Chapter 6 Luke's Prediction
Obi-Wan peered around the corner, "Here she comes." He announced.
"What took you so long?" Anakin asked sternly, "I was starting to worry."
"I had to make it look good, didn't I? I had one of the attendants check my vitals and then I had just rest a little, you know." Padme answered and then got a good look at the unconscious boy in Anakin arms, "Oh, Annie, I didn't realize he was going to be this bad."
"Well you heard what his…er…mother said." Anakin replied. "Anyway, let's get out of here before they realize what we've done."
"His mother? You met her?" Obi-Wan asked as he followed him down the small alley.
"Well, it's the only place I knew where to look; Master Yoda said that's why you were here. I couldn't feel you and it scared me." Anakin said as they hurried along. "When we've gotten away from this place, I want you tell me how that happened."
"The how I can tell you right now. It was some kind of drug, they gave to Zak first and I was too slow to stop them from giving it to me too." Obi-Wan answered. "I should have never brought him here, Anakin; I should have trusted my instincts."
"Zak's mother said he fell; that doesn't feel right." Anakin said.
"That's because I don't think it is. I think his brother pushed him." Obi-Wan answered. "How much further?"
"Just up ahead; his own brother? What's the matter with these people?" Anakin replied.
"I don't know; but I'm certain of one thing, I will never bring Zak back here." Obi-Wan told him.
"No, I can't say as I blame…oops." Anakin said as he stopped short at the end of the alley.
"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Trouble, I think." Anakin answered. "Look."
Obi-Wan looked at what Anakin was seeing several security officers standing around Anakin's speeder.
"You brought a speeder here?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously.
"Well, I didn't know this place was so backward." Anakin said in defense.
"I'll handle this." Padme said authoritatively as walked around both of them before they could stop her.
"What does she think she's doing?" Obi-Wan asked.
"You're asking me? Being Padme, I guess." Anakin answered.
As they watched, Padme burst into tears right in front of the officers, "You have to help me." She cried.
"What is it, Madam?" One of them asked.
"Robbed, I've been robbed!" She sobbed and then pointed. "They went that way."
"But, Madam, you came from over there." The officer said, pointing to where Anakin and Obi-Wan were waiting.
"Yes, I know, but they dragged me there and ran off, I'm sure I saw them go that way." She answered, hysterically.
"How long ago did this happen?" Another asked.
"Oh, I don't know; I was just so afraid to move. I don't know how long I stayed in there." Padme replied tearfully. "Please, they've taken everything; couldn't you just run down there and check for me?"
"Sure, I don't see why not. Menik can stay here with you and we'll just have a look; alright?" The first one said.
"Oh, that would be so kind, I would be so grateful if you could do that." Padme answered, still weeping.
"That was pretty clever." Obi-Wan said.
"She never ceases to amaze me." Anakin replied, as she shifted Zak again.
"Is he getting too heavy? Would you like me to take him?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No, it's alright; besides, if we have to run for it, I can draw on the Force to help me, you can't." Anakin answered.
Obi-Wan looked away.
"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan; I can't imagine what it must feel like to be…I'm sorry." Anakin said.
"How far along are you, Madam?" Menik asked.
"Very far, seven months." Padme answered drying her tears with a kerchief.
"Well, I'm sure glad they didn't hurt you." Menik told her.
"Oh, they wouldn't have hurt me." Padme replied.
"What? But I thought you said…" Menik started and stopped as he turned to see a blaster pistol pointed at his face. "Look, I…"
"We don't want any trouble." Padme said.
"Time to go." Anakin said as he started toward Padme with Obi-Wan on his heels.
"We?" Menik said.
"Yes, my wife, my friends here and me." Anakin answered as he came up behind him.
Menik's eyes grew wide, "You're that Jedi. How did you get out?" He asked.
"The governor of Naboo arrested us." Obi-Wan answered, smiling.
"You won't get away with this, you know." Menik warned.
"Oh, we already have. You haven't seen us." Anakin said with as much of a hand gesture as he could manage.
"I haven't seen you." Menik repeated dazedly.
"The poor pregnant lady was picked up by her husband." Anakin said, gesturing.
"The poor pregnant lady was picked up by her husband." Menik repeated mechanically.
Obi-Wan put a hand to his mouth and looked away. Anakin had become very good at this, he thought.
"The thieves must have taken the speeder." Anakin said.
"The thieves must have taken the speeder." Menik repeated.
"After they knocked you out." Anakin said.
"After they…" Menik did not get a chance to finish before Padme beamed him with the blaster pistol.
"Oh, that was good." Obi-Wan said as he jumped into the back seat of the speeder.
Anakin lowered Zak carefully into Obi-Wan's lap and the Master cradled him tenderly as Anakin helped his bulging wife into the passenger seat and then jumped in. The engine roared to life and he moved swiftly through the streets, collecting shocked stares from everyone they passed.
"We have to get away from all these people, Anakin." Obi-Wan said.
"I know that, I'm trying." Anakin answered as he turned down an uncrowded side street, only to discover he had turned into a dead end. "Blast." Then he whipped the speeder back the way they had come.
"Anakin why don't you just go up?" Obi-Wan suggested.
"Oh, I never thought of that." Anakin replied; he turned the nose of the speeder up until he was above most of the buildings and then headed to where he and Padme had hidden the yacht.
Less than half an hour later, Anakin descended to a small clearing and there was the silver Naboo yacht, gleaming in the moonlight as if welcoming them back. No vehicles were in sight, and Anakin could detect no danger through the Force. He landed as close to the ship as he could and then hopped out to help Padme before gathering Zak up in his arms. Padme activated the boarding ramp and walked up followed by Anakin, with Obi-Wan bringing up the rear. The twins, as Padme had predicted, had managed to amuse themselves without getting into trouble and now ran to greet them.
"Whatsa matter with Sackie? Is he sleeping?" Leia asked.
"No, Leia, Sackie's sick." Luke answered solemnly.
"Oh, no; will he get better?" Leia asked as she started to cry.
"I dunno." Luke told her.
"Sackie can' die; he just can'." Leia sobbed.
"Stop it you two, he's not going to die." Anakin assured them as he carefully placed Zak on one of the sleeping couches. "But he's hurt very badly, so you have to be really quiet around him, alright?"
"Yes Daddy." They both promised.
"Obi-Wan, why is there a tube in his mouth?" Anakin asked.
"Hmph; they put that in there to put him under so they could…" Obi-Wan put his hand over his mouth and turned away. "So they could cut him open."
"What?" Anakin asked. "Why would they do that?"
"That's the way they do things around here, Anakin; no modern equipment at all. As you noticed, no speeders, no decent diagnostic medical equipment, no bacta…" Obi-Wan answered.
"No bacta! That's, that's…" Anakin stammered.
"Barbaric, yes and they cut him open, Anakin, and…" Obi-Wan had to pause, "and sewed him back up."
"Sewed him back up?" Anakin repeated as if he had misunderstood. "You mean with a needle….no."
"Yes." Obi-Wan confirmed.
"Strap in back there, I'm taking off." Padme called from the cockpit.
Obi-Wan secured Zak to the sleeping couch before sitting down and strapping on his harness.
"I'm going up front." Anakin said as he finished harnessing the twins. "I want to try and contact the Republic transport and let them know what's happened. I'll be back once I've made the jump."
"Republic transport?" Obi-Wan echoed.
"Yes, I'll tell you all about it when I come back." Anakin promised.
Obi-Wan nodded and Anakin left the compartment and moved forward. He reached over and touched his Padawan's arm, "I told you, didn't I? Now, stay with me a little longer; it's almost over, Padawan." He said.
"Can he hear you, Master Obi?" Luke asked.
"I don't know, Luke, I hope so." Obi-Wan answered.
"I can' feel him anymore; will I ever be able to 'gain?" Luke asked.
"Yes, someone gave him something that took him away from you; but he'll be back." Obi-Wan assured him.
"Good, 'cause I miss him." Luke replied.
Obi-Wan smiled, "I do too." He said.
Obi-Wan felt the familiar sensation of entering hyperspace and a few moments later, Anakin returned.
"I've contacted the transport…" Anakin began.
"What transport?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you; Padme contacted Chancellor Organa and he volunteered a transport and squadron of Clones. He was very upset when he learned what had happened. I think the Belaridians are going to have a lot of explaining to do." Anakin explained. "Anyway, they are going to go on to Belarid and pick up the ship you left there. I don't think they'll have any trouble; it seemed as if there are some things they respect."
"Yes, like the Governor of Naboo." Obi-Wan said, smiling.
"Yes." Anakin laughed and smiled back. "Clever plan my wife came up with, wasn't it?"
"Oh, yes; luckily no one there had actually met the governor or you would have had a lot of explaining to do." Obi-Wan replied. "But, Anakin, why did you bring your family along?"
"I didn't have much choice, really, Luke told me he had to come; he cried when I tried to leave him and Leia behind and Padme, well, you know Padme." Anakin explained.
"Yes; I can imagine." Obi-Wan said, "Anakin, something very strange happened when I found Zak; He regained consciousness for just a moment and he said what sounded like 'Sackie's lost.'."
"That's what Luke told me, that's exactly what he said, 'Sackie's lost.'; it seems the connection between them is getting stronger. I wonder if Zak will remember anything." Anakin replied.
"I don't know; I wonder if he'll even remember what happened to him." Obi-Wan answered.
"Well, the Chancellor sent a medical ship along with the transport; they are going to alter their course and rendezvous with us so that Zak can get the care he needs as soon as possible. We should be there in just over an hour." Anakin told him.
"Good." Obi-Wan said and rubbed his wrist absently.
"We should do something about that." Anakin said as he fished under the seat for the emergency medical kit. "What was wrong with that doctor, anyway?"
"Superstition, fear, I don't know; the whole planet seemed to be like that. They shun Force sensitives, even the children. That's what would have happened to Zak if the Jedi hadn't taken him. Servus told me that they have even gone so far as to…put them down." Obi-Wan answered as Anakin applied bacta to Obi-Wan's wrist and bandaged it.
"Put them down? You mean kill them?" Anakin asked. "I wonder how many have slipped through the Jedi testing."
"I don't know. All I know is that Zak's own family considers him an abomination; they didn't want anything to do with him." Obi-Wan replied.
"That's sick." Anakin said.
"I know." Obi-Wan sighed.
"It's interesting what they reject, though. No modern vehicles, but they sure aren't opposed to using blasters, now, are they." Anakin observed.
"No, or modern testing facilities to see what works to eliminate Force sensitivity." Obi-Wan added.
Anakin turned deadly serious then, "Is it permanent?" He asked.
"I don't know, Anakin." Obi-Wan answered truthfully.
Anakin swallowed, the thought of never feeling his brother's presence within the Force ever again…it was incomprehensible, "It can't be permanent." He said firmly.
"I hope you're right." Obi-Wan replied.
"What's this, by the way?" Anakin asked as he rapped his knuckles lightly on the cast encasing Zak's leg.
"That, my brother, is their way of stabilizing a broken leg." Obi-Wan told him.
"What? It's so heavy, how could he ever walk around in this?" Anakin asked. "And how would they get it off?"
"I have no idea; and hopefully the med droids will be able to figure out how to remove it." Obi-Wan answered.
Luke unstrapped his harness, climbed up one the sleep couch and curled up next to Zak.
"What are you doing, Luke?" Anakin asked.
"Sackie needs me." Luke answered.
"How do you know that? Can you feel him again?" Anakin asked.
"Nope; I jus' know." Luke replied.
"What about that tube, Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked, "Shouldn't we take it out?"
"No, I don't think we should touch it; I have no idea what might happen if we did." Obi-Wan answered.
"You're probably right it just looks…" Anakin struggled for a word.
"I know." Obi-Wan finished. "You know, never once did they ever call Zak by his name. Not even his own family and they certainly knew what it was; and I told them at that medical center what his name was, but they just referred to him as 'the boy', as if he was not worthy of having one."
"Poor Zak, no wonder he thought you'd rejected him back on Naboo when 'it' happened. He must have thought you would treat him just like his family did." Anakin replied. "Obi-Wan, I'm sorry I started that new policy about this kind of thing; it obviously wasn't a very good idea."
"No, it was a brilliant idea, Anakin; it's just that I think from now on, we had better be absolutely positive that the family wants to see their child, or in the very least, make sure it's safe to bring the child to them." Obi-Wan answered. "Zak is the sorry example of what happens when that precaution isn't taken."
"I agree." Anakin said.
Exhausted, Obi-Wan nodded off and Anakin left the compartment to let him sleep. An hour later, they came out of hyperspace to dock with the medical transport. When Anakin returned to the passenger section, Obi-Wan was removing the straps that had held Zak in place.
"We're coming into the landing bay, Obi-Wan; they have a medical capsule all ready to receive him." Anakin said.
A few minutes later, two Clones entered the ship with the medical capsule and a med droid, "What is this?" The droid asked when its ocular sensors located the breathing tube.
"I understand it was put there to help him breathe." Obi-Wan answered with the shortest explanation he could think of.
"Tsk, tsk; a crude and outdated method." The droid answered. "I will remove it when he is in our facility."
Moving down, it sensed the stitching underneath Zak's bandaged midsection, "Tsk, this is primitive. Who is responsible for this?" It asked.
"We were on Belarid." Obi-Wan answered.
"Hmm…Belarid; yes, they reject modern medicine; primitive, primitive." The droid replied. "I will repair this and…hmmm…I will replace this." It added, indicating the cast.
"Can you get it off?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes, it will not be difficult. I do not know why they still use this type of material on Belarid when there are lighter and stronger materials available." The droid answered. "I deduce that he also has had no bacta treatments?"
"No, he has not." Obi-Wan confirmed.
"When was he injured?" The droid asked.
"Early this morning." Obi-Wan answered.
"Hmm…tsk…" The droid responded.
"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned.
"Optimal recovery would have required immediate proper attention." The droid answered.
"What does that mean?" Obi-Wan asked. "That he will die?"
"Hmm…no…however, recovery may not be complete." The droid told him.
"How incomplete?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I indicated may not, the final outcome is impossible to predict. I will do my best." The droid assured him. "Place him in the capsule."
An hour later, Obi-Wan sat beside Zak as he floated in a bacta-filled tub. The med droid had removed the bandages and stitching from Zak's side and scalp and sealed them. It had withdrawn the tube that had been in Zak's throat after determining that it was not only unnecessary, but also detrimental to Zak's health and removed the heavy cast the Belaridian doctor had put on and replaced it with one of lightweight plasticine; and did the same with the splint on his wrist.
"He is doing very well, Master Kenobi." The med droid informed him. "Better than I had first predicted."
"Well, that's good news." Obi-Wan said.
"Obi-Wan?" Anakin called from the open doorway.
"Yes, Anakin." Obi-Wan replied.
"Someone would like to see Zak, if it's alright with you." Anakin answered.
Obi-Wan looked up to see Luke standing expectantly next to his father, "Oh, yes, of course." He said, gesturing Luke to come in.
Luke climbed up onto the arm of Obi-Wan's chair and looked into the tub, "Can I touch him?" He asked.
Obi-Wan glanced over at Anakin, puzzled.
"Don't ask me, I have no idea what he's up to." Anakin said.
"Sure, go ahead, Luke." Obi-Wan answered.
"He's gettin' better." Luke said after a moment.
"How do you know that?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I dunno, I jus' know." Luke answered. "He feels differnt than before."
"Well, that's good to know." Obi-Wan told him as Luke climbed down.
"We can go now, Daddy." He said.
"Are you going back to Naboo then?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Only to take Padme and the children home." Anakin replied. "Then I'll be back on Coruscant. Maybe I can help Zak the way I helped you."
"Thank you, Anakin." Obi-Wan said.
"You are my brother, Obi-Wan." Anakin said in response. "May the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you, brother." Obi-Wan answered.
He watched Anakin, holding his son's hand, walk back down the hallway and then reached into the tub and touched Zak's forehead, "Master Anakin is going to come and help you, Padawan." He said.
