Finally, some peace and quiet. Ammi had just laid the baby down for a nap when her husband walked in. Balsadd had a serious expression on his face, and Ammi knew immediately that something was wrong. "Can we talk?" he asked her as he sat down in the main room of their apartment.
A bit apprehensive, Ammi answered in the affirmative. She sat down next to her husband and asked him, "What is it?" Her concern was evident, making it difficult for him to reply.
Balsadd was uncertain of how to begin. He knew Ammi would not like this any more than he did, but there was no other choice. "Remember that...That dark presence you felt the other day in the council chamber, that..."
"You mean the one that gave me this? And this?" She indicated a black eye and scab on her lip.
"Yeah. Well, Yoda feels that it's coming here, and I have to agree. And... He also senses that it wants our son."
My husband has clearly gone insane. Ammi could find no other explanation. I don't believe it. "What do you mean? He's an infant. A two-week-old baby. And if it wants the child, why would it have attacked me when I was pregnant?"
"I don't know, Ammi. All I know is that it has to be stopped, and it's up to the Jedi to stop it."
"But what can we do? At this point we don't know anything." Ammi was bewildered by this whole discussion. "What are we supposed to do if we haven't even figured out what it is?"
Taking a deep breath, Balsadd replied, "That's the problem. Since we don't know anything about it, we have to take every precaution possible." He took a deep breath, looked into her eyes, and delivered the news. "There's no other way, Ammi. You're going to have to take him and leave Coruscant."
"You mean run away?" Ammi could hardly believe what she was hearing. "But...What do you mean there's no other way? There has to be!" She tried to make her voice sound calm, but it was impossible. "Balsadd, a Jedi does not run away. That's not our job." She took his hand in hers. "I'm every bit as capable of fighting as you are. Don't you understand? Running away is not an option!"
"Ammi." Balsadd's voice was calm but firm. "At this point, it's the only one. Normally I'd agree with you, but there comes a time when hiding is an acceptable, even preferable alternative. We can't guard him every second, after all."
"How can I do my job if I'm just supposed to hide?"
It took every bit of willpower he had for Balsadd to force himself to look into Ammi's eyes. He hated the whole situation, and couldn't bear the thought of sending her away. "I wish as much as you do that you could stay, but just think how powerful the child's Force abilities are likely to be. By keeping away from--from whatever this is, you're doing the best thing for us and for the galaxy."
Ammi nodded thoughtfully, knowing he was correct. "But for how long?"
Balsadd shrugged. "There's no telling. But I'll keep in contact with you, and you'll know the minute it's safe to come back. You just have to trust me."
It all made sense; too much sense. But Ammi knew more was at stake here than merely her family. If her son was trained in the dark side, there was no doubt that he had the power to destroy the Republic. In this rare situation, she would not be forfeiting her duty by running away, but fulfilling it.
It was soon decided that Ammi would go to Kodja, a planet so far out on the galactic rim that few people had even heard of it. It was, as far as anyone knew, habitable but completely unpopulated. That night they packed provisions for her and the baby, and informed Ammi's family that she was supposedly visiting them, in case questions were raised (but even they were not privy to her actual location). This deception would only be a last resort; if all went well, no one but the Jedi Council would even know that she was not on Coruscant.
Ammi boarded her small ship early the next morning, cradling her baby in her
arms. Only she and Balsadd knew where she was going; ultimate secrecy was vital
for their protection. After a tear-filled goodbye scene, Balsadd promised that
they would be reunited soon. It hurt him as well, knowing it may be a long time
until he saw his wife and child again.
Vor could hardly contain his excitement as his stolen vessel came out of hyperspace. At last, he was about to meet his famous adversaries.
Once he found the Palpatines, Vor would have a better idea of how to murder Ammi and kidnap the baby. The beauty of his existing plan framework, however, was that no one would end up looking for him. He could frame Balsadd for Ammi's murder and get away easily; Balsadd would be executed and he would be certain that people believed the child to be dead as well. The proof his genius lay in the almost ridiculous simplicity.
Vor's ship landed uneventfully on Coruscant, and he could not help looking
forward to this mission. Since the Palpatines were so well known, he took it
for granted that locating Ammi would be no trouble at all. First, however, he
needed a drink.
Another special meeting of the Jedi Council had been convened with the purpose of uncovering the identity of Ammi's apparent enemy, and Balsadd had been obligated to attend. The discussion lasted far into the night, and the streets near the capital were all but deserted when he finally started on his way home.
At least, that was his originally intended destination. But when he reminded himself that he had no one to go home to, he decided there would be no point. The exhausted Jedi wandered aimlessly through the back streets, until he finally came to a seedy-looking cantina. His eyelids feeling heavy, Balsadd sat down at the door and ordered an ella beer.
"Balsadd Palpatine?"
He turned around, wondering who would address him in a place like this--or in fact, who in this particular bar, this time of night, would be sober enough to recognize him. Once he became aware of something other than the horribly bitter taste in his mouth, he noticed a fairly young man in a simple black cloak. His eyes were bright blue, like Ammi's; they were one of his most notable features due the gold eyebrow ring he wore. "Who are you?"
The stranger extended a hand politely, showing decent manners, which were in a sharp contrast to his appearance. "I'm here for diplomacy reasons. It's a very hush-hush situation, so I'd appreciate it if my presence on Coruscant was not publicly known at this point."
Balsadd nodded, feeling exhausted from the effort; he was unsure of whether the alcohol had any bearing on that or not. He shook the man's hand, not really aware of or concerned about what he had just said. Still, he made a concerted effort not to convey his lack of alertness. "What do you want?"
The man smiled, revealing a gold tooth and hideously dark gums. He sat down casually and ordered a flameout, then lowered his voice. "I really shouldn't divulge that information now, not here. I'd like to meet with you and your wife as soon as possible."
"It'll have to wait. She has…a lot to take care of right now, in addition to the baby. Maybe some other time."
The man was obviously not pleased with this news. "It really is imperative that I contact her soon. Where could I find her?"
Balsadd found this stranger to be too inquisitive for comfort. He was searching for a safe, yet not a hostile answer, when a heavy blow to the head caused the strange man to slump to the floor. An obviously intoxicated Gamorrean grunted, stepping over the now unconscious person to get to his intended target.
The Bothan who had apparently offended him tried to creep silently away from behind the now vacant chair. Before either alien could draw a blaster, Balsadd decided to save the bartender some trouble and expense. Summoning the little strength left in his body, Balsadd jumped to his feet and whipped out his lightsaber.
"Think you could stop interfering over here?" the Jedi asked, holding a glowing aqua blade half a centimeter from the Gamorrean's throat. "I'm sure whatever this guy did was a capital offense, but you're bothering innocent bystanders."
The drunken non-human grunted, backing slowly away from the weapon. Balsadd holstered his saber, yawned, and walked out of the bar, wishing he had just gone home in the first place.
