Chapter 21 Catching the Killer

"And what of Dena?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked.

"Under the circumstances, I think it would be wiser for her to remain here." Plo Koon replied.

"Don't you think she has a right to come with us?" Anakin questioned.

"I believe she is too close to this." Plo Koon countered.

"But she is a trained Jedi; I believe she is capable of controlling her emotions." Mace pointed out.

"I agree; despite her feelings toward young Fett, I think she will allow her training to guide her actions." Adi Gallia added.

"Master Yoda, what is your opinion?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Hmm…difficult to predict how this Padawan will act; but well trained she is." Yoda answered.

"Can none of you see the danger here? Her affection for this boy is bound to affect her judgment." Plo Koon continued to defend his stance.

"Master Koon, with all due respect, I believe her feelings for him give her the right to be present when this thing is finished. And she is not incapable of controlling herself; she concealed her relationship with him from us for nearly a year." Stass Allie argued, "I think that goes a long way to proving just how capable she is."

"A valid point, Master Allie; and I tend to agree." Mace said.

"I do as well." Adi Gallia echoed.

"As do I." Yoda concurred.

Plo Koon sighed but then nodded, "Perhaps you are right; I still have my doubts, however, I will bow to the wisdom of the Council." He replied.

"Very well; we will have teams sweep the building and then withdraw. Master Kenobi will then signal to his Padawan that the way is clear, and they will know it is safe to come out of hiding." Mace instructed, "If the assassin took the trouble to frame our young bounty hunter, and hates him as Ferri sensed, then I am sure he will not pass up the chance to face him."

"And when he does, we can move in." Depa Billaba added.

"Just be sure not to move too quickly; we don't want this guy to get away." Anakin interjected.

"Agreed; we must wait until either Zak or Ferri signals for us to come." Obi-Wan concurred, "But then we must act swiftly; we do not want to give him the chance to run or to hurt anyone else."

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Boba paced the length of the room several times, "How long are we going to wait?" He asked impatiently for the umpteenth time.

"Not much longer; we haven't heard from Master Obi-Wan yet." Zak answered calmly, "They have to be sure the building is clear before we can leave."

"Sit down, Boba; you're beginning to put me on edge." Ferri said.

"How can you just sit there?" Boba wondered, ignoring Ferri's request as he continued to pace.

"Because doing anything else would be a waste of energy; will you please sit down?" Ferri replied.

Boba huffed and shook his head, "I can't; I just want to get this over with." He answered.

"I know; that's what we all want, but we can't do anything until we know there is no one else about. Now, just calm down." Zak told him.

With a sigh, Boba slid down the wall, "I'm sorry; I've never been very good at waiting." He said apologetically as he drew his knees up and rested his forehead on them.

Zak smiled, "Your feelings are understandable; don't worry, I doubt it will be much longer." He replied.

"Poor Dena; she's probably worried sick." Boba realized.

"Jedi don't worry themselves sick, my friend; but she will most certainly be concerned." Ferri corrected.

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He watched from a distance as several Jedi entered the Justice building. That was a disappointment; if they found the bounty hunter before he had an opportunity to search for him, it would spoil his plans. But hoping he would still have a chance, he waited, and several long minutes later, he was rewarded when they emerged, in teams, accompanied by several civilians and the few Clones still present in the building. They huddled for a few moments together and then, leaving the Clones to guard the building, escorted the civilians to one of the nearby buildings. He knitted his brow in puzzlement wondering why they appeared to have abandoned their search, and then decided they may have only been leading those they found inside away from the building and would return. He slipped his helmet over his head and tucked his shoulder length hair up inside it, holstered his side arm and shouldered his rifle before slipping carefully from his hiding place.

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"Alright, Master Obi-Wan says the building is clear; let's go." Zak announced as he opened his eyes.

"It's about time." Boba replied as he stood up, "Are you going to let me have that blaster, or leave me defenseless?"

"I don't think it would be a good idea for you to have a weapon, Boba." Ferri told him, "We don't know what you'll do once you have it."

"Then how am I supposed to defend myself against him?" Boba asked.

"That's what we're here for." Zak answered.

Boba shook his head, "Well, I hope you know what you're doing, I'd rather not end up dead." He retorted.

"That's a switch; I thought you said you'd rather be dead." Ferri said.

"Not if there's a chance I won't be sent to Kessel." Boba countered, "Look, I promise not run; just don't leave me without a weapon."

Zak looked at Ferri; Ferri shrugged and turned away, "We have your word that you will not bolt?" Zak asked.

"Yes, my word; I swear." Boba vowed, "I'd rather catch this jerk then run."

Zak sighed, but nodded and held the blaster out to him, "Don't disappoint me, Boba." He warned.

"I won't; my word is good, you should know that." Boba assured him as he took the weapon.

"Alright, let's get this started." Ferri said.

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"Alright, Zak says they are on their way now; he said Boba is guiding them toward the rear entrance. He said that would be the most logical place, and if the assassin is going to confront him, it should be there." Obi-Wan informed the rest of the Jedi with him and then turned to Dena, "You understand we do not want you to interfere no matter what happens?"

"Yes, Master Kenobi; I understand perfectly." Dena confirmed.

"And we're sure everyone is out of the building?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, the Clones did a final sweep, and it appears there is no one left; they have posted guards to prevent anyone from re-entering." Obi-Wan answered.

"Do any of them know what's happening?" Ga'al asked.

"Only that we suspect the fugitive is hiding, that he probably has two of our Padawans as hostages and think he may to try make good his escape. They do not know Obi-Wan has had contact with Zak, or what we are planning." Mace said.

"Do you think that's wise?" Ga'al wondered.

"If the Clones knew the entire plan, they would inform the Vice Chancellor, and she would order them to storm the building. Since she does not believe there is another killer out there, she will think this is just a plot to allow Boba to escape. Unfortunately, Chancellor Organa is still considered unable to perform the duties of his Office, and Vice Chancellor Mothma is still in charge." Obi-Wan explained, "If the Clones were to storm the building, the killer would retreat into the shadows; and the chances of one of the boys being injured or killed would be very high."

"We want this assassin found, and that will not happen if Boba Fett is captured and surrounded by guards; it will only happen if the killer feels it is safe enough to come out to confront the boy, and that can only happen if the boy is alone." Mace added.

"How long will it take them to get to the rear exit?" Dena asked.

"They will be moving slowly; I warned them to be cautious, just in case we missed someone up there. They also will not be using the lift system; they will be using the stairway. I believe it will take them about twenty minutes to make their way down." Obi-Wan answered.

Dena nodded, took a deep breath and exhaled, "Patience, Padawan." Ga'al reminded her.

"Yes, Master; patience. I just don't want anything to go wrong." Dena replied.

"None of us do, Dena." Mace said.

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"You are not welcome here, Vice Chancellor; what is it you want?" Breha asked coldly as Mon Mothma entered the room.

"Do you know where Boba Fett is?" The Vice Chancellor demanded.

"What?" Bail asked indignantly and with more that a touch of anger.

"Where is he?" Mon demanded.

"How dare you! Get out; get out right now." Breha ordered as she stood up and advanced toward her.

"If you are hiding him, then you are just as guilty as he is." Mon Mothma stated, standing her ground and refusing to back down.

"In that case, even if we were sheltering him, we would not be guilty." Breha retorted.

"I can have you removed from Office if I find out you are in on this." Mon threatened.

"In on what? Boba fled because he did not feel he would be tried fairly; all the circumstantial evidence was against him, and no one was willing to look beyond that into his character. While the real killer is still running loose, you are hunting a young man who has done nothing more than fall in love with a Jedi apprentice and choose to protect her identity rather than use her to prove his innocence." Bail answered as he struggled to sit up.

"Easy, Bail; you are but half healed." Haris Averill warned and then glared at Mon Mothma, "We are not harboring Boba here; now, unless you have some proof that we are, I think you should leave. The Chancellor is far from being recovered; right now, his health is fragile and your accusations are agitating him."

Mon put a hand to her mouth as she suddenly realized the consequences of her actions, "I'm sorry…I…I have just been….we can discuss this later….I'm sorry." She stammered.

"I suggest you try to find out who the real killer is instead of wasting your efforts hunting down Boba." Bail told her, his anger still burning.

"I think we had our real killer, Bail; until he escaped." Mon replied as she returned Bail's anger glare with one of sincere conviction.

"Get out." Bail ordered evenly.

Mon sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry you have let this boy come between us." She said and then turned to leave.

"It is your prejudice against him that has come between us." Breha corrected, "Good day, Vice Chancellor."

Mon sighed again, stared at the floor for a moment and then left without answering. Bail reached up and squeezed Breha's hand.

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Zak led the way with Boba behind him and Ferri covering the rear as they headed toward the stairway that led down to the rear entrance. Their footfalls echoed throughout the upper floor of the deserted building; for some reason, the lighting in the hallway had been dimmed, throwing eerie shadows around the corridor.

Zak halted and cocked his head, "Something's not right." He whispered.

"What is it?" Boba asked, in a hushed tone.

"We're being watched." Ferri answered, also whispering and then took his lightsaber from his belt.

"Who's there?" Zak called out, taking his own weapon in his hand.

"The game is up, boys." A voice called out as a figure stepped out of the shadows.

Zak stood his ground, shielding Boba behind him as he powered his weapon, "You're not supposed to be in here." He said.

"Well now; I'm here, aren't I; so I apparently I can be." The figure answered as he stepped closer to them.

"So you've found us; but there are three of us and one of you, and two of us are Jedi. I don't think your odds are very good here." Ferri said.

The man chuckled, "Maybe not; but I just wanted the bounty hunter to see me before I kill him." He replied.

"Why?" Boba asked.

"Oh, I think you'll figure that out for yourself." The man answered as he lifted the helmet to expose his face.