Disclaimer: You already know what I do and don't own.
I know I said there wouldn't be much action, but the story got away from me and has taken on a life of its own. Besides, I have to have some action or I'll have no foundation for later story elements. I'm guessing if you like Star Wars, you like action, so I won't worry about it.
Reviews welcome.
With Salda as their guide, the two Jedi were quickly ushered into the office of Bors Jillin, chief of security. His face showed the strain of his concern for his employer and a night without sleep, but he greeted the Jedi courteously, rising from his seat and bowing respectfully. He seemed rather young for the position, appearing no older than 37 or 38. Like Salda, he had thick, dark hair, but his face was chiseled and his eyes held those of his Jedi visitors with confidence and intelligence.
"We are grateful for your help," he said, after Salda introduced Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. "Please be seated. Can I offer you refreshments?"
Qui-Gon thanked him but indicated they had only just eaten, carefully concealing a smile at the look of disappointment his always-hungry Padawan couldn't manage to keep from surfacing. He glanced around the room and noted that the Ophiran distaste for technology didn't seem to extend to the security chief. Datascreens and newer models of surveillance equipment were neatly stacked in one corner.
Bors Jillin saw the look of interest on the Jedi Master's face and nodded. "I see you've noticed our new security system." Then frowning, "It only arrived last week, and we haven't completed the installation process. I'm afraid all our existing systems are quite outdated, and we've had to upgrade many areas of the palace to make them compatible with the new model. It's an M-7, just released this year by Securitron Systems. Unfortunately, the work wasn't completed in time to prevent the danger we feared."
"I'm surprised to find such an advanced system on Ophir," Qui-Gon replied. "Your planet seems pretty resistant to such things."
"Yes. It took me months to convince the king it was needed," Jillin said quietly.
Qui-Gon probed the man deeply with the Force before responding. "I imagine it must have been difficult. Your interest in such technology is unusual among your people."
Bors Jillin looked at the Jedi Master without flinching. He seemed to know the large man was searching him beneath the surface of his words. "Before the threats began, I would have agreed with the king. Like my people, I have little use for advances that interfere with the way things are done on Ophir. Technology has a way of erasing the lines of individuality between cultures. For every benefit it offers, it takes away something that cannot be replaced."
"An interesting perspective," Qui-Gon answered, "and an unusual one."
"I know we are thought to be out of step with the rest of the Galaxy," the dark-eyed man said without offense. "But I also see that we are better off. I have had the good fortune to travel off-planet, even to your home city of Coruscant. I saw the high crime rates, the poverty, the loss of identity as each being conformed to one great modern way of life. Perhaps things are easier for them in some ways, but in others they are more difficult. Ophir does not reject such advances blindly. We know our lives and work could be made simpler by adapting, but we are unwilling to sacrifice those things we value more."
Qui-Gon offered a conciliatory smile. "We do not wish to question or challenge your way of life, Bors. I confess, I find some aspects of it appealing. I only hope we will be able to help you in your current crisis."
"You offer is appreciated far more than you know," Jillin accepted his visitor's kind words. "We're at something of a standstill. As I'm sure Salda has informed you, we've tried to discover who was behind the threats, but we've come up with little. I've questioned all palace staff thoroughly, but Salda is the only one who saw anything.
"After the princess' attacker escaped, I increased security and placed my most trusted officers at every palace entrance. The king agreed to my request that he and the family remain within the safety of our walls until help could arrive. We hoped that would be enough protection, but clearly it was not."
"Who else knew the Jedi had been called on to intervene?" Obi-Wan finally spoke up. He wasn't sure what his Master thought of the security chief, but he felt an instinctive trust in the man.
"Only myself and the king's advisors."
"How did the kidnappers escape with the family," Qui-Gon inquired.
Jillin shook his head. "That is part of the problem. We don't know. The royal family was not removed from the palace by any of the exits we are aware of. There must be a hidden entrance somewhere that was forgotten about over time. My men are searching, but we've turned up nothing."
Before he could continue, a knock sounded at the door, and Jillin called out, "You may come in."
A short, thick-bodied messenger entered, sweat beading on his forehead. He seemed ready to panic as he stammered, "Sir, a message… that is, oh dear…" He shot the two Jedi an uncertain look and then continued. "We've just received a message, sir, of the gravest importance. I am sorry to interrupt you, but I knew you'd wish to hear immediately."
Jillin turned to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. "Please excuse me for a moment."
Qui-Gon nodded and rose to leave, but the security head stopped him. "No need for that. Please stay where you are. This will only take a moment."
The Jedi resumed their seats and waited patiently as the messenger bent to whisper in Jillin's ear, seeming barely able to hold himself together. As he spoke, Jillin's face drained of color, and he gripped the gleaming wooden arms of his chair. "Tell them I will be there immediately," he said dully when the perspiring little man finished speaking. Qui-Gon thought he looked like a man stricken by his worst nightmare come to life. The messenger bowed clumsily and hurried to pass on the security chief's words to those who had sent him. As the door closed on his departing form, Bors turned to the two Jedi, despair and fear in his voice, "Lord Nelode's transport was attacked as he left his village." He faltered, struggling to keep his composure, "He…did not survive."
At Jillin's invitation, the Jedi followed him to the palace's small communications room. Even here, the equipment was old. Obi-Wan had never dreamed such an ancient system could still be in use, but clearly the Ophirans kept it in good working order and it was satisfactory for their needs. It had been installed before hologram technology became widely available, so messages were limited to a staticky audio line. As they listened, a voice crackled through wall-mounted speakers.
"Sir, the village is in peril. The Noonji are advancing on us in force. They attacked Lord Nelode while he was still in sight of the town. I've brought together as much of the military as I can gather from nearby, but we are greatly outnumbered and they are heavily armed, sir."
"Armed?" For the first time, real fear seemed to seize Bors Jillin. "Request confirmation, officer. Did you say the Noonji are armed?"
"That's correct, sir. They are armed and advancing."
The security chief looked grave. "Captain, I am sending a battalion to come to your aid." He motioned to a nearby messenger to carry the order to the military compound even as he continued. "We must find out where the Noonji got their weapons, but in the meantime, send the villagers into the hills and order them to remain in hiding until we can settle this matter. I must arrange for someone to take charge of the city now that Lord Nelode is dead. Until the king can be found, we must have leadership. Do not let word get out about the king's disappearance yet. Maintain open communication with me. Are your orders clear?"
"Yes, sir," the voice sputtered and the comm system went silent.
"Who are the Noonji?' Qui-Gon asked the deflating Jillin.
"They are a small tribe that dwells in the hill country. They do not recognize the king's sovereignty, but they've never attacked or shown any signs of violence. We've co-existed peacefully since before the Tieri's came into power." Qui-Gon saw the absolute confusion that clouded Bors Jillin's face as the man continued. "If it is possible, they are even more averse to technology than we are. They live entirely from the land, traveling where they can find shelter and pasture for their livestock. Their only weapons are those used for hunting. I cannot imagine how they came to be armed or why they would choose to attack now."
"How large is Nelode's village?" Obi-Wan asked him.
"About five hundred. But they have no means to protect themselves." Jillin was pale. "Only our military is armed, and they are spread thin." He stopped at the look at shock that passed over the faces of the two Jedi. "We have not needed such things!" he explained. "I told you, we are peaceful. We had no cause to fear attack."
Qui-Gon began to reply but was interrupted by a wave of sound as the comm system came to life again.
"I have an urgent message for Chief Jillin," a woman's voice shouted.
"Jillin here," responded the security officer. "What is your message?"
"Sir, this is Commander Virdan of Danya City. We must request immediate aid, sir. The Noonji are attacking!" Bors Jillin looked wildly at the comm unit and then at the two Jedi. Before he could respond, the woman continued. "We have received messages from three nearby villages. All are under attack. Even now, my perimeter guards are reporting a force gathering behind the cover of Danyea Forest. Sir, we are outnumbered. Request orders."
Obi-Wan feared the beleaguered Jillin would crack, but he managed to pull himself together,
issuing the same orders he had given to the captain in Lord Nelode's village. All citizens were to take shelter in the nearby hills until peace could be restored. He would send what troops he could to come to the aid of the city of Danya and its villages.
When the comm unit again fell silent, Jillin sat weakly in a chair. "They will never make it." He shook his head, speaking so softly the two Jedi had to strain to hear him. "They will be slaughtered." Then he put his head in his hands and did not look up.
Obi-Wan released a sigh of frustration as he looked over the deserted palace gardens. The light of day was slowly fading to dusk, and he was exhausted. For hours, he'd questioned palace staff, hoping to uncover even a shred of information Jillin and his men might have missed, but the time spent had been useless. No one had seen a thing. He would never have believed when he stepped off the star cruiser early this morning that by nightfall the peaceful world would be at war. How had things unraveled so quickly?
Throughout the day more messages had continued to arrive. Several other nobles close to the royal family were violently cut down without warning, and nearly every major city was facing a well-armed foe with a fragmented, undermanned, and underarmed military. The peaceful people of Ophir had never dreamed that their dislike of modern life could bring them to a place of such utter defenselessness. But to that very thing they had been reduced. Fearing for the safety of the capital, Bors Jillin had ordered an immediate evacuation, hoping he had given the people enough time to find safety before they, too, were set upon by the rampaging Noonji. It seemed the "small tribe" had grown to a veritable nation, one bent on the destruction of those they had lived in peace with for generations.
And there was no explanation. The baffled tatters of Ophiran leadership could not begin to comprehend why the Noonji would attack without provocation. As the situation became worse throughout the day, Jillin had completely turned over the search for the missing royal family to the Jedi. After his initial shock had passed, they had been relieved to see a strong and capable leader emerge. The man was young for such a daunting crisis, but it was easy to see why the king had entrusted him with a post of such great responsibility.
In the meantime, however, the two Jedi were on their own, with little to go on. Qui-Gon had given Obi-Wan the important task of digging up information while his Master wandered the palace halls, searching for the hidden escape route. Neither had turned up anything.
Where do we go from here? Obi-Wan wondered. Every hour was precious, and with the bedlam that had been unleashed all around them, both he and Qui-Gon knew time was running out. Once the evacuation order had been released to the public, the city had erupted in a panicked frenzy. Tourists scrambled to find transport off-planet while natives shelled out thousands of credits to secure the few speeders and gravsleds that could be found in the city. It was pandemonium.
Obi-Wan knew Qui-Gon feared the widespread exodus of human life from Arneaya would only make escape easier for the kidnappers. In fact, he seemed to think that very thing had been planned. Nothing served quite so well as chaos when it came to concealing criminal activity. The likelihood of finding the missing royals decreased with every person who fled the capital in search of refuge elsewhere.
A soft noise startled Obi-Wan, and he turned to see a small boy looking up him from the corner of a hedge maze he had just passed. The child was young, only five or six at the oldest. Chestnut curls wreathed round, dimpled cheeks and curious blue eyes. Obi-Wan smiled at the boy and spoke to him.
"Hello. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Who are you?"
A tentative smile spread over the child's face as he stepped toward the Jedi. "My name is Ennis. My mamma cooks for the king."
"That's an important job," Obi-Wan smiled back. "But I'll bet she's getting worried about you, Ennis. It's getting awfully dark out here. Is she still working in the kitchen?"
Ennis shook his head, his curls jiggling in his childish enthusiasm. "No, Obi-Wan. She went home. She doesn't cook at night." He looked inquisitively at the strange visitor and then said, "People don't eat at night, you know. If they did, Mamma would never sleep. Don't you know that, Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan grinned. The youngster's innocence was refreshing after the tensions of the day. "Well, I guess you're right, Ennis. Where do you live? If she's already gone home, she is probably wondering where you are." He reached for the child's hand, and the boy placed small, grubby fingers in his gentle grip.
"We live here. You can see Mamma's light over there." He pointed to a window filled with a warm glow. "She says I can play in the gardens at night if it's warm enough and if I promise not to pick the flowers or make too much noise."
"I see," Obi-Wan replied. Then a thought struck him. "You're sure lucky to live in the palace. I bet it's lots of fun." The boy nodded. "I bet you even know Princess Calla," Obi-Wan continued.
Ennis' face clouded over as he said, "She's my best friend. We play together a lot. I taught her all kinds of stuff and sometimes I take her to my secret hiding places." He looked into Obi-Wan's face solemnly. "But something bad happened to her."
Obi-Wan crouched down beside the child and looked into his eyes. "I know. I'm trying to find her so I can help her. Maybe you can help me." The boy's eyes brightened. "Where were you playing last night, Ennis? Was it in the gardens or in the palace?"
"It was cold last night," the child answered. "So I stayed inside. Mamma said I could go to my secret room."
"Did you see anything or here anything while you were there?" The Force was sending waves through Obi-Wan like a flood, telling him this child was the key to finding the Tieri's.
"Yes, Obi-Wan. I was playing in my secret room, and the door opened. Bad men had Calla and her mom and dad. They were dragging them, and Calla was crying. It was dark and I hid in a corner, so they didn't see me." Obi-Wan's senses were on high alert as the child continued. "They took Calla into another room that we don't play in cause it's too dirty, but they never came out. When it got quiet, I went to see why, but no one was there. I was too afraid to tell Mommy, but I don't want the bad men to hurt Calla. Can you help her?"
Relief surged through Obi-Wan and he patted the child's shoulder reassuringly. "Ennis, I promise you that I will help her. Do you think you can show me your secret room? I need to look around in there and see if I can find out where they went."
"Okay, Obi-Wan. I'll show you." The child took Obi-Wan's hand and headed for the palace, but Obi-Wan stopped him.
"Just a minute, there. I need to ask my Master to meet us. It'll just take a moment." The boy stopped and Obi-Wan flipped open his comlink. "Master," he said in a rush, "I have good news."