the crows launched out through the plasma bubble as the ship accelerated hard. The crows turned into the wind and accelerated towards the ground, swooping in over the hostile camp like avenging angels.
As Clear Skies went lower, Tel'te shifted the power and flew the ship forward with the ground only a few hundred meters below. They reached the enemy site about thirty seconds after the Crows' first pass and the ventral quad-turrets deployed, firing at anything the Crows missed on their first pass. The cargo hatch lowered, deploying twenty security drones to swoop down and secure the site.
One minute after the first Crow launched, nobody in the enemy camp was shooting back anymore.
I nodded, "Good work, Tel'te. Take us in for a landing."
She smiled back at me before lowering the ship down on a flat spot close to the cave.
I left the bridge and made my way down to the ramp to look around. There were a few fires and bodies but things were quiet aside for the sound of the Crows' engines as they circled above.
As I looked around, two humans slowly exited the cave entrance. One adult with a beard and one young one, barely passed being a youngling.
"Jedi Dooku. You needed some assistance?" I asked as I stepped down the ramp.
He looked around and then nodded, "Yes, I did. Mind explaining why a passenger liner is packed full of assassin droids?"
I snorted. "Because I keep needing to pull Jedi feathers out of the fire. But if you would rather have waited another few days for the fleet to show, I could always stay away next time?"
Dooku shook his head. "No, I am grateful. I am sure we can do something about the legality of it all later. Let me introduce my Padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon, this is Captain Atreus. He has worked with the Jedi in the past."
I studied the boy. He looked like any other padawan, short brown hair with one of those braids, but for a second, I saw another image. An older Qui-Gon Jinn with a red lightsaber through his midsection.
I gave him a slow nod. "Padawan Jinn."
Dooku stepped forward. "I am afraid I need to commandeer your ship, Captain. It's imperative we get to Nal Hutta at once."
I frowned down at him. "I think not, Jedi Dooku. My debt of honor with the Jedi and my friendship with Yoda compelled me to save Jedi when possible, but I will not be the Jedi's personal taxi service for free."
He frowned before waving his hand at me. "You will take us to Nal Hutta."
I felt him try to influence my mind. I slammed my shields up to their fullest as my glamour burned bright around me for a second. I PUSHED at him, causing him to go flying head over arse into the wall of one of the tents which collapsed over him.
Jinn quickly backed away and pulled his lightsaber so I extended my hand towards him and pulled it into my grip. "Calm, Padawan. Your master simply made a mistake he should not have made. I will not harm him further now when he knows about it."
Dooku struggled out from beneath the tent, his normally well-combed hair a total mess and I frowned at him. "Jedi Dooku, try to control my mind again and I will defend myself with deadly force. If you wish to have transport to Nal Hutta and lack the proper way to pay for it now, I am sure the Jedi temple would be more than happy to pick up the bill after the fact."
He slowly nodded. "I...yes, of course. I apologize, Captain."
I gave him another glare and told him. "If you wish to come aboard my ship, you are to turn over your lightsabers as well as all other weapons, and remain in your quarters at all times."
He frowned and was about to say something so I shook my head. "I do not care. If you want me to transport you, you will follow my rules."
He grimaced then nodded. "Very well."
He stepped up, handing over his lightsaber and I turned to head back up the ramp.
Jinn stepped close to Dooku and gave him an unsure look behind me. "Master, are you sure about this?"
Dooku nodded. "We do not have a choice if we are to make it in time. Besides, what he said is true, he is a personal friend of Master Yoda."