Sudden ......

The 'thud' of the old engine of the backward dune hoverover has been ringing in the ears of Anakin and Padmé, as if it had become the only theme song in this monochromatic world of sand.

“……”

Anakin didn't speak, and didn't dare to stay long at the crash point of his ship.

After snatching the hoverbike from the stupid sandmen who wanted to take advantage of the fire, he and Padme left as soon as possible, and had been speeding at breakneck speed on the endless sea of golden sand for about two to three hours.

However......

Even after all this time, even if they were rushing forward in a straight line at a super high speed close to the speed of sound, but now looking around, there is still an endless sea of sand in addition to the fierce wind and the endless sea of sand!

If ordinary people dare to drive so fast in the atmospheric environment of the planet without protection, they will definitely be injured or overturned by the powerful air current! However, Anakin was no ordinary man, he was a Jedi, and even if he was just an apprentice now, he could use his Force power that was stronger than the average Jedi to break through and block the air currents that were blowing towards him and Padmé, so that they could feel a little more comfortable.

'Hmmm......'

'Anakin, are we too fast?' ’

Yes, in Padma's opinion, she and Anakin were indeed a little faster, they were flying at all, and they were flying too low, she was afraid that the other party would not have time to react and crash headfirst into a certain sand dune!

If that were the case, then she and he would probably have escaped the dangerous catastrophe of the plane crash and died alive in a ridiculous traffic accident? Of course, she would not have said that recklessly, because she felt that she should choose to trust Anakin, and she felt that the other party would be able to distinguish the importance and carry her out of danger.

'Okay......

'So how long are we going to fly, and where are we going?' ’

Looking around, the only thing that made Padmé feel a little changed, feeling that she and Anakin were not spinning in circles, except for the straight one behind the two of them, because of the high yellow sand smoke formed by the two of them, there was really no other reference thing!

There was no greenery, no villages or cities, not a single passing caravan or ship, not even the savage sandfolk of Anakin's mouth, who loved to steal, murder, kidnap and torture.

And if it weren't for the fact that the atmosphere here can breathe directly, if she hadn't known that this was Tatuine, if she hadn't seen the Tusken sand people who were easily killed by Anakin and the sand hovering motorcycle that was captured for transportation, I'm afraid, she would still think that the two of them here were on a dead and silent wild planet, right?

“……”

"Anakin, I just saw it, like someone was chasing us?"

"Hey! Did you hear what I said? ”

Finally......

After another hour or so, Padmé, tormented by the dry sand and thirst, clung to Anakin's thick waist and a piece of strong abs, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a somewhat feeble tone with some uncertainty.

Because, several times, she did seem to be looming at the sight of something behind the two of them, as if someone was really following her and Anakin, but ...... She wasn't sure if it was a human or an animal, or was it just her hallucination?

"Huh!"

Anakin was noncommittal and continued to drive forward on the hoverbike, looking at the fuel gauge on the dashboard with some frowns.

"You just found out?"

"Padme, you read that right, there's someone chasing us behind us, so I have to keep up this speed!"

Anakin said lightly.

Listening to his tone, it is not difficult to judge, Padmé realized that he already knew it in his heart! It's just that he doesn't bother to pay attention to those guys who can't catch up with the two of them for the time being. Of course, it can't be ruled out that those guys deliberately followed from a distance, not ready to rush up easily without a certain numerical advantage or before forming an encirclement?

"But ......"

"Anakin, how many of them are following us? I seem to ...... Looks like I've seen several different groups of guys, and it doesn't seem like the sandfolk......"

Yes, Padmé was sure that the Sandmen weren't dressed like that, and that the vehicles the guys were riding were a little too advanced, at least compared to the wild, backward and second-hand Tatooine.

"Humph!"

"Of course they're not sandmen, they're bounty hunters!"

Anakin snorted coldly and directly stated the identities of those who came.

"As for their number...... The Force told me that there are about a hundred or so at the moment? ”

"Anyway, what I've seen so far, there are about six different teams of bounty hunters chasing us around, the smallest team is less than ten people, and the largest is as many as dozens!"

"And they've got a couple of ships heading forward......"

Although this may worry Padmé, Anakin hesitated for a moment before honestly telling him what he knew.

Sure enough!

As soon as Anakin finished speaking, a bloated ship appeared in the distance, and then it appeared openly in the yellow sand behind Anakin and Padmé, along with a dozen vehicles on the ground...... Soon, more teams appeared in the surrounding area, and managed to make the yellow sand roll about a kilometer behind the two men, and pounced on them like a sandstorm.

But fortunately, the sandman's hoverbike sitting under Anakin and Padmé's buttocks seems to have undergone some illegal modifications, and with the blessing of Anakin's Force, its speed is not slow at all, and it can faintly outpace the pursuers behind it, even the bloated spacecraft whose speed is severely limited and hindered after entering the atmosphere can't catch up at all?

“！！”

"Ahh He—There really are so many of them! ”

"What are we going to do now?"

Finally, seeing that there were so many enemies, and that they were no longer lurking and tailing, but began to pursue them in a grand manner, and wanted to close and surround them, Padmé was a little anxious.

"What else can I do?"

"Keep going, and then, find a place to destroy them!"

Glancing at the tattered rearview mirror and seeing that the enemy seemed to be trying to surround him and Padmé, Anakin gritted his teeth and said in murderous words.

'Huh? ’

'But, Anakin, can the two of us beat them?' Also, do you have any extra weapons on you? ’

"Nope!"

"We Jedi Knight have never carried a lightsaber!"

‘！！ ’

'So what should I do?!' ’

“……”

"Don't worry, Padme, I'll protect you, I promise!"

'But I always feel a little uneasy......

'Or, Anakin, let's turn to Moss Eisley now, it's not far from here?' ’

"Why go there?"

Anakin was a little curious, wondering why the other party suddenly said this.

Because there are so many people there, and it's the largest spaceport, they shouldn't dare to mess around! ’

'What do you think?' ’

"No ......"

"You're wrong, Padmé, Moss Eisley is not only the largest spaceport, it's also a pirate city! Let them know that if you get to Moss Eisley, you'll be in even more danger than you are here, because everyone inside probably wants your life!! ”

'What about going to Mos Espa?' ’

"No way!"

"It's too far away, they won't let us go there, and we don't have enough fuel."

They are clearly the same bounty hunters who are chasing them and ambushing them in the universe and shooting them down!

"So where are we going now?"

This doesn't work, that doesn't work, Padme is a little anxious.

"Padmé, will you trust me?"

'Of course! ’

"Then don't ask!"

"That's all I can tell you: I met a group of friends in a sandman village on the planet Tatooine...... I think, after all these days, they should help us. ”

"And it's not far away, just ahead......"

After a moment's hesitation, Anakin said with some flickering.

"Friends?"

"Is it the sandmen?"

Padmé asked loudly in the wind, because she had just seen that Anakin had killed several sandmen and robbed each other's motorcycles, and said that none of the sandmen were good people, but why did she say that she had friends in a sandman village?

"It's not!"

"But don't ask, as long as you know, I will protect you with all my might, then that's fine!"

Anakin wasn't going to explain, and now wasn't the time to explain, because the bounty hunters were starting to pick up at speed, and he had to do his best to get to the destination he had just said before the encirclement of the other side closed, or else he and Padmé would be in real danger.

Once caught up by the bounty hunters, he was not sure of Padme's safety, not even his own life, in this unsheltered desert!

“……”

"Okay, Anakin, I believe in you!"

No way, seeing that the other party didn't want to speak, Padme was not reluctant, just hugged the other party tightly, and then pressed his cheek tightly against the other party's back, listening to Anakin's steady heartbeat with a strong body and enjoying the unknown inexplicable sense of security that the other party had given him as a Jedi.

"Hmm!"

"Don't worry, it's not far, it's just ahead, we should be there before dark!"

Looking at the sky, and then at the enemy behind him who was frantically pursuing, Anakin who had lived in this Tatooine since he was a child, and who was extremely familiar with the time and environment here, silently calculated the time of darkness, and then stopped talking to Padmé, but squinted, concentrated on controlling the hovering sandmobile, and with a slight twist of the steering wheel, he turned towards a certain place in his Force perception.

The situation between him and Padmé is indeed very dangerous now, because he is really not sure that he will fight against so many bounty hunters, even if it is Obi-Wan or his teacher Quigang King is here!

Thankfully, when Anakin came to Tatooine, he had set up some interesting little things on the planet by some coincidence, and although it wasn't for a long time, he believed that there were enough days for them to provide him with the necessary assistance and eliminate the bounty hunters who tried to round them up or capture them alive!

Even though he had never really tested their powers, even if it would be the first time he had tested them, his Force had already told him more than once that his 'friends' were powerful, very powerful!

……

At night, although the sky of the Tatooine Desert could clearly see the starry sky, the ground was unusually dark, and as far as the eye could see, there was silence between heaven and earth, and there was no sound of animals or insects chirping or birds, nor any fire or light belonging to civilization, as if this was really a wild planet without any life.

And at this time......

A group of bounty hunters with various goggles on their faces and heads quietly surrounded an equally quiet, abandoned village of domed mud and sand buildings and tents, but eerily uninhabited by any sand people.

‘……’

'Those two targets, are you sure they're in?' ’

'Yes! Boss, we chased and saw them go in! You see, the current positioning device also shows that the bitch with a very valuable head is inside, and this time we have made a fortune! ’

'Well, that's good......

What do others say, though? ’

'They've already negotiated, saying that whichever team catches that bitch can directly divide it in half, and whoever kills that Jedi Knight can get an extra share, and everyone else will share the rest! ’

'Excellent! Very reasonable! ’

'So ......'

'Capture me alive or get that woman's head at all costs!!' ’

'Yes!! ’

'The others are on the outside, but don't let them run away!' ’

'Don't worry, we have set up the anti-aircraft guns, they will definitely not be able to run!!' ’

'Humph! ’

'Attack! Watch out for that Jedi! ’

'Yes! ’

'Yes, Harding......

Soon, the group of bounty hunters who surrounded the village and seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, under the command of a tacit understanding, began to touch the darkness, with all kinds of advanced night vision equipment and weapons, and touched the abandoned village of the sand people hidden in the sand, boulders, and ravines and crevices not far away.

'Huh?! ’

'What's wrong, Boss Harding?' ’

'No! ’

'Nothing, like seeing something in the distance......

The bounty hunter, known as Harding's boss, activated the life detection device on his eyepiece and scanned it into the distance, but found nothing.

Then, turning his head again and scanning towards the village, he nodded in satisfaction when he noticed that the vital signs of the target woman and a ridiculous Jedi were still clearly visible in his eyepiece, ignoring the small sound that sounded like the wind squirming through the sand dunes.

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(..) nnn…..