Chapter 14 A Secret Meeting

"At the academy, of course; where else would she be?" Mon answered.

"Well, we will have to speak with her about this; you should contact the office there to inform them we are coming." Obi-Wan replied.

"Yes, yes, of course; but I cannot imagine why Ell would have anything to do with this." Mon said.

"Does she know Boba?" Zak asked.

"I don't know; maybe. Why am I being interrogated here?" Mon demanded.

"This isn't an interrogation; I would have thought you would want to get to the truth, Vice Chancellor." Anakin replied.

Mon sighed and shook her head, "Yes, of course, I'm sorry; it's just that I have just lost my aide…and she, well, she was….we were very close; I attended her wedding. And all everyone wants to do is clear this bounty hunter." She explained.

"No, Vice Chancellor; what we want is to discover who is behind these assassination attempts. If it's Boba, then so be it; but the fact is, he isn't stupid enough to leave any evidence behind to incriminate himself….and for the record, Jango Fett was the bounty hunter; Boba may have been on that path, but he strayed from it four years ago." Zak countered, "Won't he ever be able to live that down?"

Mon glared at him, "I don't think I need a lecture from a Jedi Padawan, young man." She retorted.

"My apologies, Ma'am; I meant no offense." Zak replied and then bowed respectfully before turning to Obi-Wan, "I'm sorry, Master; I should not have spoken out of turn."

"Perhaps not; but what you said needed saying." Obi-Wan told him and then turned to the Vice Chancellor, "You should also know that Examiner Acken attacked Boba this morning after your office was destroyed; who knows how far he would have gone if another examiner hadn't been alerted."

"Yes, I regret the incident this morning. Examiner Tursk notified me to let me know Examiner Acken has been suspended." Mothma answered, "At least he was not severely injured."

"The fact that it happened at all is unacceptable; especially since Acken has reportedly always had a problem curbing his temper. I was told he struck Boba in the face yesterday, and yet Acken was not removed from the case against him. He should have never been allowed near Boba again after that." Obi-Wan replied, "Acken slashed him with a switch in the face and then punched him in the chest. Do you know how strong the Mon Calamari are? He could have broken ribs."

Mon Mothma nodded and looked down at the floor, "Believe me, no one regrets that incident more than I do; yes, I should have had him removed immediately. I'm sorry that it happened; and I will apologize to him and to the Chancellor as soon as I see them." She promised.

"I think that would be…." Obi-Wan began.

"How could this have happened?" Ferri sobbed, suddenly.

"What?" The Vice Chancellor exclaimed.

Ferri shook his head and sat down, burying his head in his hands as he continued to weep, "Ferri?" Anakin called tentatively.

"We were so happy; I just….I don't know how I can go on." Ferri cried.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and shot a curious look at Anakin, "It's not fair; it's just not fair." Ferri sobbed, his shoulder shaking from some unknown grief.

"What is he doing?" Mon asked.

"He is post cognitive; he's picked up a conversation that happened here recently. Does it sound familiar to you, Vice Chancellor?" Anakin asked.

"Well, I…yes, I think so; but I don't understand, how does he do that?" Mon wondered.

"I told you, he's post cognitive; it's his gift from the Force. He experiences things from the recent past; to him, it's like viewing a hologram recording of it, except that he can feel the emotions along with it." Anakin expounded.

"What will I do without her?" Ferri asked tearfully.

"Without who, Vice Chancellor? Who was here?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It must have been…no, it was, it was Lyman Malta." Mon answered and then looked at the two masters, "My aide's husband; he was just here, I was consoling him."
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Dena headed down the wide main corridor toward the front entrance to the Temple. She decided the only person who could help her decide what to do was Ell; together they would figure something out. Somehow, they had to find a way to clear Boba Fett without revealing their secret. Being an older Padawan had its advantages; unlike the younger ones, she was free to leave the Temple as long as she informed her master that she was going. Regretfully, she had been untruthful about her destinations recently, but this time she had truthfully informed Master Heth that she was going to meet Ell for a late lunch. Once she was out of the Temple, she headed for the nearest transport. She and Ell agreed to meet at the small cafeteria next to the academy; the students were often granted permission to go there as an alternative to going to the academy dining hall. When she arrived, Ell was already waiting for her at one of the tables toward the back of the establishment. Wasting no time, Dena chose what she wanted, and joined her.

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Ferri walked swiftly next to his master toward their waiting transport. Something about the conversation he had experienced nagged at him. It happened often, things that he puzzled about would fall into place eventually; he only hoped this time it wouldn't be too late as it had been on their ill-fated mission to the Orion System. His failure there still haunted him despite his master's assurance that it was not his fault. This time, he didn't want to be too late; this time, he wanted to figure out what he was missing in that past conversation he had witnessed, "….she will." Ferri caught the tail end of Master Kenobi's statement as he came up from his private thoughts.

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Boba paced nervously; a pair of hard-soled short boots sat by the edge of the cot, having been given to him by the examiner, Hannon, after he was informed that his arraignment would take place late afternoon. He would not be permitted to wear his own clothes, but because he would be walking outside for a short period of time, the hard-soled boots had been provided to replace the soft-soled slippers which would be insufficient to protect his feet. In his mind, Boba was forming a plan for his escape; he already knew what the outcome of the arraignment would be, and he had no intention of sticking around to be tried and convicted of a crime he did not commit. He should have known this would happen; no good could come from the unaltered Clone of Jango Fett. He had been fooling himself into thinking that he had any chance of leading an honest life; of making up for all the things Jango Fett had done. There would be no happiness for him; he was a Clone after all, the spitting image of the bounty hunter who's genes he carried. It saddened him to think what his folly had done to those who had become close to him, to Zak and Gemma, Bail and Breha…and to her. They would all feel betrayed when he ran; but he had no desire to end up on Ord Mandell, or Kessel or the mines of Bespin. He had no choice; he had to leave before they had a chance to cart him off.

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"Understood." Anakin replied, concluding the transmission he had just received.

"How much time do we have?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Mace said the arraignment is in two hours." Anakin answered.

"That is not much time; we may have to allow Boba to be arraigned and then continue to put the pieces of this together….that is, unless the two of you have anything to say." Obi-Wan said; his gaze shifting between Anakin's Padawan and his own.

Both apprentices shook there heads and stared down at the transport floor.

"No, apparently not; I just hope this friend you are protecting is worth what it will cost Boba." Anakin interjected, "But her silence is making me doubt it."

"She's just confused." Ferri answered in her defense.

Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head, but said nothing.

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"I knew you would know what to do." Dena said as she stood up.

"It's going to be alright, you'll see." Ell assured her with a hug, "Don't worry."

"I hope so….well, it's getting late, I promised Master Heth I wouldn't be gone long." Dena replied.

"Yes, and I've got another class in….uh oh, I'll be late if I don't hurry." Ell answered as she gathered her belongings together, "I'll contact you tonight."

Dena shook her head, "What a mess we've made." She stated.

"One that will get cleaned up in time." Ell answered and hugged her one more time, "I've got to go; just don't worry, alright?"

"I'll try." Dena answered, trying to sound positive.

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The remainder of the trip to the academy was a silent one; it was apparent to both Padawans that their masters were displeased with the knowledge that they where harboring the secret that might shed some light on the situation, and were unwilling to break a vow made to the young lady whose identity they were concealing. For Anakin, it was a rude awakening to what Obi-Wan must have felt over the years; Anakin had hidden many things from his master. He felt Obi-Wan's mind tickling the edges of his own mind and turned to look at him. Obi-Wan gave him an understanding nod and smiled to let him know he had long since moved past the hurt Anakin had inflicted by keeping those secrets. He smiled back; thinking for the umpteenth time about the beauty of their special bond; without saying a word, Obi-Wan already knew what he was thinking.

Anakin docked the transport in an academy slip and they headed for the Director's office, "Master Kenobi, Master Skywalker; I have been expecting you." The Director announced graciously, "Have a seat and I will send my runner for Ellon immediately."

"Thank you." Obi-Wan replied with a bow.

The Director whispered something to a runner, who left the office as soon as she had her instructions; the Director then turned back to them and smiled, "It should be just a few minutes; may I offer you some refreshment while you wait?" She asked.

"No, thank you, Madam Director." Obi-Wan declined, "Tell me, what kind of student is Ellon?"

"Well, not the kind to get into trouble; she is bright and quick. I just cannot imagine her doing anything dishonest." The Director answered.

"Did the Vice Chancellor tell you why we wished to speak with her?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, a little; I understand she was renting a flat without her mother's knowledge. But I fail to see what concern that would be to the Jedi." The Director replied.

"That flat was directly above the one used to stage the assassination attempt on the Chancellor." Anakin informed her.

The Director turned visibly pale, "Oh…oh my….I…she could not have anything to do with that….no, not Ellon." She exclaimed haltingly.

"We do not think she did; however, she may be able to prove the young man they have in custody for it is innocent." Obi-Wan explained.

The Director scowled, "Yes, that bounty hunter; I have heard about him on the holo-news. I would be shocked to hear he was not involved." She replied.

"It's unfortunate that you are so willing to judge him without meeting him." Zak stated, with a hint of disgust.

"Zak, be mindful of your words." Obi-Wan corrected sternly.

Zak nodded, "Yes, Master." He answered.

The Director looked uncomfortable and seemed relieved when the runner returned with Ellon close behind her. The Jedi stood as she entered the room, "Ellon Mothma?" Obi-Wan inquired, taking the lead.

"Yes; what is this all about?" Ellon wondered.

"The flat you rented in the Vice Chancellor's name." Anakin answered.

Ellon blushed, "I knew you would find out eventually; did Boba tell you?" She replied.

"No, Boba won't even tell us what he was doing there. We checked the leases for the building." Obi-Wan answered, "What was he doing there, Ellon?"

Ellon sighed and slumped on defeat, "He was….he was meeting me." She admitted.