Fear Part 13

Ignatia Kane had called an emergency meeting at the home of a loyal follower this particular evening. The security guards and the accursed Jedi had trampled through her own home a couple of days ago and she worried that they might have planted listening devices there. She couldn't take the risk of their plans being overheard and prevented. Especially now, just when they had another chance to extinguish the Jedi threat forever. - Her gaze traveled across the living room where all her followers had gathered. There were some twenty-odd people, mostly young adults inspired by her rhetoric and heady with the freedom from the Empire. They saw the galaxy finally had a chance to establish a better way, without Force-users to endanger and corrupt the democracy. There were also a few people of her own generation, the ones who remembered firsthand Palpatines's sly manipulations.

Most of the group were humans, but there were also a few gungans. They remembered how the gungan people had faced discrimination under the Empire's pro-human, anti-alien laws. Some alien races had fared better than others, but Palpatine had seemed to bear a particular grudge against gungans, and they had retreated back to their own underwater cities soon after his reign had begun.

Ignatia held up her hand and immediately the chattering ceased and all eyes were upon her. "My friends, as you all know, our efforts to destroy the Jedi by blowing up their retreat has failed. However, we have another chance. It is dangerous, and it is not as efficient. We will have to go after the Jedi one by one, and we must act now while they are still few in number. Time is critical. Although I believe the security guards will have a difficult time finding evidence against us, they will most likely begin tracking our movements. Almost certainly, they will once we have taken the next step. The plan I called you here tonight to discuss."

She motioned to a young gungan to come join her at the front of the room. "Razzal, come and tell us about the plan."

He came to her side, cleared his throat and said, "My cousin Gano works for the Paara family. He told mesa yesterday that Rep Coru Paara had asked him to pick up his daughter, one of the demon Force-users, from the Jedi Academy and bring her home." His face twisted in disgust. "He also said that another of the Jedi would be accompanying her and staying for a short visit. He was complaining because he was supposed to go nano hunting instead tomorrow and he didn't want to miss it. Mesa realized right away that this would be a great opportunity for us so mesa offered to do him a favor and run the errand for him. He agreed, not knowing that mesa is part of this group. Mesa talked with Mrs. Kane and wesa have come up with a plan."

He spoke for a few minutes more, telling them the details. When he was done, someone asked, "But won't you be endangering yourself?"

Ignatia spoke up, "We may all be in danger before this is over, but this time Razzal will be safe. He will put on a mask before releasing this sleeping gas into the sub. Then he will have time to get out and swim a safe distance away. The security guards will think he died as well and won't be looking for him. And we will have rid the galaxy of two demon Jedi, at least."

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It was a sad group that gathered at the shores of Lake Paonga the next day. The entire family had come along for the two hour ride to the huge lake on the outskirts of Theed. Anakin, Luke, and the padawans wanted to put off saying good-bye to Tera until the last possibe moment. Han wanted to be there to see Leia off, and Chewie and the droids didn't want to be left behind if everyone else was going.

In any case, they'd all decided that after the gungan sub departed, the rest of the group would spend the afternoon in Theed. A construction crew had arrived to begin clearing away the rubble of the lake retreat that morning, accompanied by NR Intelligence agents to make sure that no one from Ignatia Kane's band of followers had infiltrated the grounds. Anakin had begun to feel depressed again at seeing the remains of his home being carried away, and Luke had suggested that a change of scenery might be helpful.

So they were all going to have lunch at one of Theed's finest restaurants, and then watch the local smashball game before meeting up again with Leia and Elissa in the evening. Luke hoped that maybe an afternoon of fun would cheer everyone up, but first they had to get through Tera's departure.

The sub from Otoh Gunga surfaced just as Tera was embracing Gil and Keren. "Good-bye, mesa will miss you both. Mesa knows you will be great Jedi one day."

"We'll miss you, too," Keren sniffed. "But we hope you'll be back soon."

Tera sighed and shook her head. "My father can be very stubborn. Mesa's afraid he's already made up his mind."

"Bye, Tera," Gil said quietly. His mood had been fluctuating all morning. In spite of everything, he couldn't help being excited at the chance to explore Theed and see the smashball game. He'd never been able to do anything like that before. But he was genuinely sad about Tera leaving, too. Now that the moment of farewell was here, his eyes filled with tears that he blinked back rapidly, but of them all, he would probably recover the quickest.

Next Tera over to Anakin and Luke. "Thank you, Masters, for being such wonderful teachers. Mesa loved being at the Jedi Academy. It was like home."

Luke hugged her. "Thank you, Tera. It's good to know we were doing something right. We'll miss you, too, but don't give up yet. Maybe your parents will listen to Leia, and even if they won't let you come back right away, maybe they will when we've caught the bombers and they know it's safe again."

"Maybe," But Tera didn't look hopeful, and then she unhooked her lightsaber from her belt and handed it to Anakin. "Here, Master Anakin. Mesa ought to give this back."

But Anakin shook his head and returned it to her. "No, Tera, it's your lightsaber. You keep it. You never know when you might need it, and besides, Luke's right. We don't know how things are going to work out yet. You may be coming back to the Academy after all."

Tera looked at the lightsaber in her hand for a moment, then wordlessly, she gave Anakin a quick hug and hurried towards the sub.

The rest of them followed, and as Tera and Elissa climbed in, Leia also hugged her brother and father. "I'll do what I can," she said softly.

They nodded. "I know you will, and thanks," Luke told her.

Leia stepped back to exchange a good-bye kiss with Han before joining Tera and Elissa in the sub. Chewie barked in farewell, and Artoo beeped. Tera suddenly noticed the driver. "Hey, you're not Gano."

They all looked sharply at the gungan driver, suspicious, but he just laughed. "No, Gano was feeling a bit under the weather this morning, so mesa offered to drive for him. Mesa is his cousin, Razzal."

When they still looked doubtful, he shrugged and said, "Here are mesa's identification papers, if yousa want to see them."

Anakin reached for the papers and studied them carefully before handing them back. "They seem to be in order." He leaned into the sub and said softly so that only Leia, Tera, and Elissa could hear him. "His ID papers seem all right. Do you feel comfortable going with him?"

Tera considered. "Mesa does remember Gano talking about his cousin Razzal. Mesa's sure it's all right."

Leia patted her bag. "And I have a blaster right here, just in case. After everything we've been through, Han doesn't let me go anywhere without one."

Anakin still looked concerned. Leia laughed, "We'll be fine, Father. You're becoming paranoid."

"Can you blame me?" he muttered, but finally he sighed. Leia was probably right, and she was very capable of defending herself. He knew that from firsthand experience. Tera and Elissa, though they were still a long way from being full Jedi Knights, were no slouchs when it came to self-defense, either. He and Luke had made sure of that. He was just being too paranoid. "All right, good-bye then. Leia and Elissa, we'll meet you back here this evening. Tera, I hope you'll be back soon, too. May the Force be with you."

They all waved as the door closed and the gungan sub sank down under the water.

Han noticed that Luke, Anakin, and the two remaining padawans were looking glum again, and tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, you guys, you said yourselves not to give up hope. Tera might even be able to come back tonight. You know how persuasive Leia can be. She convinced a scroundel like me to settle down. She can handle this."

Luke gave him a smile. "Well, guess I can't argue with that."

Anakin frowned. "I wish they hadn't gone. I have a bad feeling about this."

They had begun heading towards their two speeders parked a short distance away, Gil running on ahead, and the rest of them walking more slowly, when a terrible, sharp explosion temporarily deafened them, and an enormous geyser of water shot to the clouds in the sky.

The gungan sub had been detonated.

The bombers had struck again.

TBC