A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 153

In the shadows of the landing deck, Obi-Wan watched his starfighter shoot up into the galing winds as soon as the deck canopy parted.

"I suppose I'm committed now," he mused to himself before moving his attention to the levels above, spotting something that looked suspiciously like droid-control antennas. That would be where the control center was, and where Grievous would be.

And therefore where Obi-Wan should be.

As the deck canopy closed and the howling of the wind disappeared, he heard some sort of bellowing cry that reminded him of something....

Suubatars, that was it. Obi-Wan had gone on a mission with Anakin before the Clone Wars started and they had needed to ride suubatars. Considering the lacking of air taxis, he decided that following the cries to what would hopefully be a suubatar or other weight bearing animal which was probably his best bet for transportation.

It didn't take more than a few minutes for Obi-Wan to discover the source of the cries. Within a immense, circular arena-like area, where a ring of balcony was joined to a flat lower level by spokes of broad, corrugated ramps; the ceiling above was hung with yellowish lamprods that cast a light the same color as the sunbeams striking through an arc of wide oval archways open to the interior of the sinkhole outside. The winds whistling through these holes managed to make the stench of the reptile-den only nauseating in opposed to overpowering.

Below and in the middle of this den, giant lizards that appeared to be some sort of cross between a krayt dragon from Tatooine and Haruun Kal ankkoxen were resting a paddock like area. The Jedi would have easily thought that they were predators if it weren't for the docile way they tolerated what Obi-Wan assumed were Utai grooms. On a wall, saddles were hung on wracks and once again reminded him of the saddles the Alwari of Ansion put on their suubatars.

Now he really missed Anakin. He disliked living mounts just as much as Obi-Wan disliked flying. Obi-Wan had long had a theory that Anakin's gift with machines worked against him whenever he was riding something that could think for itself. He could already hear the complaints Anakin would have been giving as he got into the saddle.

It seemed to have been a long time since Obi-Wan had lasted teased Anakin in light of all the craziness of late.

He brought himself back to the present with a sigh before approaching the nearest Utai.

Obi-Wan spoke with a nearly invisible hand gesture, "I need transportation."

The Short's eyes went distant and glassy as he responded with affirmative sounding hoots.

"Get me a saddle," Obi-Wan instructed with another gesture. The Utai hurried off , hooting along the way.

While he waited for his saddle, Obi-Wan studied the dragonmounts, not with his eyes to look for strength or speed, but using his senses to channel the Force. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but that he'd know it when he found it.

Finally, Obi-Wan stopped in front of a dragonmount with a clear, steady gleam in its round yellow eyes and small, close-set scales that felt warm to the touch. It didn't shy from his hand or bend in submission, only returning his searching gaze with calm, thoughtful intelligence. Through the Force, he felt in the beast an unshakable commitment to obedience and care for its rider: an almost Jedi-like devotion to service as the ultimate duty.

And this was why Obi-Wan would always, always prefer a living mount. A speeder, ship, you name it, was incapable of caring if it crashed.

"This one," Obi-Wan said. "I'll take this one."

The Utai nodded as he and the other handlers set to the complicated task of tacking the beast.

"Boga," the Short said, looking at the dragonmount.

"Ah, thank you," Obi-Wan said, taking some greens from a nearby bin and feeding them to dragonmount. "Good girl, Boga. Erm—" He frowned looking at the Utai. "—she is a she, isn't she?"

"Warool noggaggllo?" the wrangler frowned back. Obi-Wan took it to mean I have no idea what you're saying to me.

The Jedi turned back to the dragonmount. "Very well. She you will have be then, Boga. Unless you'd care to tell me otherwise.

Boga made no objections.

"I cannot pay you," Obi-Wan explained as he swung himself into the saddle. "As compensation, I can only offer the freedom of your planet. I hope that will suffice."

Without waiting for a reply that he wouldn't have understood anyways, he gently touched Boga's side. She stretched to her full height, momentarily rearing, before leaping up to the next level. Obi-Wan didn't need to do anything besides lightly hold the reins in one hand. Boga seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go.

It didn't take long for her to duck out into the open and start scaling the side of the sinkhole with ease, climbing level after level. The city looked and felt deserted. Nothing, not even the wind turbines, moved.

Eventually they arrived at the droid control center. Boga managed to sneak in and continue quietly on a shadowed walkway overlooking what appeared to be a meeting of Separatist High Command.

"Safe?!" Nute Gunray said, sounding rather unhappy as his voice echoed through the cavern. "You told us Utapau would be safe for us, and yet you are moving us to Mustafar! You tell us this, just as you told us you would deliver Chancellor Palpatine as a hostage, and he managed to escape your grip! Without Count Dooku, I have doubts about your ability to keep us safe."

Well, this is interesting, Obi-Wan thought to himself as he dismounted Boga and looked down at the meeting below, even as another part of his mind took note that there were thousands of currently deactivated droids in the ceiling, and only Force knew how many already activated ones milling around below.

"Be thankful, Viceroy, that you have not found yourself in my grip," Grievous threatened. "Your ship is waiting."

With that, Grievous walked off and the rest of the council dispersed.

Obi-Wan turned to Boga, gently patting her neck. "You'd best go find your way home, girl," he told her. "One way or another, I doubt I'll have further need of your assistance."

She gave a soft regretful sounding honk as she nudged his chest.

"It's alright Boga. I thank you for your help, but staying here will be dangerous. This area is about to become a war zone. Please, go home."

Boga honked once more, moving back. Obi-Wan stepped forward, removing his cloak, before jumping off the walkway and landing on the ground below, several meters behind Grievous.

"Hello there."