Chapter 12 Boba Fett's Secret

Anakin took his foot off Boba's back and hauled him roughly to his feet, "Oh, yes, you will." He said evenly.

Boba struggled and managed to get off a shot of flame from his arm; Anakin shoved him back to the ground, "That was stupid." Anakin told him.

While Anakin continued to hold him down, Obi-Wan bent down and began to remove Boba's armor starting with the dangerous arm weapons. With his weapons removed, Boba surrendered completely and let Anakin lead him back to the hanger without further struggle.

"Can you walk, Padawan?" Obi-Wan asked as he helped Zak to his feet.

"Yes, Master." He answered quietly.

"We will talk about this later, Zak." Obi-Wan told him, sensing Zak's guilt.

"Yes, Master." Zak replied, staring down at the ground.

Obi-Wan put his hand on his shoulder and patted it, "It's alright, Zak; but we do need to talk." He said. "Come on."

Zak nodded and walked beside Obi-Wan. His head throbbed and he felt ashamed that he had defied his master when he went into the maintenance shed. Would his master forgive him? He hoped so.

Once back inside the hanger, Anakin pushed Boba into a chair.

"Now, who hired you?" He started.

Nothing.

"You might as well tell us." Anakin said.

Nothing.

"If you don't; when we beat them, you will end up on Kessel; is that what you want?" Anakin threatened.

Nothing.

"Boba, you're only fourteen; do you want to spend the rest of your life in a prison colony?" Padme asked.

Nothing.

"Help us, Boba; and I promise to plead your case in the courts." Obi-Wan told him.

Nothing.

"Alright, enough of this politeness. Tell us who you're working for….TELL US NOW." Anakin demanded.

Although Boba said nothing, he looked up at Anakin with a little hint of fear in his eyes, "Look, I didn't want to do this, but there are ways to make you talk." Anakin said.

Boba's eyes grew wide, "You…c..can't." He stuttered.

"Oh? Why not?" Anakin asked, menacingly.

"You're a Jedi. They…don't…d..do that." Boba answered.

"Oh, the Jedi don't; but I do. I'm not a Jedi any longer, Boba." Anakin replied. "I can do anything I need to do to protect this planet."

"He won't let you." Boba said pointing to Obi-Wan.

"He can't stop me; I'm in charge here." Anakin told him.

"Please, don't let him hurt me." Boba Fett pleaded.

"You should have thought of that before you tried to kill me." Anakin said.

"Anakin, he is just a boy…" Obi-Wan began.

"Yes, a murderous boy; just like his father." Anakin interrupted. "He tried to kill Zak, Obi-Wan; and he nearly succeeded in crashing two of our fighters, we could have all been killed."

"I'm sorry, Boba; I did try. I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do." Obi-Wan told Boba. "I think you're going to have to tell him what he wants to know or…"

"But they'll kill her if I do." Boba sobbed.

This was something Anakin was not expecting, Boba to break down and cry, "Kill who; what are you talking about, Boba?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Her." Boba cried.

"Who?" Anakin asked.

"My sister." Boba answered, still crying.

"You don't have a sister, what are you trying to pull here?" Anakin demanded.

"No, it's true; they have my sister and…." Boba began.

"You're a Clone, Boba, you don't have a sister." Obi-Wan replied.

"Well, I found her, and I'm taking care of her; that makes her my sister." Bob answered.

"How old is your 'sister'?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"Three." Boba told him. "They'll kill her."

"We won't let that happen, Boba; but you have to tell us who hired you." Anakin said…gently.

"I…I can't." Boba mumbled softly.

"Yes, you can. We understand why you had to do it." Obi-Wan replied.

"You do?" Bob asked.

"Yes, because you have to take care of yourself and your sister; right? Because no one else is there to do that except you." Obi-Wan answered. "But we can help you."

"That's right, Boba; all we want to do is stop whoever is behind this." Anakin told him.

"No, you don't understand. They have my sister." Boba said again.

"Alright, Boba; we know that. But why did they take her in the first place?" Obi-Wan asked.

Boba looked down at the ground.

"Boba, we're running out of time here." Anakin warned.

Fourteen-year-old Boba, once defiant, angry and hateful, was now sobbing like a baby, "They didn't trust me to do my job." He finally admitted.

"Which was to sabotage the fighters in the Air Corps?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes." Boba whispered.

"If you tell us who you're working for, we can find your sister." Anakin said.

"No, you can't; they'll kill her." Boba replied.

"They won't if we find her first." Obi-Wan told him. "But we can't do that unless we know who has her."

"Do you really think they'll let her go after this is all over?" Anakin asked.

"They said they would." Boba answered.

"Well, I don't think they will. They will keep her so that you will have to continue working for them." Obi-Wan said.

"No, they promised!" Boba cried out.

"Do you really think they are that trustworthy?" Obi-Wan asked. "You seem pretty street-smart; I would think you'd know better."

"They can find your sister; we can. We're Jedi." Zak suddenly spoke up.

Boba looked over at Zak, his eyes narrowed and he glared hatefully at Zak.

"I hate the Jedi." He said. "They killed my father."

"Well, maybe you do; but we're the only chance you have to find your sister." Zak answered.

"I tried to kill you; doesn't that make you hate me?" Boba asked.

"No; I don't hate anybody." Zak replied.

"Well, you should. Hate makes you strong." Boba told him.

"No, it doesn't." Zak answered.

"Hate destroys everything, Boba; and it will destroy you and your 'sister'." Obi-Wan added. "You might think it makes you strong, but you will pay a price in the end."

"Believe Master Kenobi, Boba; I know, it nearly destroyed me. He's right." Anakin said.

Boba stared at the floor again.

"Look, we can do this the easy way, and you can tell us now; or we can do it the hard way, and I can make you tell us." Anakin said authoritatively. "Which will it be?"

Boba continued to stare at the floor.

"Tell us, now; or I will make you tell us." Anakin threatened.

"Poggle." Boba mumbled, barely intelligibly, still staring down.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Poggle." Boba repeated, louder this time.

"From Geonosis; that Poggle?" Anakin asked.

"Do you know any other Poggle?" Boba answered sarcastically.

"But why?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I don't know; they didn't tell me that." Boba replied again sarcastically. "And anyway, why should I care."

"Who else, besides Poggle; who were the others?" Anakin asked.

"I don't know, I only saw Poggle. But I think some of the other Separatists are with him." Boba said.

"Oh, no; I thought that was all settled. What are they trying to do?" Padme wondered.

"I guess some of them never got the message that Palpatine was behind the whole war." Obi-Wan answered.

"Or they just don't care." Anakin added.

"Where were you supposed to go once you had disabled the fighters?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To a place outside Theed City." Boba told him.

"Then you should take us there." Anakin said.

"No! When they see you, they'll know I told." Boba exclaimed as he started to cry again.

"Don't be stupid; we'll be hiding, they won't see us." Anakin replied.

Boba sobbed for a moment or two more and then sighed deeply.

"Alright," he said quietly, "I'll take you there."

"Good; and don't worry, Boba, we will find your 'sister'." Obi-Wan said, putting a reassuring hand on Boba's shoulder.

Boba shrugged the hand off, "Don't think this changes anything. I still hate you." He replied, venomously.

"Well, I'm going to contact the governor and let him know what's happened." Padme said. "And, Boba, you should be more grateful; they're trying to help you."

"Only because they are getting something out of it." Boba answered.

"I'm sorry that's what you think, because it isn't true." Zak told him. "We would have helped you anyway if you had asked."

"Yeah, right." Boba replied.

"Boba, are they supposed to bring your sister when they meet with you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, I told them I needed to see her if they expected me to do anything else for them." Boba answered.

"Oh, now wait a minute, I thought you said they told you they would give her back when this was over." Anakin said.

"Well, I…kind of knew…well, suspected…you know…that they…might…umm…keep her." Boba replied, hesitantly.

"And you thought if they brought her, you could fight them and get her back?" Obi-Wan speculated. "Did it ever occur to you that she might be killed?"

Boba looked at him, his eyes growing wide.

"Well…I…no." He stammered.

Anakin shook his head.

"Boba, I thought you were smarter than that." He said. "It's a good thing we did catch you."

Boba looked down once again, "Maybe." He mumbled.

"What was that?" Anakin asked.

"I SAID MAYBE." Boba shouted. "Just get my sister back."

"We will, I promise." Obi-Wan answered.

The transmission to the governor had gone through, and Padme waited impatiently as the governor's aid to summon him.

"Madam Skywalker, I am afraid I am rather busy right now; I do not really have time to speak with you." Sio Bibble said as his image appeared before her.

"I know, Governor; I am at the base so I know what's happening." Padme replied.

"What are you doing there?" Bibble asked.

"Helping to get our fighters in order." Padme answered. "But I have some important information for you."

"Information? About who might want to attack us?" The governor asked.

"Yes, Sio; it seems Poggle the Lesser has managed to reunite some of the Separatists into an alliance." Padme informed him.

"Oh no, not again. Can they be stopped?" He asked.

"Yes, I think so; Anakin…er…Captain Skywalker and Master Kenobi have found the one who tampered with the fighters and they know where he is to meet them." She answered. "They will go with him and take the leaders into custody."

"Well, this is the best news I have had all day. I have great faith that they will succeed. I wish them luck." Bibble replied.

"Thank you, Sio; I will contact you again when I have more information." Padme said.

"I will wait to hear from you." Sio answered as his image faded.

Zak went over to one of the benches that were along the wall and sat down, rubbing the side of his head just above his ear where he had hit the shelving during his fight with Boba. A few minutes later, Obi-Wan sat down beside him.

"I'm sorry, Master." Zak said.

Obi-Wan remained silent, waiting.

"I should not have gone into that shed; I'm sorry." Zak continued.

Obi-Wan sighed, "Well, Master Anakin and I should have checked that shed before we left you. You should not have had to go in there." He replied.

"Well, I still should have listened to you." Zak insisted.

"And if you had, then Boba would have gotten away." Obi-Wan told him. "Then where would we be?"

Zak did not answer.

"I'm the one who should be sorry, Padawan. You could have been badly hurt, or worse, you could have been killed. As it is, you've got yourself a nasty bump on the head." Obi-Wan said and then smiled. "Besides, I didn't actually tell you not to go in there; did I."

"Well,…no." Zak answered and rubbed his head again.

"No. Just remember to think next time; and do not be afraid to challenge me if you have a good enough argument." Obi-Wan replied as he pushed Zak's hand away to look at his injured head. "Let me see."

Zak winced as Obi-Wan's hand touched the tender area. A little blood matted Zak's hair where the skin had been broken, but the wound did not look serious, "Well, this doesn't look too bad." Obi-Wan told him. "We just need to clean it up a little; wait here, I'll be right back."

Zak breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid that Master Obi-Wan would be so angry that he would send him back to Coruscant; he should have known better.

"Is he alright?" Padme asked.

"Yes, he's got a nasty bump on the head, but he'll be just fine." Obi-Wan assured her. "And he feels guilty about going in to that shed when I told him to stay put."

"But he did catch our saboteur." Padme said.

"Yes, and I told him that. He's alright, Padme." Obi-Wan replied. "It was my fault he went in there to begin with, and I told him that too."

"We are going to stop this invasion; aren't we?" She asked.

"Yes, don't worry." Obi-Wan answered.

While Obi-Wan hunted down a med kit, Anakin continued to press Boba Fett for additional information. He managed to find out when Boba was to meet with Poggle and where they would land their battle droids. Foolishly, it was in the same place the first invasion had taken place almost fifteen years previously. Anakin knew who they could count on if Poggle managed to pull off that part of the plan….