'Impossible!' Minister Salin Basa was screaming at the rebel captain. "They couldn't have just disappeared into thin air? I want the dead bodies of those two at any cost. There is no time! Without solid evidence to prove the Queen's death the people will not be led to believe otherwise. This whole plan will fail if she turns up alive." He thundered.
Salin Basa was one of the more ambitious ministers in the queen's cabinet. The day after the coup, the rebel forces had occupied the palace. All the Queen's sympathizers had been imprisoned, including Governor Sio Bibble.
He had organized a gorilla base in the mountains outside the city.
He instigated the population against the new establishment calling them the Queen's murderers. He soon had a large following of the common masses, who felt it their duty to fight for their Queen. He easily beat the rebels and took over the palace. The people had called him their hero, the savior of democracy.
He had a grand funeral planned for the fallen queen. Her body would be paraded before her people in grand style. There would be lots of tears and he would benefit from sympathy for the queen. Every thing had worked out just right. Except, there was no queen to parade.
"Damned that Jedi, who would've thought he'd head for the swamps?" He muttered under his breath. "Damn those wrangling mercenaries." "You're dumber than those tin droids," he screamed at their leader. "Failing miserably even if there is a minute deviation from the plan." He growled.
"The queen was hit, their vehicle was hit and now you tell me there is no sign of them. Only this," he lifted a little golden blaster, "to show after 48 hours of searching." "Perhaps the animals got them" Halle murmured almost to himself. "And the speeder? Salin hissed, "perhaps the fish digested that too?" Halle felt dumber.
Sio Bibble had been charged with the rebellion. Most of the Queen's loyal servants found in the palace were charged with treachery. The rebel leaders had testified against them.
Halle had ordered his men to search the lake surroundings minutely for any signs of the missing pair.
The search team did not find any thing, but they did find the cave, which contained plenty of evidence of at least two people having inhibited it recently.
The grease stains and discarded burnt wire removed any doubt as to the Queens health. They were alive and on the run.
The fact that the escapees had transport put the search into a wider circle. They also knew that the queen had been injured and was probably very weak from loss of blood.
Salin Basa was one of the more ambitious ministers in the queen's cabinet. The day after the coup, the rebel forces had occupied the palace. All the Queen's sympathizers had been imprisoned, including Governor Sio Bibble.
He had organized a gorilla base in the mountains outside the city.
He instigated the population against the new establishment calling them the Queen's murderers. He soon had a large following of the common masses, who felt it their duty to fight for their Queen. He easily beat the rebels and took over the palace. The people had called him their hero, the savior of democracy.
He had a grand funeral planned for the fallen queen. Her body would be paraded before her people in grand style. There would be lots of tears and he would benefit from sympathy for the queen. Every thing had worked out just right. Except, there was no queen to parade.
"Damned that Jedi, who would've thought he'd head for the swamps?" He muttered under his breath. "Damn those wrangling mercenaries." "You're dumber than those tin droids," he screamed at their leader. "Failing miserably even if there is a minute deviation from the plan." He growled.
"The queen was hit, their vehicle was hit and now you tell me there is no sign of them. Only this," he lifted a little golden blaster, "to show after 48 hours of searching." "Perhaps the animals got them" Halle murmured almost to himself. "And the speeder? Salin hissed, "perhaps the fish digested that too?" Halle felt dumber.
Sio Bibble had been charged with the rebellion. Most of the Queen's loyal servants found in the palace were charged with treachery. The rebel leaders had testified against them.
Halle had ordered his men to search the lake surroundings minutely for any signs of the missing pair.
The search team did not find any thing, but they did find the cave, which contained plenty of evidence of at least two people having inhibited it recently.
The grease stains and discarded burnt wire removed any doubt as to the Queens health. They were alive and on the run.
The fact that the escapees had transport put the search into a wider circle. They also knew that the queen had been injured and was probably very weak from loss of blood.