STOLEN INNOCENTS

The Temple has been invaded, and several younglings along with two unfortunate padawans are missing. As those 'stolen innocents' begin their struggle to survive, the Jedi must rebound from the tragedy to track them down before their time runs out...

Chapter 1 Without Warning

Present Time

It was only in the aftermath of the attack that the significance of Lida's abduction the week before became evident. At the time, the motive in her taking was unknown; and as she had been quickly found, little concern was placed on it. As far as her foster family was concerned, she was safe, if somewhat traumatized, by the event; and that was enough. They brought her to the Temple, where Anakin quickly calmed her; although she seemed unusually subdued, it was concluded at the time that it was simply the result of the fear she must have felt at being snatched away from those she had come to love as her family after being liberated, along with the other younglings, from Belarid. But as the Jedi Council met several hours after the assault on the Temple to sort through the turmoil and discover how it could have happened without warning, it became evident that only with inside information could access to it have been gained, and the reason for her kidnapping began to look more sinister, "Someone has betrayed us." Mace said grimly.

"A Jedi." Adi Gallia added.

"No, it can't be; none of us would do such a thing." Her cousin, Stass Allie, countered.

"What other explanation is there?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked, "Not only were they able to get past our security and disable the holo-cams, but they effectively sealed off an entire wing to prevent us from reaching them before they could escape."

"And let us not forget that they knew there would be few older Padawans present at that time." Depa Billaba interjected.

"Yes, and they knew about the emergency tunnel in the dormitory." Adi Gallia added.

Stass Allie sighed and shook her head, "Well, I just cannot accept this was a betrayal by one of our own." She answered

"Master Allie is right; no Jedi would ever…." Obi-Wan began.

"How can you be so calm, Master Kenobi, when our youngling Master and a good Padawan are dead and your own apprentice is among the missing?" Plo Koon interrupted.

"Because panicking would serve no purpose." Obi-Wan answered, "Do you think I feel nothing?"

"Obi-Wan is right; we must all think rationally, he is not the only one who has suffered a loss in this tragedy." Luminara Unduli agreed, looking meaningfully at Anakin, "Do we actually know how many are missing?"

Mace frowned, "Six younglings, three of them under the age of five; an eleven-year old Initiate; and two senior Padawans: Zak, as you know, and Ferri Cortis." He answered.

"Hmm…after the younglings they were." Yoda surmised.

"It appears so, yes, and they may have mistaken the Initiate for a youngling as well." Mace answered.

"But Perrin and Cortis are well beyond the age of being mistaken for younglings; what motive would there be for taking them?" Eeth Koth interjected, "Why not just kill them?"

Anakin shot Eeth an angry glare, and the Zabrak returned the hostile look with one of impassivity, "Would that have been more acceptable, Master Koth?" Anakin demanded.

"Calmly, Anakin; I don't think Master Koth was suggesting that at all." Ki-Adi suggested in an effort to ease the sudden increase in tension in the already tense room.

"No, of course not, Anakin; it is just that they have already shown that they would not hesitate to kill anyone who was in their way….unless they were helping the intruders."

Anakin felt his anger rise a notch, "Easy, Anakin; let Eeth think what he wishes, and when this is finished, we will prove him wrong." Obi-Wan's calm words echoed in his mind.

Anakin pointed an angry finger at the Iridonian, "You are wrong, Master Koth; and when this is finished, we will be able to prove it." He stated evenly, "My apprentice was in pain."

"I must agree with Anakin; Ferri has proven to be an exemplary apprentice under his guidance. There is nothing to indicate he would be capable of betrayal." Depa Billaba said, "Could you feel anything else through your bond, Anakin?"

Anakin sighed, "Surprise, then alarm….then…." He sighed again and stood up suddenly, leaving the circle to stare out the window; he closed his eyes and swallowed, "Then…the pain." He finished, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Physical pain, Anakin?" Adi Gallia asked.

Anakin could only nod as a lump formed in his throat; Eeth sighed and shook his head, "Then perhaps I am wrong; but I am still puzzled as to why he and young Perrin were taken."

"We may not get a full account of what happened until Galyn Mora regains consciousness." Depa Billaba said.

"But even then, it might not be clear; at the very least, we can hope for is some description of raiders that might give us a clue as to who they are and where they went." Mace replied.

"And why they have done this." Shaak Ti added.

"Yes, and perhaps in the meantime, Zak and Ferri will find a way to free all of them." Obi-Wan suggested hopefully.

"That is possible; they have both proven to be very clever, and despite their past differences, have learned to work well together." Mace said and then glanced at Anakin who was still staring out the window, "It is possible Ferri is not badly injured; please rejoin us, Anakin."

Anakin's shoulders slumped, but he nodded, sighed heavily and turned back to the Council circle to take his seat. He could feel the sympathy and reassurance emanating in waves from the rest of the Council, and he closed his eyes and let is wash over him. When he opened his eyes, he met the gaze of Eeth Koth; the Zabrak nodded and smiled, and Anakin immediately understood its meaning as an apology for their recent differences, he returned the smile and nodded in acceptance, "Well, if Ferri did not give these intruders the information they needed to get in, how was it they happened to be present during the assault?" Eeth Koth wondered.

"We don't know that yet, Master Koth; but if they were targeting Zak or Ferri, they may have lured either of them to the youngling quarter, and if they were together when that happened, both of them would have gone." Obi-Wan suggested.

"Then who could have helped them gain entrance to the Temple, let alone find one particular Padawan?" Koth continued to question.

For several moments, no one could give the Zabrak an answer, "Perhaps given willingly, the information was not." Yoda offered, "Seek out young Lida we should."

"Lida? The youngling who was abducted?" Plo Koon asked.

"Yes, that would make sense; she has been coming here regularly since she was brought from Belarid." Stass Ali concurred, "But why would they let her go?"

"They didn't, when her foster parents brought her to me, she told me that she managed to sneak away; it makes sense now that they didn't bother to go after her again, because they no longer needed her." Anakin answered.

"How old is this girl? Ten?" Eeth Koth asked, "Do you really think a child that young would be able to give them any useful information?"

"She is very smart and very perceptive, and she knows this Temple well; yes, I think she could have provided them with what they needed." Obi-Wan informed him and then tugged his beard thoughtfully, "I just had this thought; how many of the younglings taken were Belaridian?"

"You are thinking the fact that Lida is from Belarid could be significant?" Ki-Adi guessed.

"Possibly; that would give some motive as to why Zak was taken." Obi-Wan replied.

"But not Ferri." Eeth Koth countered.

Anakin pounded the arm of his chair, "Implying again that my Padawan had something to do with it." He said angrily.

"No, Anakin; I am not implying that at all. But if the motive is tied to Belarid, there is no place for Ferri there." Eeth explained, "I was questioning the Belaridian theory, not your apprentice."

Anakin sighed, "I'm sorry, Master Koth; I should have seen that." He replied apologetically.

"No offense taken, Anakin; I should not have questioned your Padawan's loyalty to begin with." Eeth answered amicably.

"We should send for the youngling; if the one who took her is involved in this, she might be able to help us discover his identity." Ki-Adi Mundi advised, continuing the earlier discussion, "And no one has yet questioned the younglings in the dormitory; after all they were firsthand witnesses."

"Agreed; but I felt it best to give them a little time to recover first." Mace replied.

"Understandable; but given too much time, their memories may not be so dependable." Plo Koon countered.

"Of course; perhaps later today then. In the meantime, Khyber Raneau's family must be contacted so that they can be present when he and Master Horan are released to the Force." Mace said

"Spoken with them, I have; heartbroken they are that lost so young their son was. In two days, will they be here to say goodbye to him." Yoda replied and then rubbed his hand over the top of his head, "Hope I do, that lost no more we have."

Heads nodded in solemn agreement, "And while we are waiting for Galyn to wake up and the youngling to come, someone should look into Obi-Wan's suggestion that this is somehow linked to Belarid." Shaak Ti added, "It should not take too long to check if any of the missing younglings have Belaridian origins."

"I will do it since it was my suggestion." Obi-Wan volunteered.

"Very well, we will reconvene when young Lida arrives." Mace informed them.

12 Hours Earlier

The intruders entered quietly, using the proper code to gain access and slipping in undetected through a seldom-used service bay knowing that, at this time, most of the Jedi were meditating, and many of the older apprentices were on missions with their masters; leaving the corridors deserted. Making their way stealthily toward their destination they met no one; luck was on their side this night. When they reached the wing where the younger Jedi were housed, the leader triggered the door sealing off the wing and they continued on until they reached the youngling dormitories. They could hear the chatter of children preparing for bed; the leader turned toward his companions, they nodded and he triggered the door. Several small heads turned in their direction, and instantly, the dormitory became silent. A matronly Jedi moved toward them, "How did you get in here?" She demanded as stepped forward.

The leader raised his weapon and fired, striking her squarely in the chest; she put a hand to the wound, looked at them incomprehensively and dropped to the ground. The younglings gathered around her and then backed away as the intruders moved toward them, brandishing their weapons. The leader grabbed the nearest one, a Zabrak, "You, I have a job for you." He said.

The youngling tried to pull away from him, "Here now, you behave or I'll have to kill your little friends here; you wouldn't want me to do that would you?" The leader threatened.

The child shook his head, "Why?" He asked, trying not to cry.

"Because I want to; now, what is your name?" The leader answered, gripping the child's arm tightly.

"F...Fi…Fiel." The boy stammered.

"Well, F…Fi…Fiel, do you know this boy?" The leader asked, pulling out a hard copy image for the boy to see.

The little Zabrak glanced at it and looked puzzled, "Why do you want him?" He asked.

"That's my business; do you know him?" The leader asked again impatiently.

"Y…yes, but…" Fiel admitted.

"Good, now, you go down and tell him there's trouble and bring him here." The leader ordered.

Fiel shook his head, "You're going to kill him, aren't you." He deduced.

"No; but I will kill everyone here if you don't do what I tell you to." The leader warned and then released his arm and shoved him toward the door, "And you had better be back in 10 minutes or else; and don't speak to anyone else, is that understood?"

Fiel closed his eyes and nodded and one of the intruders pushed him out into the hallway, "Alright, let's get to work." The leader instructed and distributed several hard copy images to his companions.

Present Time

"I wish I could be more helpful; I didn't really even get a good look at them." Galyn said as she rubbed one hand across the bandage wrapped around her head, "All I can tell you is that they had hard copies and it appeared they were trying to find the younglings that matched the images they had. I remember sounding the alarm, and getting a brief glimpse of Zak and Ferri with another youngling before everything went black…are Zak and Ferri alright?"

Mace hesitated for a moment, "Tell, me, Master Windu; did the intruders…." Galyn prompted.

"No; however they are among the missing." Mace answered with a sigh, "But you said they were with a youngling? Which one; can you remember which one?"

Galyn's eyes narrowed as she struggled to recall, "Fiel, I think; the little Zabrak." She answered after a moment of pondering.

"Alright; but you do remember them looking for specific younglings?" Mace asked.

"Yes, that's what it looked like; why would they do that, Master Windu?" Galyn wondered.

"We believe they may have been looking for the Belaridian younglings." Mace answered.

Galyn nodded and then suddenly looked concerned, "Zak is from Belarid; do you think Fiel brought Zak to that corridor so they could take him as well?" She asked, "But why Ferri?"

"Ferri may have been with Zak when Fiel found him; and if Fiel told them there was trouble, Ferri would naturally have come too." Mace explained.

Galyn shook her head, "I'm sorry, Master Windu; I didn't perform my duty very well." She replied.

Mace smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Had you not sounded the alarm, we may have lost more younglings. You did as much as you could under the circumstances." He assured her.

"But Master Horan is dead." Galyn countered.

"And you could have been as well; Master Horan's death was not your fault, she was doing her duty protecting the younglings, just as Zak and Ferri, as senior Padawans, were." Mace replied, "You rest now, and we will talk later."

"Was anyone else…?" Galyn wondered.

Again Mace hesitated, but this time sighed and looked down at the floor, "Sadly, yes; Khyber Raneau was found just inside the doorway to the dormitory." He informed her.

Galyn covered his eyes with one hand, "He was doing his duty, Galyn; his death was not your fault either." Mace reminded her.

"Yes, Master." Galyn answered with a sigh.

"I can sense your guilt; you must not dwell on it because you have nothing to feel guilty about." Mace told her, "Release it into the Force."

Galyn nodded, "Yes, Master." She said.

Mace nodded in return and then turned to leave, "Master Windu, where would they get images of the younglings?" Galyn asked.

"I may have the answer to that; but I would rather confirm it before I say anything further." Mace answered, "Rest now."

Galyn sighed again, "Rest; yes, Master." She replied.