Gabriel continued to walk, carrying the bound captive, whose alluring backside swayed near his face. He maintained a steady pace, not pausing for rest, and after several hours of walking, the arena came into view on the horizon. During their journey on foot, he hadn't felt any fatigue, which surprised him somewhat, but he quickly accepted this fact.
What truly astonished him, however, was finding himself in the Star Wars universe, a realm he hadn't been particularly interested in. He did possess some knowledge about it, but compared to true Star Wars enthusiasts, his understanding was meager. For instance, he vividly remembered that Shaak Ti would meet her end at the hands of Anakin Skywalker. Did the self-proclaimed Darth want to save this woman? To be honest, he hadn't given it much thought. He had to survive until the end of the war, for starters.
At this moment, he needed to get as far away from the planet as possible, find a safe place, and think everything through. Everything had happened too swiftly and abruptly, so he was currently acting on inertia, relying on luck. Among all the places on Geonosis, he had chosen the arena simply because he knew about it from the movies, and he hoped he might find something there for himself.
"Your power, Darth Hassan," the captive began, "you could channel it differently."
"Forgive me, Shaak Ti," Gabriel Hassan interrupted her, "but as I've said before, I'm on my own side."
Gabriel had no intention of joining anyone's side. Based on his limited knowledge of the canon, it was Palpatine who was pulling the strings on both sides, so whether you were on the CIS or Republic side, you'd end up on the side of the future Emperor anyway. As he had mentioned, Darth was planning to be on his own side, namely working as a mercenary. At least, that was the plan for now. Perhaps things would change in the future.
"But if you want, you can join my side," he suggested.
"I refuse," she promptly replied.
Gabriel wasn't particularly disappointed by Shaak Ti's refusal. Traveling in her company in this unfamiliar universe might have been more reassuring, but he was confident he could manage on his own initially. The Sith and the captured Jedi approached the arena entrance, guarded by two Geonosians. If this had just been a simulation of reality, Gabriel wouldn't have been bothered by their appearance, but everything was real, so their repulsive appearance unsettled him.
The guards aimed their oddly-shaped blasters at the dark figure.
"I've captured a Jedi," Gabriel explained, though he didn't understand their language. He decided to stick to his strategy. "Count Dooku ordered her to be brought to the arena."
The Geonosians continued speaking in their incomprehensible language.
"Understood," Gabriel waved his hand dismissively, sending both guards flying against the wall.
Gabriel approached the seemingly lifeless or unconscious Geonosians, picked up one of their blasters, twirled it in his hand, and stashed it in his inventory. He did the same with the other one. Perhaps he could sell this weaponry somewhere in the future.
The Sith confidently stepped onto the arena floor. As he walked through the corridors leading to the emptied tribunes, he saw some bodies on the seats, but the arena itself was a grim testament to the carnage that had unfolded. The bodies of once-living humanoids were mixed with the metallic parts of droids, and blood and oil acted as the finishing touches to this macabre tableau of slaughter. The cherry on top was the scavengers, clearing the debris and transporting it somewhere else.
"Everything was supposed to end differently," Shaak Ti whispered softly on Gabriel's shoulder.
"This is war," Gabriel replied as he settled her onto a relatively clean seat in the stands. "Now, such things will happen frequently."
"The Republic will use all its resources to minimize casualties in the future," she continued after a moment of silence. "I won't let something like this happen again..."
"Don't make vows," Gabriel warned. "It's difficult to predict what the future holds."
"And this is coming from the person who told me how I'll die?" the Jedi teased.
"You caught me," Gabriel admitted with a smirk. "But maybe now that you know everything, the future will change, and you won't die."
"A Sith doesn't want a Jedi to die?" Shaak Ti asked skeptically.
"Don't compare me to ordinary Sith," Gabriel replied, turning his gaze toward the arena. He noticed something at the edge of the arena. "A child?"
"A boy," the girl clarified, looking in the same direction. "Oh, the Force... What is he doing here?"
Gabriel stood up, grabbed the captive by the shoulders, which clearly startled her, and loaded her back onto his shoulder. He bent his legs slightly, hidden beneath his cloak, and then leaped high into the sky, using telekinesis to propel himself. Thanks to his precise control, Gabriel landed right in front of the boy, cushioning his landing with telekinesis.
However, the boy paid him no attention. He was simply staring at the helmet in front of him, which seemed very familiar to Gabriel, though he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before. It appeared the boy had retreated deep within himself, oblivious to his surroundings, which was very dangerous. Without bothering to conceal his presence, Gabriel approached the boy closely, but the youngster didn't react in the slightest.
"Hey," Gabriel tried to get the boy's attention. "Kid," but the youngster continued to ignore him.
"Let me try," the captive's voice was heard.
"Fine."
Gabriel stood the Togruta on her feet, and she then sat down next to the boy. Due to her bound hands and feet, she couldn't sit properly or reach out to the child, but she managed to touch his shoulder and said, "Little one."
The boy jerked his head up suddenly, and upon seeing the Jedi, he recoiled, falling onto his back. He was clearly taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of two strangers.
"It's okay," the Jedi softened her voice. "We will help you."
She said the last words uncertainly and glanced back over her shoulder. Gabriel had heard of the cruelty of the Sith, but did she really believe he was capable of harming a child? This attitude slightly offended him.
"This helmet..." She pointed with her chin at the object near her bound legs. "Is it important to you?"
"Father..." the boy lowered his head.
"Your father's helmet?" Gabriel noticed that she was examining the helmet with narrowed eyes.
"Familiar helmet?" Hassan asked.
"I'm not sure, but it seems to belong to Jango Fett."
And then something clicked in Darth's mind. He instantly mentally painted that helmet green and realized that it was the same as Boba Fett's helmet! Could this kid be the famous Boba Fett, a name even the deaf hadn't heard of?
"You're Boba, aren't you?" Gabriel asked.
"How do you know me?" the boy questioned with caution.
"Your father asked me to help you if something happened to him," Gabriel quickly fabricated a story.
The captive looked at him in shock, and in the boy's eyes, Gabriel saw a glimmer of hope. He was no Jedi, always trying to make the most of any situation, so he lied to the future bounty hunter to gain his trust.
"Really?" Boba asked incredulously.
"Of course," Darth nodded. "We need to get off this planet as soon as possible. Any ideas?"
"Y-yes," the boy seemed flustered, and the captive was giving Gabriel a heavy glare. "My father's ship should be in the hangar, but..."
Fett began to scan the arena. "Please, help me find my father and bury him..."
"We'll do that," Gabriel assured him.
He grabbed the girl by the shoulders again, then lifted her onto his shoulder. Boba picked up his father's helmet and headed towards the nearest bodies, examining them. Hassan followed the boy and kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. He now had a real chance to leave the planet, and he certainly wouldn't miss it.
"You deceived him," the captive whispered almost inaudibly.
"Why do you think that?" Gabriel replied in the same hushed tone.
"I can feel it."
"Even if I deceived him, it's for his own good. I'll make sure he leaves this planet, where clones kill droids and droids kill clones. But if you tell him the truth, who knows what might happen? Maybe he'll even die here."
"I know..." Shaak Ti gritted her teeth. "I won't tell him."